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A new image circulating on Chinese social media and subsequently on “X” (formerly Twitter) revealed more details on the new Type 09IIIB nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN) produced at Chinese shipyard Bohai in Huludao for the Chinese Navy (PLAN). The image shows the new submarine underway, presumably taken from a boat or coastal location nearby. It is only the second ground-based photo of the new generation SSN, with previous imagery being exclusively satellite-sourced.
The new photo shows a very streamlined design, notably improved from earlier Type 09III-variants. Armament including the much speculated upon VLS remains obscured by inherent nature of perspective, submarine design and low fidelity of the image.
Type 09IIIB background and details
The overall configuration is a striking match for a previously known SSN-model apparently authorised by the 702 Research Institute of the Chinese State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC). The model, sometimes erroneously described as showing the next generation Type 09V SSN, has circulated online since at least 2022. Notable technical details of the configuration include a VLS, with 18 cells in three rows of six launchers, and a pump-jet propulsor or ducted propeller. The latter feature should be treated as indicative of the type of propulsion, without reading too much into the exact design as shown on the model.
A related variation of this SSN design appeared in a video presentation of the Harbin Engineering University in August 2023. A graphic of the design on a wall in the University exhibition showed an overall identical SSN. The major distinction of the boat is a visible VLS-row of eight launchers. The number of rows is not clearly visible but may suggest up to 24 launchers for VLS-ordnance.
Previous satellite imagery of the new design at Bohai confirmed the presence of the pump-jet, a first for a Chinese submarine design, and strongly suggests presence also of a VLS in unknown configuration. Apart from those two features the new hull is notably more streamlined, including the sail, compared to previous variants of the class. Detailed technical specifications including armament or performance figures remain unknown by virtue of PRC officials not disclosing related information. This includes the type or types of missile launched from the presumed VLS.
Previous Type 09III-variants explained
China according to US government reports has produced a total of six 09III- and 09IIIA-SSN. It’s worth noting the designation is sometimes written as Type 093 or Type 09-III in various discussions. Those boats have displayed a remarkable divergence in design details and equipment carried. Such diversity may reflect the initially very protracted design effort dating back to the 1990s. Bohai had launched the original two Type 09III- hulls in the early 2000s. The design succeeded China’s first generation SSN-design, the Type 09I. Bohai produced five Type 09I SSN between 1968 and 1990 under the original Project 09 started in 1958.
After launching two boats of Type 09III, Bohai proceeded with a series of individual modifications. All boats are commonly grouped together as Type 09IIIA. The four hulls of this type included enhancements such as flank and towed sonar arrays (TAS). The newer boats also display distinct variations in the limber hole-layout of the outer hull and in the hull configuration behind the sail, as represented by a “hump” in at least two variations. The rationale for this feature is unclear, with possibilities including space for gear required for the TAS. All variants are around 108 metres long, with an estimated displacement between 6,000 and 7,000 tons submerged.
All variants of the Type 09III before appearance of the newest design exclusively carry torpedo tubes. These boats are capable of launching the most modern Chinese heavyweight torpedo, the Yu-6, and likely also the YJ-18 antiship missile.
Bohai as production hub for nuclear powered submarines
Bohai, located in the city of Huludao, Liaoning Province, is the original and sole shipyard for construction of nuclear powered submarine. Related facilities were first established for the aforementioned Project 09 in the 1950s. The yard constructed the Type 09I and earlier Type 09III-variants at its original facilities, in addition to the Type 09II- and 09IV ballistic missile submarines.
Since 2014 the shipyard has seen considerable expansion and modernisation of production facilities. The work so far added four large new assembly and module construction hulls and associated workshops. Based on estimates and observed activity at the yard the builder appears capable of producing between two and three SSN per year at present. A further increase of production is plausible based on the overall configuration of the facility. Bohai is still undergoing further expansion, with the most recent addition being new berthing facilities added since mid-2022.
Observable production activity at Bohai’s expanded facilities dates to 2019. The exact number of Type 09IIIB-hulls the shipyard has launched to date remains uncertain. Reasonable estimates based on activity at the launch dock suggest the builder may have launched between three and six new SSN from 2022 until now. Satellite imagery via Sentinel shows at least four unidentified submarines at different times starting from May 2022 sitting in the launch dock. Flooding and draining of the launch dock at two additional points in time may indicate further hulls launched. It is conceivable not each observed boat represented a new launch.
The Chinese Type 09IIIB should be viewed within context of the larger PRC-effort of submarine-development and -modernisation. Production will eventually transition to the next generation Type 09V SSN. How many further Type 09IIIB are planned remains unknown, with speculative figures going as high as 16 hulls at present. Similarly the present status of the Type 09V-effort is unclear, though the new design may plausibly appear at Bohai within the next few years.
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