Type 041 Zhou class SSN
Some unusual activity was first reported by Tom Shugart, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) and a retired U.S. Navy submarine warfare officer. "I acquired an image from June 13th. In the image, there appears to be what look like crane barges clustered around...something...near where the submarine was earlier.... It does appear that the crane barges were working on something black that is roughly submarine-sized and -shaped."
Michael Gordon reported 26 September 2024 that the Chinese government's state-of-the-art nuclear submarine sank sometime between late May and early June 2024. War Zone' Tyler Rogoway covered this nicely in the Spring when it actually happened. Writing for the Wall Street Journal, Gordon, citing U.S. government officials, reported that the state-of-the-art nuclear submarine sank at a shipyard near Wuhan in central China sometime between late May and early June 2024. It is believed that some kind of accident occurred, and experts have pointed out that it is highly likely that the ship was carrying nuclear fuel, but the Chinese government is said to have covered up the accident and not made it public.
US government officials have said the number of casualties from the accident is unknown, and experts have said that because the accident occurred before the vessel reached the open ocean, the reactor was likely not operating at normal levels, and that there is little risk of nuclear material leaking. The sunken nuclear submarine has already been salvaged, but it is not expected to be able to sail again for several months. China is currently working to increase its nuclear submarine fleet, but the accident is considered a "major setback."
The boat stayed at the fresh water environment. It is much easier to repair and salvage this ship/boat without the corrosion of the sea water. “It’s not surprising that the PLA Navy would try to conceal the fact that their new first-in-class nuclear-powered attack submarine sank pier-side,” a senior U.S. defense official told the WSJ. “In addition to the obvious questions about training standards and equipment quality, the incident raises deeper questions about the PLA’s internal accountability and oversight of China’s defense industry, which has long been plagued by corruption.”
Andy Boreham, wrote "the WSJ claimed a Chinese nuclear submarine sank in Wuhan. They were rightly ridiculed. Nuclear subs are not and have never been built in Wuhan. The water there is way too shallow. ... the satellite images are from an old article about a completely different topic." Zhao DaShuai, with People's Armed Police Propaganda Bureau ["All forms of media is propaganda, we're just more honest about it" wrote: "What's the most hilarious part of the Chinese nuclear submarine sinking in waters 5 meters deep? It's the fact that these "OSINT" shills mistook the shadow of the crane boat for a submarine. You can literally see the gaps of the crane (shaded in light red) in the shadows."" Old Naval Steam Engine @MargallaOne agreed : "The two submarines are quite different not only in body shape but rudders as well. There is no submarines between the barges - just shadows of the cranes! And now everyone incl WSJ is peddling this propaganda item!"
Boffum @TexasOperative countered "That’s a major port of entry to the ocean. There will be a ship channel and every loading dock will be dredged very deep. I don’t know if your sub sank, or not. But obviously SOMETHING is sitting on the bottom there or the crane barges wouldn’t be hoisting in tandem at that area.""
There was no such designation as 041 or any type 04X conventional submarines, since all conventioal submarines (SSK) are designated 03X, as all nuclear submarines are designated 09X. On 18 July 2007 Modern Weapons Magazine pubpished an "Analysis of the Chinese Navy's new Type 041 Yuan-class diesel-electric attack submarine". According to a report published by Jane's Navy International in July 2015, the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) has formally selected China's Yuan-class (Type 041) platform to meet its requirement for three submarines. In connection with the 70th anniversary of the founding of China’s PLA Navy, on 17 April 2019, China Military Online reported "In terms of underwater combat capability, China has Type 039A, Type 041, Type 041A, Type 041B and AIP submarines." According to the US-based nonprofit Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), as of July 2016, the Type 041 Yuan-class is the PLA Navy's first class of diesel-electric submarines to be equipped with an air-independent propulsion (AIP) system.
The Zhou-class submarines have a distinctive X-shaped stern planes, designed to improve maneuverability underwater. According to information published on 04 May 2024 by Du Wenlong, a retired researcher from the People's Liberation Army's Academy of Military Science, recent online discussions have been rife with speculation about China's development of a new mini nuclear submarine, dubbed the "Type 041." The "041 small attack nuclear submarine" is rumored on the Internet. It has low noise and strong capabilities. The US military will be afraid of it." China already has the ability to develop a small nuclear reactor and stuff it into the hull of a submarine with a submerged displacement of nearly 4,000 tons.
