A new Chinese attack submarine being built at a shipyard in Wuhan could be used to target medium-range missile defence systems deployed in the Philippines, according to a semi-official military magazine.
But the report in Naval & Merchant Ships – a publication owned by China State Shipbuilding Corporation, a supplier to the PLA Navy – provides details of the vessel’s design and capabilities, indirectly confirming its existence and the rationale behind it.
The report, published earlier this month, suggests the submarine is aimed at improving China’s naval capabilities to counter the growing foreign military presence in the region.
According to the report, China’s new submarine is designed to carry advanced hypersonic missiles, allowing the PLA to “conduct covert strikes from beyond enemy defences, with the additional option of deploying nuclear warheads if required”.
