By Jim Morris, Warrior Vice President, News
China has celebrated the 70th birthday of its submarine fleet by giving the public a brief look at its newest sub.
The vessel was featured briefly in a video on the official Weibo account of the People’s Liberation Army Navy. And it’s considerably different than any other Chinese submarine seen before.
Analysts told the Global Times, the English-language newspaper linked to the Chinese Communist Party, that the sub has a unique design that gives it additional stealth capabilities. They say it is already operational.
The submarine’s angled sail is identical to that of a sub called the Type 039C Yuan class, a non-nuclear attack type, in published accounts.
Last November, the Paris-based Nava News headlined a story “Chinese Submarine Is First To Exploit New Technology.”
“It is now almost certain that the distinctive shape of the sail on the latest Type-039C Yuan class submarines is to increase survivability,” the account said. “The angled sides are a stealth defense, reducing the ‘signal strength’ of the submarine from the enemy’s active sonar.”
The Naval News said that the size of the sub’s stealth features suggest that it’s designed to work against medium frequency sonars, which can be used to identify or classify a target. The vessel also has a sound-absorbing rubber coating.
Former Army Futures Command Commander, Ret. Gen. John Murray
The submarine is said to use air-independent power, which lets it operate without access to atmospheric oxygen through a snorkel or by surfacing. In theory, non-nuclear subs could be stealthier than ones powered by nuclear energy.
According to China Central Television (CCTV), the new submarine has already conducted test voyages and performance evaluation which included an extreme deep dive. The crew was said to have “explored methods and approaches in the rapid generation of combat capabilities.”
The Pentagon’s latest assessment on the Chinese military says that China is fast-tracking production of more attack subs, launching a new SHANG III class of boats and adding several guided-missile nuclear attack submarines.
“The new SHANG-class variant will enhance the (Chinese navy’s) anti-surface warfare capability and could provide a clandestine land-attack option if equipped with land-attack cruise missiles,” the report said.
All this has led to a growing concern that the US Navy’s attack submarine deficit could grow larger if production isn’t ramped up. The Navy’s leaders and some members of Congress believe that Los Angeles-class submarines are being retired much faster than Virginia-class submarines can be built.
There’s a push among some lawmakers to build two Virginia-class subs a year. But right now, that’s on hold. In a statement, the White House said it opposes including funds for a second submarine, “which industry is unable to produce on schedule.”
That is a rare position from the Biden administration that was echoed by a House Republican. The House version of the defense spending bill does not include money for the second sub. In a hearing last week, the chairman of the House Appropriation defense subcommittee, Rep. Ken Calvert, said, “The contractors can’t build it. There are significant problems with the submarine industrial base that cannot be resolved with symbolic money.”
The Senate version of the defense bill does include money for the second Virginia-class sub. Differences between the House and Senate measures will end up being negotiated.