A few days later he wrote "So after we have this thing, attack submarines will be divided into two types, light and heavy, large and small. It can not only escort our strategic missile nuclear submarines in the open sea, but also play the role of "underwater destroyer" in the near sea, destroying all those little things that are not very obedient and don't listen to orders. at the same time, it can also play an important role in the long-term underwater vigilance of the possible large American submarines in the South China Sea. If in the South China Sea, the large American submarines are also nuclear-powered, and our small submarines are nuclear-powered, then the noise level will be lower, which means we can detect the opponent in the first time." Army Recognition reported "given the shallow waters (around 300 meters deep) in the regions near China... the focus has shifted to smaller, more maneuverable nuclear-powered submarines.... Sources suggest that China may be developing the "Type 041," a mini nuclear submarine that is essentially a nuclear-powered version of the existing Type 039 submarine."
Eurasia Naval Insight reported 28 June 2024 on "the long-rumoured Type 041, a new submarine class that's creating waves among PLA watchers. This miniature nuclear attack submarine, the details of which are still to be confirmed, appears to be a major leap in the PLAN’s underwater warfare capabilities. Utilizing a low-powered nuclear reactor alongside four Stirling engines, the Type 041 will use these to recharge its batteries, which in turn powers an electric motor that drives the propeller shafts.... a small nuclear reactor – one with a much lower energy output than the typical submarine reactor. One number I’ve seen been shared around is 10 megawatts.... The gearbox is generally speaking a major source of noise for nuclear submarines. The Type 041’s electric motor eliminates the need for a large gearbox."
The PLAN has been committed to improving its underwater combat capabilities to safeguard the country's maritime rights and interests and national security. However, traditional large nuclear submarines have some limitations when operating in coastal waters, such as limited underwater maneuverability and high noise levels. Therefore, developing small nuclear submarines has become a new option for the Chinese navy.
On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy, the latest news on the Internet stated that a new nuclear-powered submarine equipped with a domestically-made small nuclear reactor based on the Type 039C conventional submarine by a certain Shipbuilding Heavy Industry Company located in Wuhan has been launched. The domestically produced small nuclear reactor is a low-temperature, low-pressure subcritical nuclear reactor technology. It is different from the nuclear reactor that "boils water" to generate steam to drive the ship. Instead, it directly charges the battery on the submarine , becoming a "nuclear battery". The continuous output of surging electricity allows the submarine to continue to sail underwater.
If the source of this news is reliable, it means that the Chinese Navy will have nuclear-powered attack submarines similar to the French Navy's Rubis class. However, the maximum submerged displacement of this French small nuclear submarine is only 2,700 tons, while the submerged displacement of the domestically produced small nuclear submarine is close to 4,000 tons. The French Rubis-class attack nuclear submarine is the world's smallest pocket nuclear submarine, with a total length of 72 meters, a width of 7.6 meters, a draft of 6.4 meters when sailing on the water, a displacement of 2,385 tons on the water, and a displacement of 2,670 tons underwater. The power plant is a CAS48 integrated reactor with a power of 48 megawatts, a surface speed of 20 knots, and a maximum underwater speed of 25 knots. Although the smaller hull limits the weapon load, power output, continuous navigation capability, and crew living space, it also gives this class better maneuverability and flexibility, making it very suitable for operations in the Mediterranean Sea with complex hydrology.
As small nuclear submarines, the submerged displacement of Chinese nuclear submarines is more than 1,000 tons larger than that of French nuclear submarines. They will be able to carry more onboard equipment including weapons than French nuclear submarines, and have stronger anti-submarine, anti-ship and even land attack capabilities. According to open source information, the Chinese Navy's newly developed small nuclear submarine, which is modified based on the Type 039C submarine and may be named Type 041, is China's initial attempt at miniaturization in the field of nuclear submarines and naturally has a certain experimental nature.
Some authors speculate that the Type 041 will not be mass-produced in the early stage. Perhaps one or two ships will be developed and equipped first and delivered to the naval submarine force for use. During operation, more or less major or minor problems in the onboard power system, electronic equipment, and onboard weapons will be exposed. After the relevant problems are solved, this small nuclear-powered submarine will be put into mass production. It is judged that the Type 041 is likely to become a masterpiece of "small steps and fast progress". The Chinese Navy is relatively cautious in the development and equipment of small nuclear submarines.
As long as the crew's mental and physical fitness can withstand it, the Type 041 small nuclear submarine will have the same underwater diving time as other large nuclear submarines such as the Type 093/094. When the Chinese Navy's conventional-powered submarines are miniaturized and nuclear-powered, it will undoubtedly provide a feasible solution for the Chinese Navy's submarines' long-term navigation and combat readiness patrols, and will greatly enhance the overall strength of the Chinese submarine force.
