A. seen in a Chinese shipyard trimaran until now unknown, maybe a an unmanned surface vehicle propelled by a rocket probably designed to perform high speed operations. The fog is still thick and the destination is unknown. But analysts speculate that these ships represent China’s accelerated development of naval technology and its increasing complexity. The images, which have gone viral on the web, have captured the (allegedly) strange buzz at the Huangpu Shipyard in Guangzhou, which usually makes frigates and corvettes. The stomach 65 meters almost entirely covered by tarpaulin, a rare practice for this shipyard, indicating a high level of secrecy.
Unprecedented drones
What do we know about this drone ship? As reported by the site Navy NewsA mysterious warship is being built Huangpu Shipyardusually associated with frigates and corvettes. Satellite image analysis shows a very long and slender vessel, with a trimaran stabilizer at the very stern. This vehicle has characteristics similar to a submarine and a large boxy casing along the length bow deck. We can assume that the ship was probably unmanned, or at least had a small crew, as space for traditional accommodation was limited and the superstructure was small and cramped.
The shape of the hull suggests height surface speed and not suitable for real submarines. One of the most accredited theories, he wrote again Navy Newsis it is semi-submersible weapons ship whose construct is hypothesized. The stories combine fan art with the US Navy’s reworked idea of an armament ship, the concept of a ship designed solely to carry large numbers of land-attack missiles.
Maybe China will finally build one. The new vessel appears to meet the project’s requirements. It has a rounded lower hull and a sailing superstructure, almost similar to a submarine. It was also painted a very dark shade of gray or black, which while perhaps an aesthetic detail, was unusual for a normal surface ship.
Chinese new media
Considering its overall size, a vertical launch system (VLS) on the foredeck must have sufficient depth for i cruise missile. However, it could be a drone carrier using large aircraft multirotor drones instead of missiles. The square-shaped front hull is reminiscent of the drone hangars that are becoming increasingly popular on small ships unmanned surface vessel (USV) in Ukraine. This ship has the potential to carry dozens of drones, or much larger than ordinary USVs. The flat deck could also provide a platform for a fixed-wing drone, with a small ski jump near the bow.
Huangpu Shipyard has built semi-submersible transport vessels such as the Type 711 Yinmahu. On this ship, the wide, flat deck is used to transport other ships. This can happen on new projects, but in a more tactical form.
This aircraft can carry other surface drones (USV) or large underwater drone (XLUUV) to expand the range of its action to thousands of kilometers. In this way, the bow deck can appear similar to the Indian-class submarines, which carry deep-diving submarines. Let’s wait for further developments to find out more…
