RECON CARDS - PLATFORM REFERENCE

Equipment Inventory

In-depth profiles of every aircraft and warship in the Recon Cards decks. History, specifications, and recognition features for US, Russian, and Chinese military platforms.

Type 052D Luyang III: China Just Commissioned Its 35th
Type 052D Luyang III: China Just Commissioned Its 35th
On May 31, 2026, Chinese state television aired footage of the destroyer Tongchuan, hull 177, conducting exercises in the South China Sea. The imagery confirmed what open-source trackers had been... Read more...
Chengdu J-20 Mighty Dragon: China Is Building More Than Two a Week
Chengdu J-20 Mighty Dragon: China Is Building More Than Two a Week
Chengdu J-20 Mighty Dragon: China's Stealth Fighter Read more...
Type 054B Jiangkai III: China's New Frigate Is Already Being Built in Batches
Type 054B Jiangkai III: China's New Frigate Is Already Being Built in Batches
Satellite imagery captured on March 21, 2026 at the Hudong Changxingdao shipyard in Shanghai confirmed what China's production pace had been suggesting: the Type 054B frigate program has moved out... Read more...
Shaanxi Y-9 Claw: China's Multi-Mission Workhorse Hunts Submarines Over the East China Sea
Shaanxi Y-9 Claw: China's Multi-Mission Workhorse Hunts Submarines Over the East China Sea
On March 28, 2026, Japan Air Self-Defense Force fighters scrambled to intercept a Chinese maritime patrol aircraft operating roughly 160 miles northeast of Okinawa over the East China Sea. The... Read more...
Type 055 Renhai: China's Ten-Ship Destroyer Fleet Just Got an Assignment
Type 055 Renhai: China's Ten-Ship Destroyer Fleet Just Got an Assignment
In early March 2026, Chinese state media confirmed what defense analysts had been tracking on satellite imagery for months: two new Type 055 large destroyers, Dongguan and Anqing, had entered... Read more...
Type 094/094A Jin Class
Type 094/094A Jin Class
The Type 094 (and its upgraded Type 094A variant), known to NATO as the Jin Class, is the ultimate heavy hitter of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and the... Read more...
Type 075 Yushen Class
Type 075 Yushen Class
The Type 075 Amphibious Assault Ship is the workhorse of the PLAN’s expeditionary fleet. Resembling a small aircraft carrier with its massive straight-through flight deck, this 40,000-ton vessel is designed... Read more...
Type 076 Sichuan: Yulan Class
Type 076 Sichuan: Yulan Class
The Type 076 Sichuan (NATO: Yulan Class) is China’s newest and most ambitious amphibious assault ship. While it features the well deck of a traditional landing helicopter dock (LHD) to... Read more...
Type 003 Fujian
Type 003 Fujian
Launched in 2022, the Fujian (CV-18) is the first carrier outside of the U.S. Navy to feature an Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), replacing the less-capable ski-jump ramp of its... Read more...
Type 002 Shandong: Modified Kuznetsov Class
Type 002 Shandong: Modified Kuznetsov Class
The Shandong is an optimized evolution of the Soviet-designed Liaoning, featuring increased deck and hangar space to support a larger air wing of Shenyang J-15 "Flying Shark" fighters. The carrier... Read more...