The "041 small attack nuclear submarine" is described as a nuclear-powered improvement of the 039 submarine, with a smaller displacement (about 2,000 to 4,000 tons), higher maneuverability and lower noise level. It uses advanced AIP (gas turbine cycle) technology, which enables it to maintain quiet navigation when operating in offshore areas, greatly improving its concealment and maneuverability.
Compared with traditional conventional submarines, small nuclear submarines have obvious advantages in near-shore operations. First, they have lower noise levels and are difficult to detect by the enemy; second, due to the use of nuclear power, their range and endurance have been significantly improved, and they can perform various tasks more flexibly; third, small nuclear submarines are lighter and more flexible in design, and are more suitable for operations in complex near-shore terrain.
Small reactor nuclear submarines can be transformed from conventional submarines to provide low-equipped nuclear submarine combat capabilities, but the full life cycle cost is much higher than that of conventional submarines. Small reactors are also nuclear power plants and must adopt higher-level safety standards. At the same time, the nuclear fuel must be replaced every 7-10 years. In the 30-year design life of a conventional submarine, it is expected that the nuclear fuel will need to be replaced 3-4 times, plus the maintenance and fuel disposal expenses after decommissioning, which is troublesome and costly.
It is particularly important to note that small-scale AIP submarines usually use small reactors to charge battery packs. When sailing at high speeds, the AIP system and batteries are connected in parallel to supply power. However, when the power is used up, the speed immediately plummets unless it is recharged. This is fundamentally different from the fact that real nuclear submarines always have sufficient power. According to analysis, they are more suitable for near-shore ambushes and long-term ambushes in key straits and seaways.
Type 41 submarines with an additional air-independent power plants (VNEU) compartment take the place of the classic diesel submarines. In the future, non-nuclear submarines with a single anaerobic power plant are expected to appear. At the same time, classic diesel engines continue to be built for export. Foreign buyers are offered a simplified version of the Type 41 under its own designation S20. He is deprived of VNEU. Accordingly, the total displacement was reduced from 3,600 to 2,300 tons . For the first time, the S20 became known in 2013. Since then, her large-scale models have been regularly shown at international exhibitions. For example, the desktop model S20 was present among the exhibits of the Chinese exposition at the International Military-Technical Forum "Army-2022". According to the data table, the surface displacement is 1,850 tons, the crew number is 38 officers and sailors.
The ability to be under water is essential for a submarines safety and capacity. Before nuclear-powered engines, diesel-powered submarines could only stay underwater for 48 hours and had to return to a port to refuel. A nuclear submarine was a different beast. Nuclear submarines offer many other significant advantages over conventional submarines. For example, the nuclear reactor allows a submarine to operate at high speed for a long time. Onboard nuclear reactors power a nuclear submarine, and the atoms in the nuclear reactor split, releasing energy as heat. The heat creates steam in the heat exchanger, which is fed into a turbine, which turns a generator to produce electricity.
In 1815 the Scottish clergyman named Robert Stirling obtained a patent on a heat engine, which could be used to pump water out of mine shafts. The advantage of the engine was that the combustion chamber and the cylinders were separated, so that virtually any type of fuel could be used. In 1988 the first installation of a Stirling engine in a submarine took place, it was in the Royal Swedish Navy submarine HMS Näcken. Already in 1998, the Swedish Navy started using Stirling motors to drive their non-nuclear submarines of the Gotland class. The Stirling engine is quiet and vibration free. No vibrations spread out to the hull making the submarine silent in the water and therefore difficult to find.
By heating and cooling the gas in a Stirling engine, a piston can move in a cylinder. The submarine can then use cold seawater for cooling and liquid oxygen and a nuclear reactor to create the heating of the engine. Most modern nuclear submarines use natural circulation to keep the reactor cooled. The noise produced that way without pumps is lower.
SSK(N)s were first proposed during the Cold War as ~3000t, primarily diesel-electric boats with small 1.3MW nuclear powerplant recharging the batteries, allowing the option of avoiding surfacing at the cost of limiting themselves to crawling speed. The US Navy's Naval Reactors' effort to develop a quiet nuclear propulsion plant began early — even before the sea trials of the Nautilus — with the hunter-killer submarine Tullibee (SSN 597). The purpose of the hunter-killer was to ambush enemy submarines. As the mission of the ship was seen in the early 1950s, speed was less important than silence. By substituting an electric-drive system for reduction gears, designrs hoped to reduce noise. In this approach a generator ran an electric motor. Varying the speed of the motor would achieve the same result as the reduction gear, but there would be a penalty; the electric propulsion system would be larger and heavier than the components it replaced. Immature technology and high regulatory/compliance costs meant they were still very expensive; and totally unsuitable for the USN's objective of long range expeditionary warfare.
