Claim of sinking of China’s nuclear submarine: Not visible in satellite image; America said – this is shameful for the Dragon
A new Chinese nuclear submarine sank in the sea in May or June. The incident took place at the Wuchang Shipyard near Wuhan. According to news agency Reuters, this incident was revealed through satellite images.
The submarine that sank was of the Zhao class and was nuclear powered. According to the report, the Chinese authorities must have tried hard to hide the submarine accident. This is the reason why the disclosure was delayed.
A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington declined to comment on the issue, saying he had no information to offer.
Submarine went missing after May 16 On March 10, the Zhou-class submarine was seen standing in a shipyard near Wuhan in a satellite image of Maxar Technologies. This submarine is identified by its long tail. After this, it was also seen in a satellite image of Planet Labs on May 16. More pictures were taken here at the end of June, in which it was not seen.
Tom Shugart, who researches satellite images, first gave this information. After this, the Wall Street Journal did a story on it.
Shugart said that at first he thought a submarine might have sunk, but later it was discovered that it was a nuclear-powered submarine. He said-
Can you imagine an American nuclear submarine sinking in San Diego and the government covering it up and not telling anybody about it? It’s not possible.
China did not give any information about the submarine. According to the Wall Street Journal report, the submarine has been rescued, but it is believed that it may take several months to be put to work again. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has also not confirmed this incident so far.
The US official said that it is not known what caused it to sink. It is also not known whether it had nuclear fuel when it sank. It is also not known whether there were any casualties in this accident or not.
Questions raised on the quality of Chinese equipment A US defense official told CNN that China’s defense sector is steeped in corruption. This incident raises questions about the accountability of the PLA. Another US official said that this is an embarrassment for Beijing, which is engaged in expanding the Navy.
China is preparing to build the largest number of nuclear submarines. According to the China Military Power Report 2023, China had 6 nuclear fuel ballistic missile submarines, 6 nuclear fuel power attack submarines and 48 diesel attack submarines. There are two types of nuclear submarines. Ballistic missile submarine and attack submarine. Ballistic missile submarine is more powerful.
At the same time, America has 53 fast attack submarines, 14 ballistic missile submarines and four guided missile submarines. America’s entire submarine fleet runs on nuclear energy.
China wants to increase the number of its submarines to 65 by 2025 and 80 by 2035. China already has the world’s largest navy with more than 370 ships. China has now begun producing a new generation of nuclear-fueled attack submarines.
