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China’s navy has quietly commissioned a new submarine for its eastern fleet
Published: 10:30pm, 22 Jul, 2022
A PLA report on a canteen for sailors in Ningbo included this image showing a handover ceremony for the new submarine in the background. Photo: qq.com
China’s navy has recently commissioned a new type of diesel-powered submarine with an unusual sail design that may improve stealth, according to an image released in an official report.
The report was on a smart canteen for sailors in Ningbo, Zhejiang – the headquarters of the naval fleet for the Eastern Theatre Command that oversees the Taiwan Strait – and was posted on the PLA Navy’s WeChat account on Monday.
It includes a photo of sailors at a dining table, and in the background is a large image showing a handover ceremony for a new variant of the Type 039 submarine that reveals the distinctive sail.
A source close to the People’s Liberation Army confirmed that the new submarine had recently joined the Eastern Theatre Command fleet.
“[The commissioning] happened just recently as some of the older submarines need to be replaced,” said the source, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
An earlier image of the new submarine that was posted online. Analysts have referred to it as the Type 039D. Photo: qq.com
China has not formally revealed the name or details of the new submarine, though some analysts have referred to it as the Type 039D.
Its sail has an angled upper section with a ridge running along it that appears to be designed to improve agility and stealth, according to a 2021 study by Eric Genevelle, author of the French submarine encyclopaedia, and Richard W. Stirn, a former US Navy submarine sonar technician.
The new variant was first seen in images posted on Chinese social media in May last year, days before it was launched at a shipyard in Wuhan, Hubei province, according to the analysis article published on the authors’ personal websites.
Wuhan is where the PLA’s 701 Research Institute – or the China Ship Research and Design Centre – is based, and its submarine and surface warships are developed there.
The angled sail design is similar to that on Sweden’s A26 Blekinge-class submarine, which is under construction and expected to be launched in 2024.
But it is not clear how the sail will be used on the Chinese submarine.
“The higher exhaust diffuser on the sail could increase its stealth capabilities when floating,” said a Chinese naval expert, who did not wish to be named.
“The new sail could also be used to launch vertical cruise missiles for special missions,” he said, adding that a vertical launch system, or VLS, could hit targets further away with greater precision.
Lu Li-shih, a former instructor at Taiwan’s Naval Academy in Kaohsiung, said if the sail was modified into a platform with a VLS, it would likely be equipped with the YJ-21 hypersonic anti-ship ballistic missile, which has a range of 1,000km to 1,500km.
“But given that just one Type 039D has been commissioned so far, I doubt the PLA is using it as an experimental platform for testing,” Lu said.
“The unusual sail design could be for sophisticated radar systems designed for air-defence purposes – for example when the submarine has American spy jets flying near the Chinese coast for close-in reconnaissance.”
New warships are usually commissioned with much fanfare in China, but it appears the PLA wants to retain some mystery around its latest sub, according to French submarine expert Genevelle.
“This is indeed interesting information because generally the official launches are highlighted on the occasion of a PLAN anniversary,” he said. “The Chinese are more and more discreet about their submarines.”
The new submarine is the latest in the Type 039 family. The Type 039A is China’s first conventional submarine equipped with air-independent propulsion and was designed mainly as an anti-ship cruise missile platform that can stay submerged for longer in difficult-to-access shallow coastal areas.
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/mil...uietly-commissioned-new-submarine-its-eastern
- Image showing handover of the new Type 039 variant was included in a PLA report on a smart canteen for sailors
- It reveals the unusual sail design, which analysts say could be to improve stealth or to launch vertical cruise missiles
Published: 10:30pm, 22 Jul, 2022
A PLA report on a canteen for sailors in Ningbo included this image showing a handover ceremony for the new submarine in the background. Photo: qq.com
China’s navy has recently commissioned a new type of diesel-powered submarine with an unusual sail design that may improve stealth, according to an image released in an official report.
The report was on a smart canteen for sailors in Ningbo, Zhejiang – the headquarters of the naval fleet for the Eastern Theatre Command that oversees the Taiwan Strait – and was posted on the PLA Navy’s WeChat account on Monday.
It includes a photo of sailors at a dining table, and in the background is a large image showing a handover ceremony for a new variant of the Type 039 submarine that reveals the distinctive sail.
A source close to the People’s Liberation Army confirmed that the new submarine had recently joined the Eastern Theatre Command fleet.
“[The commissioning] happened just recently as some of the older submarines need to be replaced,” said the source, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
An earlier image of the new submarine that was posted online. Analysts have referred to it as the Type 039D. Photo: qq.com
China has not formally revealed the name or details of the new submarine, though some analysts have referred to it as the Type 039D.
Its sail has an angled upper section with a ridge running along it that appears to be designed to improve agility and stealth, according to a 2021 study by Eric Genevelle, author of the French submarine encyclopaedia, and Richard W. Stirn, a former US Navy submarine sonar technician.
The new variant was first seen in images posted on Chinese social media in May last year, days before it was launched at a shipyard in Wuhan, Hubei province, according to the analysis article published on the authors’ personal websites.
Wuhan is where the PLA’s 701 Research Institute – or the China Ship Research and Design Centre – is based, and its submarine and surface warships are developed there.
The angled sail design is similar to that on Sweden’s A26 Blekinge-class submarine, which is under construction and expected to be launched in 2024.
But it is not clear how the sail will be used on the Chinese submarine.
“The higher exhaust diffuser on the sail could increase its stealth capabilities when floating,” said a Chinese naval expert, who did not wish to be named.
“The new sail could also be used to launch vertical cruise missiles for special missions,” he said, adding that a vertical launch system, or VLS, could hit targets further away with greater precision.
Lu Li-shih, a former instructor at Taiwan’s Naval Academy in Kaohsiung, said if the sail was modified into a platform with a VLS, it would likely be equipped with the YJ-21 hypersonic anti-ship ballistic missile, which has a range of 1,000km to 1,500km.
“But given that just one Type 039D has been commissioned so far, I doubt the PLA is using it as an experimental platform for testing,” Lu said.
“The unusual sail design could be for sophisticated radar systems designed for air-defence purposes – for example when the submarine has American spy jets flying near the Chinese coast for close-in reconnaissance.”
New warships are usually commissioned with much fanfare in China, but it appears the PLA wants to retain some mystery around its latest sub, according to French submarine expert Genevelle.
“This is indeed interesting information because generally the official launches are highlighted on the occasion of a PLAN anniversary,” he said. “The Chinese are more and more discreet about their submarines.”
The new submarine is the latest in the Type 039 family. The Type 039A is China’s first conventional submarine equipped with air-independent propulsion and was designed mainly as an anti-ship cruise missile platform that can stay submerged for longer in difficult-to-access shallow coastal areas.
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/mil...uietly-commissioned-new-submarine-its-eastern
