A modern Chinese nuclear-powered submarine sank earlier this year, news agency Reuters quoted US officials as saying.
Sharing details, a US defense official told Reuters that China’s new first-class nuclear-powered attack submarine sank near a pier sometime between May and June, although the exact reason behind the submarine’s sinking was unclear. Is.
A US official on the matter was quoted as saying, “In addition to the obvious questions about training standards and equipment quality, this incident raises deeper questions about the PLA’s internal accountability and oversight of China’s defense industry – which has long been plagued by corruption.” Is suffering.” ,
The Chinese Navy, one of the largest navies in the world, operates more than 370 ships and is also developing several new generations of nuclear-armed submarines to become a blue-water navy.
According to a Pentagon report, by the end of 2022, China had 48 diesel-powered attack submarines and six nuclear-powered attack submarines.
The official said it was unclear what caused the recent sinking or whether the submarine had nuclear fuel on board at the time.
“It is not surprising that the PLA Navy would try to conceal this incident,” news agency Reuters quoted the official as saying.
Meanwhile, the Chinese government has not yet reacted to the news of the sinking of the nuclear-powered submarine.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the submarine was the first Zhou-class ship – a new class of Chinese nuclear-powered submarines that feature a distinctive X-shaped stern, designed to make the ship more maneuverable.
The submarine was built by China State Shipbuilding Corporation and was sighted in the Yangtze River in May this year for final trials before embarking on a deep-sea mission.
Following the sinking, large floating cranes arrived in early June to rescue the sub from the river bottom, according to satellite photos of the site.