The SLOWPOKE reactor (Safe Low-Power Kritical Experiment) is a low-energy, pool-type nuclear research reactor designed by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) in the late 1960s. It is beryllium-reflected with a very low critical mass. During the early 1980s Canada briefly considered converting its Oberon class submarines to nuclear power using a SLOWPOKE nuclear reactor to continuously recharge the ship's batteries during submerged operations. A good deal of work had been done on potential marine applications of the reactor at Royal Military College of Canada. The Canadians looked into this again for the Upholder/Victoria class boats (2400 tons displacement) they acquired from the UK. The system they were proposing to use for an SSNKa small nuclear reactor operating via the Rankine cycle to put power into the electrical drive/batteries.
A Chinese version of the Slowpoke exists, designated the Miniature Neutron Source Reactor (MNSR). This version is nominally rated at 27 kW with similar characteristics and performance. The Chinese-built Miniature Neutron Source (MNSR, 27 kW) reactors (four in China, five abroad) are low-power, neutron source research reactors used primarily for neutron activation analysis, education, and training. These reactors have cores consisting of less than 1 kilogram of HEU, enriched to 90% or greater, U-235. The China Institute of Atomic Energy (CIAE) has designed a new MNSR using LEU. China has also designed and built, with commissioning expected in 2006, a large 60MW research reactor that would use LEU fuel.
Rupendra Brahambhatt suggested "Closed-cycle regenerative engines appear to be a promising alternative to the steam turbines used in nuclear reactors. In such a case, liquid sodium could be used as coolant and water may not be required at all, Stirling engines can also increase the output of a nuclear reactor and decrease the amount of radioactive waste generated by the same."
Similar experiments were conducted in the USSR. In 1985, a B-68 diesel submarine was equipped with a supplemental VAU-6 atomic reactor with a capacity of 600 kW, which gave it the ability to spend longer periods under water. It is possible that Russian scientists decided to renew the program to install a mini-reactor in a diesel sub in response. The first ship of Project 20120 is the B-90 Sarov. It has been identified as a test platform for new reactor technologies. There are few details about the boat's auxiliary nuclear reactor, reportedly designated VAU-6, evidently designed to allow the diesel boat to remain submerged for greater periods of time. The VAU-6, designed by NIKIET in the late 1960s, was a boiling water reactor according to the NIKIET website (some other sources state that it is a pressurized water reactor).
The PLA Navy contains a record number of diesel-electric submarines. The spring visits to Moscow by Chinese President Xi Jinping (March 20-22, 2024) and Defense Minister Li Shangfu (April 14-18, 2024) were accompanied by assurances that China and Russia would continue cooperation in the field of military and military-technical cooperation (MTC). Few doubt that the parties are doing some work on promising underwater technology, especially since this fact itself is reflected in official reports.
The last major event from reliably known through the military-technical cooperation dates back to 2006. The Navy of the People's Liberation Army of China (PLA Navy) then received the final, 12th in a row, the Varshavyanka family submarine of the Russian assembly. She was a diesel-electric submarine (DPL) of the 636M project.
In the same year 2006, Chinese shipyards began serial production of a very advanced Type 039A in design and characteristics. Later, it was based on an improved version of the 039B, which is also designated Type 041 or Yuan class. According to Western estimates, at least 17 ships (up to 20) of this family have been built in total. The sonar system is based on French and Russian analogues. In addition to diesel generators, batteries and electric motors, the Type 041 submarine is equipped with an auxiliary anaerobic power plant based on Stirling engines. There is no exact data on its type and power. Western experts express the opinion that Chinese motors are made on the model of Swedish ones, the documentation for which somehow got into the Celestial Empire. Anyway, today Type 041 is among the most secretive submarines in the world.
The creation of air-independent power plants (VNEU) remains among the main areas of work of scientists and engineers of the leading maritime powers. This club, without any doubt, includes Russia and China. Russia has been working on this topic for a long time, but currently the Russian Navy does not have any non-nuclear submarines with VNEU. In short, there is a certain technological lag behind our partner in the military-technical cooperation, which is observed for the first time in the history of Russian-Chinese relations in the line of underwater technology.
