Second Chinese Submarine Drone Mothership Emerges

Published Oct 18, 2026 2:31 PM EDT

Via Chinese internet

Nearly a month ago, we reported on a uniquely configured vessel that was far along in its construction at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard on Changxing Island in Shanghai. The intentions behind this design appeared to be as an uncrewed underwater vehicle (UUV) mothership, capable of deploying a handful of very large vehicles or many more smaller ones via its stern garage door and well deck. Its large pylons would be used to lift the vessels up and down out of the water and to different levels in the ship. Now it appears China has not just one, but two of these vessels nearly complete.

Make sure to read our initial report on this vessel configuration for full context by clicking here .

The new image was taken in Guangzhou and the vessel has a near identical shape, but with smaller proportions and minor changes to its overall moldline, compared to the larger one in Shanghai. This new vessel appears to be about a third smaller overall than its counterpart. The lift towers number six in total instead of six larger ones and six smaller ones on the Shanghai vessel. Regardless, the major design features are all there, including the flight deck and hangar behind the forward superstructure, the location of the smokestacks, and so on.

The larger but very similar in configuration UUV mothership that has now been launched in Shanghai. (Chinese Internet)

While two of these assets could still be considered largely intended for experimental use, a growing fleet would have increasing tactical and even strategic importance. Being able to easily launch and recover large numbers of UUVs, or a few very large ones, far from Chinese shores would provide an asymmetric capability. A fleet of ships that is dedicated to deploying, recovering, and tending to these systems, some of which can remain on patrol for very long periods, would be a major indication of how important China sees UUV operations as part of its future strategy.

03 September 2025, China, Beijing: HSU100 uncrewed underwater drones ride along on military transporters at Tiananmen Square in Beijing during a military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Photo: Johannes Neudecker/dpa (Photo by Johannes Neudecker/picture alliance via Getty Images) picture alliance

There have been rumors that these vessels are part of a larger overall program that will see more ships with similar capabilities constructed. Once again, this would be a strong indication that these vessels’ utility will go beyond testing and limited operational use cases. The launch and recovery of large UUVs remains a conceptual work in progress for the U.S., with nothing similar in the U.S. Navy’s inventory, as we discussed in our original post .

Large long-range UUVs can be used for many tasks, from mapping the sea floor to hunting submarines and ships to searching for mines to launching cruise missiles and drones to being turned into immensely destructive weapons in their own right that can circumvent traditional strategic defenses. For China, providing a credible threat to America’s outposts deep in the Pacific and even the U.S. seaboard would be on the table.

An AJX002 uncrewed underwater vehicle is seen during a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on September 3, 2025. (Photo by Greg Baker / AFP) GREG BAKER

There is speculation online as to where exactly this vessel was built. The first place that came to mind is Guangzhou Shipyard International’s (GSI) facilities on Longxue Island, just southeast of the city of Guangzhou. GSI is a subsidiary of the China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC). It is here that many of China’s most unique vessels are born. These include drone test ships of various kinds , massive beach landing barges , and giant supply ships . Upon closer review of archival satellite imagery, we can say for certain that GSI did build this ship. An image from October 2nd shows it peeking out of a covered graving yard area at the facility prior to launch.

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The emergence of two of these large UUV tenders in such a short period of time underscores China’s major bet on the technologies they will support. If more ships are added to the currently known fleet of two, a clearer picture of the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s large UUV plans, and its expeditionary potential, will come into focus.

Contact the author: Tyler@twz.com

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发布于美国东部时间2026年10月18日下午2:31

通过中国互联网

大约一个月前，我们报道了一艘在上海长兴岛沪东中华造船厂建造进度相当靠前的、结构独特的舰艇。该舰艇的设计意图似乎是作为无人水下航行器（UUV）母舰，能够通过其尾部舱门和坞舱投放少量大型水下航行器或更多小型水下航行器。其大型吊架将用于将水下航行器从水中吊起或吊至舰艇的不同高度。现在看来，中国不仅建造了一艘，而是两艘这样的舰艇，而且都已接近完工。

请务必点击此处阅读我们关于该船舶配置的初步报告，以了解完整背景信息。

这张新照片拍摄于广州，与上海那艘较大的舰艇相比，这艘新舰艇外形几乎相同，但比例略小，整体轮廓线也略有改动。这艘新舰艇的整体尺寸似乎比上海那艘小了大约三分之一。其升降塔共有六座，而上海那艘则是六座较大的塔和六座较小的塔。尽管如此，主要设计特征都得以保留，包括前部上层建筑后方的飞行甲板和机库、烟囱的位置等等。

尺寸更大但结构非常相似的无人水下航行器母舰已在上海下水。（中国互联网）

尽管其中两件装备目前仍主要用于实验用途，但不断壮大的无人水下航行器舰队将具有日益重要的战术乃至战略意义。能够轻松地在远离中国海岸的海域投放和回收大量无人水下航行器，或少量超大型无人水下航行器，将赋予中国不对称作战能力。一支专门用于部署、回收和维护这些系统的舰艇舰队，其中一些系统能够长时间执行巡逻任务，这将有力地表明中国对无人水下航行器作战在其未来战略中的重要性。

2025年9月3日，中国北京：在纪念二战结束80周年阅兵式上，HSU100无人水下航行器搭乘军用运输车驶过北京天安门广场。图片：Johannes Neudecker/dpa（图片由Johannes Neudecker/picture alliance via Getty Images提供）picture alliance

有传言称，这些舰艇是更大计划的一部分，该计划还将建造更多具备类似能力的舰艇。这再次有力地表明，这些舰艇的用途将远不止于测试和有限的作战应用。正如我们在之前的文章中所述，大型无人水下航行器（UUV）的发射和回收对美国而言仍处于概念研发阶段，美国海军目前尚无类似装备。

大型远程无人水下航行器（UUV）用途广泛，从绘制海底地图、猎杀潜艇和舰船、搜寻水雷、发射巡航导弹和无人机，到本身成为威力巨大的武器，能够绕过传统的战略防御系统。对中国而言，对美国在太平洋深处的军事基地乃至美国沿海地区构成切实威胁，也是其考虑的因素之一。

2025年9月3日，在北京天安门广场举行的纪念战胜日本、二战结束80周年阅兵式上，一艘AJX002型无人水下航行器亮相。（图片来源：格雷格·贝克/法新社）格雷格·贝克

关于这艘船的确切建造地点，网上众说纷纭。首先想到的便是位于广州市东南部的龙雪岛的广州船舶国际有限公司（GSI）。GSI是中国船舶集团有限公司（CSSC）的子公司，中国许多独具特色的船舶都诞生于此，包括各种类型的无人驾驶试验船、巨型滩头登陆艇和巨型补给船。通过仔细查看历史卫星图像，我们可以确定这艘船确实是GSI建造的。10月2日的一张图像显示，在下水前，这艘船正从船厂的封闭式船坞区域探出头来。

照片版权所有 © 2026 PLANET LABS INC. 保留所有权利。经许可转载。

短时间内两艘大型无人水下航行器（UUV）的出现，凸显了中国对其所支持技术的重大投入。如果目前已知的两艘UUV基础上再增加更多舰艇，中国人民解放军海军的大型UUV计划及其远征潜力将更加清晰地展现出来。

联系作者：Tyler@twz.com

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