A mysterious Chinese submarine breaks cover
This is the MS200 mini-submarine shown by CSOC in 2017. There are similarities such as the sail and dive planes, though it is clearly a different design overall. (Gordon Arthur)
Little is known about a new type of submarine spotted in China, but it is likely destined for the PLA Navy.
The emergence of video footage of a new class of Chinese-built submarine sailing down a river somewhere in China comes as something of an epiphany, demonstrating that China is extremely busy developing its underwater fleet.
There was little indication that such a submarine project was underway, as the black-coloured submarine is not of the Type 039A/B/C Yuan class. The new design is in the order of 50m long, compared to 77.6m for the in-service Yuan class.
Furthermore, rather than the Yuan class’s double-hull design, the newly-discovered conventionally powered submarine seems to have just a single hull. Dive planes are
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