The submarine, the first of the new Zhou-class line, reportedly sank while docked at a shipyard near Wuhan earlier this year, though the Chinese Navy has not publicly acknowledged the loss.
Satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies, captured in March, shows the submarine at the pier, while later images from June indicate it was no longer present. The Zhou-class submarine is notable for its X-shaped stern, a design aimed at improving maneuverability underwater.
Tom Shugart, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, highlighted the unusual activity at the shipyard, pointing to the presence of multiple cranes in one area, a rare sight in historical images of the facility.
China’s focus on modernizing its People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, particularly its submarine fleet, has been a key part of its military strategy. The PLA Navy currently operates six nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, six nuclear-powered attack submarines, and 48 diesel-powered attack submarines, according to the 2023 China military power report.
Meanwhile, the US Navy operates a fleet of 53 nuclear-powered fast attack submarines, 14 ballistic missile submarines, and four guided missile submarines.
It remains unclear whether the Zhou-class submarine had been loaded with nuclear fuel at the time of the incident. The Wall Street Journal was the first to report on the submarine's sinking.
A spokesperson from the Chinese embassy in Washington, DC, declined to comment, stating they had no information available.
China’s submarine production capacity is expected to expand in the coming years. The Congressional Research Service (CRS) projects that China will have 65 submarines by 2025 and 80 by 2035, despite retiring older vessels.
The PLA Navy, currently the world’s largest by number of ships, operates 370 platforms, including 234 warships. By comparison, the US Navy operates 219 warships. US defense officials continue to identify China as a key long-term strategic competitor, raising questions about the internal oversight and accountability within China’s defense industry, which has faced corruption-related challenges.