China’s newest nuclear-powered attack submarine sank earlier in 2024, a senior U.S. defense official said recently.
- The sinking of the Zhou-class submarine, the first of its kind, occurred sometime between May and June alongside a pier.
- The incident has raised questions about the safety and reliability of China’s cutting-edge military technology.
- The incident is a blow to China’s ambitions to project power, especially in contested regions like the South China Sea.
- Satellite imagery from Planet Labs PBC analysed by US defence experts showed the submarine partially submerged near the Wuchang shipyard on the Yangtze River.
- China already has the largest navy in the world, with over 370 ships, and it has embarked on production of a new generation of nuclear-armed submarines.
- As of 2022, China had six nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, six nuclear-powered attack submarines and 48 diesel-powered attack submarines.
- According to U.S. military estimates, China’s fleet could reach 65 submarines by 2025 and 80 by 2035.
