According to Iranian news agency “Mehr,” the Iranian Navy is participating in maneuvers with naval units from five other fleets belonging to Russia, China, South Africa, Ethiopia, and Indonesia. Statistics from the “Global Firepower” website for 2025 indicate that there is no available information about Ethiopia’s naval strength, while the other five countries collectively possess 1,660 naval units. This means that only half of the BRICS countries have significant naval capabilities that could shift the balance of naval power in seas and oceans if they decide to coordinate their combat missions in any potential war.
China possesses the largest naval fleet in the world with 754 naval units, including the world’s largest force of frigates. It ranks second in the number of aircraft carriers, helicopters, destroyers, corvettes, and mine sweepers, while it ranks third globally in submarines and fifth in patrol ships.
Russia has the third-largest naval fleet in the world with 419 naval units. Statistics show that Russia has the largest corvette force and the largest naval mine sweeper force globally, the second-largest submarine force, ranks fourth in aircraft carriers, sixth in destroyers, twelfth in frigates, and ninth globally in patrol ships.
Indonesia has the fourth-largest naval fleet in the world with 331 naval units. Statistics indicate that Indonesia ranks second in patrol ships, fourth in corvette strength, eighth in mine sweepers, and eleventh in frigates.
Iran possesses 107 naval units, placing its naval fleet at number 34 globally. Statistics show that Iran’s frigate strength ranks it eleventh globally, followed by its corvette strength at fourteenth, mine sweepers at eighteenth, and patrol ships at forty-third.
South Africa has 49 naval units, ranking fiftieth globally, and its fleet includes: Statistics show that South Africa ranks fourteenth in frigate strength, fifteenth in submarines, thirty-fourth in patrol ships, and seventeenth in naval mine sweepers.
According to the website, there is no information on Ethiopia’s naval power, which is classified as a landlocked country with no direct sea access, relying on neighboring Djibouti for access to the sea.
It is noteworthy that “BRICS” is an intergovernmental group established in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India, and China. South Africa joined the group in 2011. Since the beginning of 2024, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates have joined, with Indonesia joining at the start of 2025.
