The Newshound

Satellite images reveal China is building the world's first mothership to deploy giant submarine drones at scale

From the Newshound archive · first published 19 September 2026.

China's planned drone submarine mothership, roughly 670ft long, is designed to carry and deploy at least four uncrewed underwater vehicles stretching up to 148ft — more than twice the size of America's Orca drone.
China's planned drone submarine mothership, roughly 670ft long, is designed to carry and deploy at least four uncrewed underwater vehicles stretching up to 148ft — more than twice the size of America's Orca drone.
Satellite photographs of Shanghai's Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard show the vessel features an internal forward hangar and a wet-well deck with 12 vertical lifting arms to lower drones into the water.
Satellite photographs of Shanghai's Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard show the vessel features an internal forward hangar and a wet-well deck with 12 vertical lifting arms to lower drones into the water.

Satellite photographs of Shanghai's Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard show a purpose-built vessel, roughly 670ft long, apparently designed to carry and launch at least four of China's top-secret extra-extra-large uncrewed underwater vehicles — some stretching up to 148ft, more than twice the size of America's Orca drone. Naval historian H I Sutton wrote that a dedicated drone submarine mothership is "by far the most plausible explanation." Alessandro Arduino of the Royal United Services Institute said the possibility is now "increasingly difficult to dismiss."

China's drone submarines are built to covertly fire heavy torpedoes across thousands of miles, far beyond Beijing's own coastline.

The mothership features an internal forward hangar and a wet-well deck with 12 vertical lifting arms capable of lowering the drones directly into the water.

Defence experts warn Beijing could use the vessel to deploy stealth drones into disputed waters around Taiwan and the South China Sea.

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