Another new and previously unknown Chinese submarine design has appeared, continuing the country’s prodigious naval shipbuilding program. The emergence of this submarine comes after a new subclass of a conventionally-powered type broke cover last year and the reveal of a highly intriguing “sail-less” design three years before that, though there are no clear indications one way or another that any of these are directly related to each other.
Video showing the new Chinese submarine underway, apparently taken during early tests, appeared earlier today on social media. The submarine is a relatively small design, likely significantly smaller than the Type 039 Yuan class, several iterations of which have already appeared. H. I. Sutton, an author and an expert on submarine warfare, estimates that the new submarine is around 160 feet long, compared to a little over 250 feet for the Type 039A.
