China, PLAN, Type 041 SSK/SSB

[Luigi-II]

DB Selector

DB3K

DBID to Copy

Submarine 695

Hypothetical

No

Name

Type 041 [Type 039C Mod?]

Country

China

Service

PLAN

In Commission

2025

Number in Service

8x in 1st Batch?

Sensors

No response

Mounts

Add 2x "China VLS [4 cell] - 4x YJ-21 (Record 11470)" (total 8 cells) as its mount. We observed an extension of at least 8 meters compared to Type 039a/b/c, so this space can accommodate at least two module of Quad-VLS on the Type 032 submarine.

Loadout Options

No response

Other Changes

It seems that most analysts believe that this is a KSS-III like SSK/SSB. Although, I still suspect that it might be the mysterious SSK-N. Well, I have no evidence for that.

Sources

https://twitter.com/tshugart3/status/1817535868640391258 https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2024/08/china-launches-its-most-sophisticated-submarine-to-date/#prettyPhoto

The increased hull length may indicate the addition of a vertical launch system (VLS) for missiles. This is an increasingly important consideration in submarines but is less common in non-nuclear submarines which are generally smaller. The trend in non-nuclear submarines has been set by the South Korean KSS-III and Israeli Drakon Class. If this new submarine does have a VLS behind the sail it can likely accommodate between four and eight missiles, depending on their diameter.

https://www.twz.com/sea/chinas-latest-submarine-features-x-shaped-stern

At this stage, we can’t be certain that the lengthened hull of the new Chinese design accommodates VLS cells, but it’s certainly an intriguing possibility. VLS cells could be used to launch additional cruise missiles, for extra overall capacity, while also freeing up the torpedo tubes for their primary weapons. New types of missiles might also be better accommodated by VLS cells, perhaps even including hypersonic weapons that would likely be too large for the torpedo tubes, or potentially smaller types of ballistic missiles, as in the South Korean Dosan Ahn Changho class. China is already a pioneer in ship-launched ballistic missiles and it’s conceivable that such weapons could also find their way onto submarines.

[PygmalionOfCyprus]

Deleted.

[Luigi-II]

https://twitter.com/AlexLuck9/status/1819211532460494979/photo/2 One VLS cell is large enough to hold more than two adult males shoulder width, so this VLS unit can apparently hold a 0.85m diameter (presumably) YJ-21.