Experts reveal the "deadly" weakness of Chinese nuclear submarines

A Chinese submarine was detected by the Japan Coast Guard on January 12. (Photo: Reuters)

According to the South China Morning Post, the People's Liberation Army's Shang-class nuclear attack submarine, flying the national flag, surfaced in international waters on January 12 after being detected and monitored by the Japanese Coast Guard for two days. Some military experts believe that the vessel was forced to surface, while others say there is not enough information to support that theory. The Chinese Ministry of National Defense has not yet made any comments regarding the incident.

According to Japanese media, a Chinese attack submarine entered an area less than 24 nautical miles from the disputed islands between the two countries. This is the first time a Chinese submarine has come so close to the disputed islands. This has raised speculation that this is a deliberate move by China.

Experts have pointed out the ship's weaknesses. They say it is not smooth enough to "outsmart" the enemy. The Japanese Ministry of Defense said its anti-submarine ships and aircraft had detected the Chinese submarine since January 10.

China’s nuclear attack submarines have been in service since 2006, operating in the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific. Two of the submarines, the Type 093, were built in the 2000s, and at least two more, the upgraded Type 093A, were commissioned in 2016.

Japan did not specify whether the ship discovered was an early-generation Chinese submarine or an upgraded one. However, experts believe it is an upgraded submarine. The submarine is believed to have a vertical launch system for the YJ-18 anti-ship cruise missile.

"The ship was detected because it was too noisy," SCMP quoted an unnamed military source in Beijing as saying.

"When a submarine is forced to surface and its sound is detected, it will be a huge disadvantage," said Li Jie, a research expert at the Naval Research Institute in Beijing.

While Macau-based military expert Antony Wong Dong believes that China's nuclear attack submarine was recently forced to surface, expert Li has put forward several hypotheses such as the ship surfaced to make its communication signals clearer or had technical or positioning problems.

In 2004, a Chinese Han-class nuclear submarine was also detected while passing through Japanese waters. However, the submarine remained submerged until it returned to Chinese waters despite being chased by Japanese ships.