CLICK to enlarge.
Satellite Imagery Shows Progress In China's New Submarine Construction
Fresh satellite imagery shows steady progress at China's new submarine construction facility. The new Maxar imagery has been uploaded to Google Earth. It is very recent, less than a month old, which is unusual for the platform. Fortunately, some interesting things can be observed.
The Bohai shipyard at Huludao has long been associated with nuclear submarine construction. It has been massively expanded in recent years with two much larger sets of construction halls. These have been built on reclaimed land to the east of the original site.
The original submarine construction hall, on the older Western side of the yard, remains active. The general detritus of submarine construction is laid out in front of the yard. Some do appear to be sections of submarine hull, measuring around 9-10 meters across. This is broadly consistent with the inner pressure hull of existing Chinese Navy (PLAN) nuclear submarines.
CLICK to enlarge.
Get The essential guide to World Submarines
This Covert Shores Recognition Guide Covers over 80 classes of submarines including all types currently in service with World Navies.Check it out on Amazon
A Type-094 Jin Class ballistic missile submarine is in the dry dock there. This is believed to be undergoing maintenance.
Based on imagery analysis over time this is very likely the submarine which was seen sailing there in December 2021.
Outside the newer halls, on the east side of the site, are more signs of submarine construction. Here a hull section is on the rail system. It also measures 9-10 meters across.
CLICK to enlarge.
There are three types of submarine expected to be built at the site. These include the new generation Type-095 (aka Type-09V) attack submarine and Type-096 (-09VI) ballistic missile submarine. These designs may have larger hull diameters, so the sections may be the third type, the Type-093G (-09IIIG). This is an iterative development of the existing Shang class attack submarine. It is expected to have vertical launch tubes for cruise missiles.
Related articles (Full index of popular Covert Shores articles)
Chinese Type-093 Shang Class Submarine w/Cutaway
Chinese Navy's First Cruise Missile Submarine, Type-033G Wuhan Class. w/Cutaway
Chinese Navy's Advanced Submarine Type-039C Yuan Class. w/Cutaway