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China is continuing the construction of a new attack submarine equipped with stealth technology and armed with hypersonic missiles and a state-of-the-art launch system.
This was reported by the South China Morning Post (SCMP), as relayed by Ukrinform.
According to the publication, the People’s Liberation Army of China (PLA) has not officially disclosed the construction of a new type of submarine. However, a local specialized journal, Naval & Merchant Ships, which belongs to the Chinese Navy contractor China State Shipbuilding Corporation, published an article describing the new submarine, which can be considered an indirect confirmation of its development.
The new submarine will be armed, among other things, with hypersonic missiles, allowing the PLA to carry out covert strikes from beyond enemy defenses, with the option to equip such missiles with nuclear warheads if necessary.
“This means that the submarine, in coordination with other PLA military forces, will enhance strategic deterrence against enemy carrier strike groups and military bases in the island chain stretching from Japan to the Philippines,” SCMP writes.
It is noted that the threat of strikes from the new submarine should force the enemy to disperse its forces for “asymmetric deterrence,” allowing China’s main army units to gain an advantage in firepower and numbers and ultimately secure victory in key theaters of war.
The new submarine was first spotted in satellite images at a shipyard in Wuhan, Hubei province, in mid-2024.
Analyzing the images, experts determined that the submarine features several technological innovations, including a vertical launch system (VLS) for cruise and ballistic missiles. This will enable it to operate as a nuclear-powered submarine and attack surface ships or carry out precise long-range strikes on land targets, such as U.S. medium-range missile defense systems in northern Philippines.
It is noted that equipping the submarine with a VLS represents a significant departure from traditional missile-launch methods via torpedo tubes, allowing it to carry more missiles and significantly reduce launch preparation time.
Chinese experts say the new submarine aims to counter the growing foreign military presence in the region neighboring China, as evidenced by the deployment of Typhon missile launchers by U.S. forces in the Philippines after joint exercises in April last year.
These launchers can fire various types of missiles with a range of thousands of kilometers, capable of striking targets in China, Russia, and North Korea. Beijing has repeatedly condemned the deployment of Typhon launchers in the Philippines, calling them a strategic asset and an offensive weapon, and has demanded their removal back to the U.S.
Earlier, the Royal Canadian Navy, as part of a mission to uphold freedom of navigation in the Taiwan Strait, sent the guided-missile frigate Ottawa (HMAS Ottawa) through the waterway in February, provoking an angry reaction from China.
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