A mysterious Chinese submarine breaks cover
This is the MS200 mini-submarine shown by CSOC in 2017. There are similarities such as the sail and dive planes, though it is clearly a different design overall. (Gordon Arthur)
Little is known about a new type of submarine spotted in China, but it is likely destined for the PLA Navy.
The emergence of video footage of a new class of Chinese-built submarine sailing down a river somewhere in China comes as something of an epiphany, demonstrating that China is extremely busy developing its underwater fleet.
There was little indication that such a submarine project was underway, as the black-coloured submarine is not of the Type 039A/B/C Yuan class. The new design is in the order of 50m long, compared to 77.6m for the in-service Yuan class.
Furthermore, rather than the Yuan class’s double-hull design, the newly-discovered conventionally powered submarine seems to have just a single hull. Dive planes are
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
Read this Article
Get access to this article with a Free Basic Account
- Original curated content, daily across air, land and naval domains
- 2 free stories per week
- Daily news round-up email service
- Access to all Decisive Edge email newsletters
Unlimited Access
Access to all our premium news as a Premium News 365 Member. Corporate subscriptions available.
- Original curated content, daily across air, land and naval domains
- 14-day free trial (cancel at any time)
- Unlimited access to all published premium news
You may also like
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Joint Expeditionary Force launches AI protection net for undersea cables]()
Joint Expeditionary Force launches AI protection net for undersea cables
The UK-led system assesses potential threats before they result in undersea cable damage.
-
![Entire Black Sea “a contested maritime area”, says Commander of Estonian Navy]()
Entire Black Sea “a contested maritime area”, says Commander of Estonian Navy
The use of uncrewed vessels and vehicles has been crucial so far, but the Commander of the Estonian Navy warns against inflating their importance.
-
![Algeria signals a shift to domestic shipbuilding for Type 056 corvettes]()
Algeria signals a shift to domestic shipbuilding for Type 056 corvettes
The government recently commissioned a report on the viability of increased Algerian shipbuilding.
-
![US Navy names DDG 146 Arleigh Burke destroyer after former US Senator]()
US Navy names DDG 146 Arleigh Burke destroyer after former US Senator
The latest of the Flight III Arleigh Burke vessels has been named for a former US Senator and Vietnam veteran.
-
![Turkey begins steel-cutting on MUGEM and MiLDEN vessels]()
Turkey begins steel-cutting on MUGEM and MiLDEN vessels
The MUGEM, TF-2000 and MiLDEN programmes all aim to boost Turkey’s domestic shipbuilding prowess and its fleet.