In light of the development of Russian-Chinese military cooperation, it seems appropriate to recall underestimated joint developments. Thus, the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China are interacting on the issue of joint design of non-nuclear submarines (NSS) of a new generation, as stated by the press service of the FSMTC. However, according to Chinese experts, it is too early to talk about the completion date of the work. What kind of boat is being worked on and what it will be intended for still remains a mystery.
At the beginning of the Cold War, the Soviet Union helped the PRC develop its own submarine construction. However, a study of publications in Chinese military-technical publications shows that now, according to Chinese authors, in the development of air-independent power plant (AIP) technology, China is following its own path and is already ahead of Russia in some areas. Some authors have cautiously suggested that in the future Moscow may consider the feasibility of purchasing Chinese non-nuclear submarines.
In addition to nuclear attack submarines, the Russian Navy and the Chinese Navy (unlike the American Navy) still have non-nuclear submarines in service. They are cheaper to produce and have a number of advantages over nuclear submarines, especially submarines for coastal areas. The Stirling engine is a closed-cycle reciprocating power machine, and its theoretical efficiency is equal to that of the Carnot cycle, which is the highest efficiency that can be achieved by all thermodynamic cycles. At the same time, as a closed-cycle power machine with external heating, the Stirling engine can be combined with any heat source such as conventional energy and nuclear energy. The structure is flexible and changeable. It has a compact structure and simple system within the range of megawatt power levels. Fast start-up, modular layout and other significant advantages. Especially in combination with metal reactors such as sodium-cooled fast reactors, it can fundamentally eliminate the risk of sodium-water reaction in the traditional sodium-cooled fast reactor power generation system, and has inherently high safety.
During its close alliance with Beijing, Moscow helped it develop China's own submarine-building industry by providing blueprints for the Project 629 (NATO Golf-class) diesel-electric ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) and the Project 633 (Romeo-class) diesel-electric submarine. Later, Russia supplied Project 877 Halibut diesel-electric submarines (Kilo class) to China. But then China went its own way, and now it has the technical potential to build submarines of any class.
At the end of June 2019, the Russian nuclear-powered carrier submarine Podmoskovie delivered the AGS AS-31 project 10831 Losharik to the Northern Fleet test site in the Motovsky Gulf of the Barents Sea, where two shift crews of the AS-31 checked the operation of the deep-sea vehicle's devices and mechanisms after scheduled maintenance. At the end of the test exit, the carrier submarine together with the AS-31 were supposed to return to base, but during its docking with the carrier submarine, smoke appeared in the battery compartment on board the station. After that, the AS-31 commander ordered everyone who would not be involved in the fight for the station's survivability to transfer to the carrier. Ten officers remained on board the AS-31. In the fight for the station's survivability, the sailors used up all the fire extinguishing equipment available on board. In addition, they ran out of portable breathing devices. The people inhaled combustion products. According to media reports, the AS-31 commander asked the commander of the carrier submarine for permission to evacuate. To help the victims climb from AS-31 to the carrier, four sailors from the second crew met them at the airlock. After the hatch between the two ships was sealed again, something happened that resulted in the death of all 14 people.
There is no information about the operation of AS-31 deep-sea nuclear power plants. The main task of the nuclear reactor was to generate electricity for the electric motor connected to the propeller. Michael Kofman wrote "The battery was used to power Losharik’s maneuvering systems (this bit kind of made sense, still unclear why the energy from the reactor was not sufficient)."
Nuclear autonomous deep-sea stations (ADS), are part of a complex consisting of a carrier (modified serial nuclear submarines) and a portable device, the AGS itself. According to NATO classification, the nuclear special-designation submarine (DSV) are special nuclear submarines / deep-sea technical means. Belong to the Main Directorate of Deep-Sea Research (GUGI) of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. Due to their specific capabilities, such equipment is used in particularly important operations, information about which is not subject to disclosure. The Losharik propulsion system consistes of 1 nuclear reactor with steam generating unit E-17 and TZA with the capacity of not more than 10000 hp developed by the I. Afrikantov Design Bureau of Machine Building (Nizhny Novgorod, 2006). Also, some sources mention PPU KTP-7I "Phoenix". The nuclear power plant is probably located in one of the spherical blocks of the pressure hull and thus the biological protection of the reactor is carried out, including with the use of a layer of sea water. It is believed that the nuclear reactor does not require crew access.
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