As part of the celebrations marking the 73rd anniversary of the founding of the China’s People’s Liberation Army’s Navy (PLAN) on April 23 this year, several major revelations about future submarines have emerged from China’s major shipbuilders that are subsidiaries of the state-owned China Shipbuilding Industry Corp (CSIC).

The PLAN aims to procure eight double-hulled ballistic missile-carrying nuclear-powered submarines (SSBN) comprising six Type 09-IV-class second-generation SSBNs and two Type 09-VI-class third generation SSBN — all of which will be built by the Bohai Shipbuilding Heavy Industry Co Ltd (BSHIC) in Huludao, Liaoning Province. Beijing wants to maintain five SSBNs on patrol constantly in China’s coast, especially in the East China Sea and South China Sea where the waters are not deep enough (about 100 metres deep on an average). The construction of the first Type 09-VI SSBN began in early 2020. It will carry 12 JL-3 SSBNs that have a 9,000km range. The JL-3 was first test-fired in December 2018.

Such SSBNs usually cruise at very low speeds of around eight knots in their patrol areas to avoid cavitation, a form of noise generation involving the collapse of air bubbles created by a propeller. But even in patrol areas, such SSBNs, if required, can operate at speeds of around 16 knots, much higher than the cavitation threshold speed. The PLAN’s Rear Admiral Ma Weiming, an academic at the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Director of the Power Electronics Research Institute at the PLA Naval Engineering University, has claimed that China’s shaftless, rim-driven, pump-jet technology meant for the Type 09-VI SSBNs is more than 10 years ahead of that of the US.

The PLAN has called for procuring 15 BSHIC-built nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSN) and 20 double-hulled diesel-electric submarines (SSK) built by the Wuhan-based Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group Co Ltd subsidiary of the CSIC, with the latter being fitted with low-power/low-pressure auxiliary nuclear powerplants for electricity generation. Beijing wants to maintain 10 SSNs on patrol constantly in China’s waters, especially in the East China Sea and South China Sea. The construction of the double-hulled Type 09-III family of second-generation SSNs began in the late 1990s and the first-of-its-class, Boat 407, was launched in 2002. After sea-trials that lasted for four years, the SSN was finally commissioned by the PLAN in December 2006.