(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — In December last year, a group of Chinese fishermen in the eastern part of the country were startled when they unexpectedly encountered a “secret” submarine belonging to the country’s navy, believed to be undergoing testing in the ocean.
The incident involving the Chinese fishermen and the submarine has been documented and widely disseminated through the country’s social media channels.
Subsequent analysis identified the submarine recorded by the fishermen as a Type 039C Yuan-class submarine, developed by the Chinese military to operate in extremely silent conditions.
The submarine, assumed to be conducting tests, was recorded off the coast of Zhejiang, located in the eastern part of the country.
In response to threats from the United States and its allies in the Indo-Pacific region, China has bolstered its underwater capabilities by constructing more submarines, whether conventional or nuclear-powered.
At present, the Chinese Navy is believed to possess up to 17 Type 039 Yuan-class submarines equipped with Air-Independent Propulsion (AIP), with the Type 039C being the latest variant.
The existence of the latest Type 039C submarine variant was detected through satellite imagery in 2021, and it took nearly a year before the Chinese Navy acknowledged its existence.
The newest variant of the Yuan-class submarine featured latest design known as an “angled sail,” designed to make it more challenging for adversaries to detect it using active sonar, particularly when operating in shallow waters such as the Taiwan Strait.
The “angled sail” design is increasingly prevalent in the construction of next-generation submarines.
The latest submarine design is reported to also be adopted in the A-26 and Type 212CD submarines to be built by Sweden and Germany.
However, as of now, China is the only country that has implemented the “angled sail” design in its completed submarine designs.
China’s decision to incorporate the “angled sail” design in its new-generation submarines indirectly underscores the significant threat posed by active sonar, as acknowledged by submarines.
Analysts note that due to the increasing silence of modern submarines, the role of passive sonar is diminishing. — DSA
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