The newest nuclear submarine in China sank during the spring at the Wuchang Naval Shipyard, despite the Asian country’s efforts to conceal it, two US defense officials reported.
According to the US media, The Wall Street Journal and CNN, The event came to light thanks to satellite images and it was the first Zhou-class submarine, of their new line of ships.
A satellite image from March 10 shows the submarine docked in the port, while additional images dated in June show that The submarine did not return to the dock.
This represents a major setback for one of China’s weapons programs, a country that the Pentagon has described as its “main challenge” in the long term.
“It is not surprising that the People’s Liberation Army Navy tries hide the fact that its new nuclear-powered attack submarine, the first of its class, sank in dock,” a senior US defense official told The Wall Street Journal.
According to CNN, the event was identified by Tom Shugarta research associate at the Center for a New American Security, who studies satellite images of Chinese shipyards.
Shugart noted “a lot” of cranes grouped in the same place, something unusual in the shipyard, who would be the ones who came to rescue the submarine.
It is not known if the submarine transported nuclear fuel at the time she sank, but experts outside the U.S. government said The Wall Street Journal which was probable.
China has been working to diversify production of nuclear-powered submarines and modernize its navy with the intention of building a global military on par with the United States.
