China's Military Prepares to Show Off Huge Submarine Drones
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China is set to debut at least two of its unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) during a military parade as the country's sea power gap with the United States continues to narrow.
Why It Matters
The preparations come as the People's Liberation Army Navy, the world's largest by hull count, steps up efforts to challenge U.S. primacy in the Western Pacific. Washington and its allies fear China will increasingly threaten freedom of navigation and raise the risk of an attack against Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory.
Newsweek reached out to the Pentagon and the Chinese Defense Ministry via email for comment.
A boy sits in front of a mural showing a People's Liberation Army Navy submarine in Qingdao, China, on April 20, 2024.
A boy sits in front of a mural showing a People's Liberation Army Navy submarine in Qingdao, China, on April 20, 2024.What To Know
Naval News, a specialty outlet focused on naval technology, has identified at least two types of extra-large uncrewed underwater vehicles (XLUUVs) in photos from rehearsals for the September 3 military parade in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, which marks the 80th anniversary of Japan's World War II surrender.
Roughly 60 feet in length, the vessels barely fit onto the tank transporters seen carrying them. Their torpedo-shaped hull and pump-jet propulsion systems suggest stealth was at the core of the design.
One of the subs, dubbed the AJX002 based on the markings observed on its hull in previous imagery. The other type has only been photographed while covered.
Of the six seen during the rehearsal, four appeared to be AJX002 units and two a slightly larger type. Four lifting lugs along the AJX002's hull suggest it can be launched by crane, while a close-set pair of lugs midship indicates the hull can be separated for transport.
Naval News added that China now runs the world's largest XLUUV program, with at least five types already "in the water" over the past several years, and the parade will be the first public showcase of these systems.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has set the goal of completing China's military modernization by 2035.
Undated image showing a submarine drone being transported in Beijing amid preparations for the September 3, 2025, military parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Asia.
Undated image showing a submarine drone being transported in Beijing amid preparations for the September 3, 2025, military parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Asia.
What People Are Saying
Speaking with reporters in June, Wu Zeke, a senior officer on the Chinese Communist Party's Central Military Commission, hailed the PLA for overcoming technological hurdles and fielding cutting-edge platforms from aircraft carriers to strategic missiles and drones.
"This has given our military greater confidence in its ability to fight and win," he said, according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency.
What Happens Next
This progress has been particularly visible at sea. The People's Liberation Army Navy has poured resources into its submarine fleet, which the Pentagon expects to reach 65 boats this year—just shy of 71 the U.S. Navy subs operating worldwide—though China still trails its U.S. rival in terms of naval technology.
The fleet includes about 12 nuclear-powered submarines, including six ballistic-missile boats, with the remainder being diesel-electric.
Chinese military commentators have raised concerns over the PLAN's vulnerabilities to the U.S. undersea surveillance architecture in the western Pacific, exposing PLAN submarines to detection and targeting in a crisis, Ryan Martinson, an assistant professor at the U.S. Naval War College's China Maritime Studies Institute, wrote in an analysis of a November 2023 article in the Chinese journal Military Art.
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