A covert torpedo project could allow China’s conventional submarines to paralyse enemy aircraft carriers, according to a Chinese military publication.
The assessment is based on a video of a Type 039B submarine sinking a target ship with a Yu-10 torpedo in a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) exercise aired by state broadcaster CCTV on June 19.
In a rare display of Chinese submarine attack capabilities, the target ship – likely a retired Type 074 amphibious landing vessel – was hit by the unnamed torpedo. Its stern was lifted out of the water by the explosion shock wave, accompanied by a column of water nearly 100 metres (328 feet) high.
The video aired last month was part of a celebratory documentary for the 70th anniversary of the founding of the PLA Navy submarine force.
The torpedo was likely to have been a Chinese-developed Yu-10, which entered service in around 2015, although no specifications were officially released, according to Ordnance Industry Science Technology, a Chinese military magazine.
“From the CCTV video, the power of this torpedo means even an aircraft carrier could hardly escape the fate of sinking, let alone destroyers or landing docks,” the magazine said in its July edition. “Even if not sunk, they would be essentially out of operation.”
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China says Fujian carrier is world’s largest conventionally powered warship
China says Fujian carrier is world’s largest conventionally powered warship
The article published last month said that although the target in this test was only a 500-tonne vessel, the visible scale of the shock wave indicated a weapon powerful enough to sink much larger ships.
The footage of the torpedo moving underwater showed it was equipped with an advanced wake homing technology, the article said.
“This technology uses the wake generated by the target vessel to correct the torpedo’s orientation to better track and effectively strike moving targets, which greatly improves the responsiveness and accuracy of the torpedo, making it more resistant to jamming.”
The Yu-10 heavy torpedo is estimated to have a range of at least 50km (31 miles) and has been compared to the US-made MK-48Mod7 torpedo. It has been widely used in arming the PLA Navy’s submarines and surface vessels.
The submarine that launched the torpedo in the recent video appeared to be a Type 039B diesel-electric submarine with the Nato code name “Yuan-class”.
With 17 of the Type 039B in active service, they make up the Chinese navy’s main force for conventional submarines. The subs’ air-independent power (AIP) system enables long missions without relying on atmospheric oxygen. There is also an upgraded version, the Type 039C, with improved features that make it more quiet and stealthy.
The Type 039B’s sinking exercise incorporated airborne data guidance, fast diving and underwater manoeuvring, as well as missile and torpedo strikes.
“We have achieved historical breakthroughs in sea trials of both torpedo and missile strikes,” submarine officer Wen Xuexing said in the documentary.
