China Reveals New Stealthy Conventional Submarine
·
Our Bureau
· 08:44 AM, July 20, 2022
Purported image of PLAN's new submarine.
Chinese media on
Monday revealed a new conventional submarine believed to be that of the Type
039 with improvements that include stealth features.
The submarine is
believed to be an improvement over the Type 039A and 039B; local media
predicted this could be a Type039C submarine because of its unique angled sail.
The People’s
Liberation Army (PLA) Navy posted details of the submarine on their
official WeChat account. The report introduced new upgrades in sailors' canteen
services. One of the photos attached to the report particularly attracted
military observers - in the background of the photo was a large screen showing
a docked submarine, with sailors lining up on the submarine's back in what
seems to be a ceremony of some sort, the Global
Times reported.
This is the first time
the PLA Navy has revealed this type of conventionally powered submarine in
commission, Shanghai-based news website eastday.com reported on Monday.
In 2021, foreign media including Naval
News and The Drive reported on a new submarine when it underwent tests after
launch. These reports speculated that the angled sail design could reduce the
radar cross-section and make the submarine stealthier above water, provide
hydrodynamic advantages and house new systems.
Unidentified submarine during combat drills in May 2022 showing similarities in the forward section with the submarine in the first image.
With the new
submarine, China became the second country in the world to develop a submarine
with an angled sail design after Sweden's A26-class submarine.
But the first A26 just
had its keel laying ceremony a few weeks ago, meaning it still has a long way
to go before commissioning, while the Chinese submarine has seemingly already
entered service, the eastday.com report said.
Although
the two submarines both use angled sail designs, the details are very
different. China's shipbuilding industry has made fast strides and is fully
capable of making independent, innovative designs, an expert who
requested anonymity told the Global Times on Tuesday.
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