Yuan Class Type-039C
China’s new attack submarine is stationed off Taiwan
Type-039C in port, the collar on the turret is clearly visible.
© Weido/Screenshot/PR
In July, the first submarine of a new generation was put into service by Beijing. It features stealth technology and a sound-absorbing coating. In the next three years, 24 more boats are to follow, they will be used against Taiwan.
The Chinese navy’s newest and most dangerous submarine entered service in July and has now been assigned to the fleet in charge of the Taiwan theater of operations, Naval News reports. The boat is a further development of the Type 039A Yuan class and is conventionally powered, presumably it is the third generation, the Type 039C. There was only a year between launch and taking over active service.
A special feature is the shape of the tower. It was designed using stealth technology to reduce the type’s radar signature when traveling on the surface. The angled design of the tower is similar to the Swedish A26-class submarine. After the Swedish A26-class submarine, China is the second country in the world to build a submarine with such strong angles on the tower. It is possible that Beijing directly copied the Swedish design. However, Chinese experts point out that the copy must then have been adapted and built at lightning speed. After all, the first boat Type-039C had already been completed by the shipyard in 2021, while the construction of the first A26 boat in Sweden only started a year later and should not be ready before 2027/28.
Long dive times
Although Type-039C is diesel powered, its Air Independent Power (AIP) technology allows it to dive for several days before surfacing for snorkeling. A special generator then burns liquid oxygen and diesel, powering generators – either for propulsion or to charge the batteries. It is speculated that future generations of the Yuan class could do without the generator in favor of more powerful batteries. In order to detect opponents themselves, the boat tows an advanced sonar. In addition to the towing gear, the boat has a new sound-absorbing coating.
Large quantity
Naval News states that the submarine is stationed at the Daxie Dao Submarine Base alongside older boats of the same class. This base is protected by a rocky archipelago. This puts it close to Taiwan. Taiwan itself only has four largely obsolete submarines, but is already building a new generation. The development of Type-039C shows that China is not only relying on nuclear submarines like the USA, but is also expanding its fleet of conventional submarines, even if they are subject to restrictions. Even with AIP technology, the dive times do not reach those of nuclear submarines. In addition, vertical launch weapons cannot be installed in the smaller fuselage. The Type-039C’s armament consists of torpedoes and YJ-18 supersonic anti-ship missiles. The YJ-18B supersonic cruise missile has a range of over 500 kilometers.
The advantage of conventional submarines is that they are quieter underwater and are better able to conceal themselves, especially in coastal waters. In addition, they are cheaper and can be built faster. Western experts assume that Beijing will procure a fleet of 25 boats of the new type by 2025.