Satellite Footage Shows a New Class of Chinese Nuclear Powered Submarine is Now At Sea

Satellite footage of the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai, China, has shown the first nuclear powered submarine of an entirely new class docked in the water, fuelling considerable speculation regarding its role and capabilities. The ship is notably the first nuclear powered submarine built at the facility, raising the possibility that the shipyard will continue to produce submarines based on the distinct new design. The Jiangnan Shipyard’s production of the vessel provides China with three facilities capable of producing nuclear powered submarines, with the country’s production capacity having already overtaken those of the United States and Russia even before this. The new submarine  stands out for its use of an X-shaped rudder instead of the cruciform rudder, and is considerably longer than prior Chinese submarines at an estimated 120 metres, compared to around 108-110 metres for previous ships. To place this in perspective, the U.S. Navy's Virginia class nuclear-powered attack submarines are 115 meters long. 

The new vessel notably represents second new class of nuclear powered submarine launched in China in 2026, after the first Type 095 class attack submarine was launched at the Bohai Shipyard near the beginning of the year. The new vessel’s unique omission of the large, protruding structure at the top of the hull appears intended to further streamline its design, better improving underwater speed and manoeuvrability and reducing noise even at high speeds. However, this inevitably affects the placement of periscopes and other sensor masts. Furthermore, while U.S. and Russian nuclear submarines rely on using  sails to break ice and surface in the Arctic as a secondary function, the lack of sails could cause difficulties if the new ship even operations in such climates. As the Chinese submarine fleet has little presence in the Arctic, however, this is not expected to be an issue. 

It is possible that the new submarine is being developed to complement the Type 095 class as a second class of nuclear powered combat ship. Some analysts have raised the possibility that it may be assigned a different role, such as serving as a dedicated nuclear strike platform using land attack cruise or ballistic missiles. Even before the launches of the Type 095 class and the unnamed larger new ship, improvements to Chinese nuclear powered submarine capabilities had led the U.S. Navy to perceive a much greater challenge from the fleet. Improved quietness was singled out as an area where performance had made particularly major advances, as seen on the enhanced Type 093B class attack submarines which were far quieter and more survivable than previous variants of the Type 093 class design. Technologies reported to have been integrated to make the Type 095 class ships quieter and more survivable include Rim Driven Propellers and magnetic drive technologies. The new submarine launched at Jiangnan is expected to benefit from many of the same technologies.