China's incredible naval expansion and modernization continues. The latest surprise is another new and inexplicable submarine. The vessel, whose designation is unknown, has a distinctive ultra-modern layout. Along with the rapid construction of invasion barges at the Guangzhou shipyard in southern China, a submarine has entered the scene. The shipyard is not known for building submarines, but the presence of the boat is revealed by satellite imagery.
China has, once again, surprised the West by secretly building a submarine. Western submarines are reported in the media years before they are even laid down. While there are always secrets surrounding their design and capabilities, their existence cannot be kept secret. China, however, has a proven track record of building submarines in near-total secrecy. Nobody knows when it was built and what it was for. Now everyone is speculating but the highest possibility is that it is an ultra-large unmanned submarine. If it were, as it appears, an XLUUV (extra-large unmanned underwater vehicle), then it would be the largest in the world. And not by little; it is approximately 6-8 times larger than the US Navy's Orca XLUUV. Naval News made this discovery and Chinese sources added something else…; which will mainly be used to block Taiwan.
by Nicola and Gabriele Iuvinale
Along with the rapid construction of invasion barges at the Guangzhou shipyard, in southern China, a submarine entered the scene. The shipyard is not known for building submarines, but the boat's presence was revealed by satellite imagery.
The US military media Naval News has in fact discovered, through satellite images, a brand new Chinese submarine approximately 45 meters long, newly built on a floating dock.
China's incredible naval expansion and modernization continues. The latest surprise is another new and inexplicable submarine. The vessel, whose designation is unknown, has a distinctive ultra-modern layout.
Nobody knows when it was built and nobody knows what it is for. But everyone is speculating, and the most likely possibility, as also claimed by Chinese sources, is that it is an ultra-large unmanned submarine.
The submarine is different from the design of the recently revealed Type-041 nuclear-powered submarine, launched at the Wuchang shipyard near Wuhan. This project is smaller and probably has a different propulsion type (not assisted by nuclear power) and mission. It is also different from the submarine "Olympic" revealed by Naval News in February 2022.
Preliminary estimates suggest the new submarine is about 45 meters (148 feet) long and 5 meters (15 feet) wide. The most notable features are the large X-shaped rudders at the stern and the apparent absence of a sail. Sails are a standard feature, but designers looked for ways to eliminate them to create a more aerodynamic boat. China is so far the only country to have built a sailless submarine, with one launched at the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai in 2019.
The previous sailless submarine appears to have been purely experimental. It did not appear to have torpedo tubes or sonar, features required for a warship. At first glance it seems conceivable that the new sailless submarine is a reconstruction of the first. They are similar in size and shape.
X-shaped rudders are also new to Chinese submarines, although they are becoming more common and reflect a broader trend in submarine design.
The largest unmanned submarine in the world?
The new vessel has the external appearance of an unmanned vessel. “We expect these guys to have no sail, as there is no crew that needs an access tower high above the waterline for use at sea.” China, and indeed other leading navies, have active programs to build extra-large unmanned submarines. And China's program is the largest and most extensive with at least 5 types in the water.
But if this were the case, and it would be an XLUUV (extra-large unmanned underwater vehicle), then it would be the largest in the world. And not by little; it is approximately 6-8 times larger than the Orca US Navy XLUUV.
That China built the world's largest XLUUV is not inconceivable.
He has already built the largest USV (Combat Uncrewed Surface Vessel) and seems intent on pushing the limits. But if that's the case, the question becomes why it's so big. There is no need for crew quarters, so even the largest XLUUVs do not have to be the same size as a traditional submarine. Therefore, for Naval News analysts it seems more likely that it is a manned vessel.
The role of the new submarine, however, remains unclear. It is smaller than regular diesel-electric submarines, but could be particularly suited for shallow-water operations. At the same time, it appears to have torpedo tubes and perhaps a towed sonar system. These characteristics suggest that it could be used to attack ships or submarines. An alternative explanation is that it is designed for special forces missions or seabed warfare.
Using it to block Taiwan
In the age of drones and robot dogs, submarines are a natural evolution. But what such a large submarine is used for has aroused a lot of curiosity.
Chinese sources generally believe that this will be used to blockade Taiwan.
The Taiwan Strait is not very wide and is shallow, which makes it difficult for submarines to enter, exit and move, especially in vertical maneuvers. If a submarine can only move horizontally and cannot submerge or resurface, its survivability will be compromised. The Americans imagined that some nuclear submarines (previously of the "Los Angeles" class, now "Virginia") could intercept the landing fleet of the People's Liberation Army, but this was wishful thinking.
But unmanned submarines don't have this problem.
Such a large submarine can be powered by electricity. There are still safety concerns about using lithium batteries in manned submarines, but there is no such problem for unmanned submersibles.
Unmanned submarines can also take advantage of new technologies that conventional manned submarines cannot use, significantly extending their diving endurance. For example, underwater glider technology.
This is done by emptying the ballast water tanks and using buoyancy to rise, then refilling the ballast water tanks with water and, in the sinking process using gravity, using the sinking to replace forward propulsion, like a glider. Thanks to these repeated climbs, descents and glides, hang gliders can easily travel underwater for several months and thousands of kilometers. Furthermore, the sliding itself is silent and even filling and emptying the ballast water tank can be done practically noiselessly. This is not like conventional submarines which use compressed air to move water, but can use bags of hydraulic oil or even pistons. The filling and unloading flow rate required for gliding does not have to be very high, but sufficient to allow the underwater glider to ascend and descend slowly. This is different from a submarine. The emergency sinking and ascent must be rapid, otherwise something bad will happen.
This requires "wings", not visible on Chinese hulless submarines, but such "wings" can only be fully folded and unfolded when in use, and then stowed in the boat on the dock or floating dock to reduce space taken up.
China already has underwater hang glider technology.
In shallow waters, not suitable for vertical maneuvers and underwater planning, conventional propulsion is used, which offers greater speed and maneuverability.
This thing will definitely be useful in the Taiwan Strait War, "but if you only see this, then your vision is too limited."
The Taiwan Strait is just one place where this thing can be used. Its uses are very wide.
For example, the blockade of Japan, the blockade of the Philippines, the blockade of Guam, the blockade of Hawaii, the blockade of Australia...
For Chinese sources, this thing can not only intercept shipping with torpedoes, but also ambush submarines and lay mines. If you have a more imaginative mind, you can also launch anti-aircraft missiles to ambush large, low-speed aircraft, such as transport planes, bombers, and anti-submarine aircraft, that are entering or leaving the area. It can also carry large numbers of cruise missiles and anti-aircraft missiles to launch surprise attacks on ground targets from unexpected directions.
Combat is highly autonomous but remote control is impossible. At most, it will emerge from time to time to update the latest instructions via data link. This is like a mine that can move towards the target autonomously.
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