Beijing, August 16, 2025-China is preparing to publicly present a new unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) very large in rehearsals in the next military parade.
Images published on Weibo show a very large drone, in the shape of a torpedo, transported on a platform, thus confirming the physical existence of the system.
Until now, the Chinese authorities have not officially appointed the project or revealed technical details, but experts already compare this concept to the Russian posedidon, also known as Status-6, a long-range nuclear torpedo presented by Vladimir Putin in 2019 as part of his “super-armes”.
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Propulsion and possible capacities
According to South China Morning Post reports, Beijing is carrying out research on underwater systems with disposable nuclear propulsion, capable of maintaining a speed of more than 30 knots (approximately 55 km/h) for 200 hours. After this duration, the reactor would be released at the bottom of the sea and the vehicle would continue to operate on batteries, possibly for conventional attacks.
However, it remains uncertain if the new Chinese UUV will be designed to transport nuclear or conventional charges, or if it will serve as a strategic surveillance and deterrence platform.
Comparisons and mystery
While the Russian posedidon was designed to cover thousands of kilometers and hit coastal targets with nuclear warheads, it is not clear if Beijing seeks to reproduce this capacity or develop an underwater weapon from another category.
Nuclear scientist Guo Jian, of the China Atomic Energy Institute, said in a scientific article that there were “substantial differences” between the Chinese project and posedidon, without giving more details.
The vehicles observed during preparations for the parade, some identified as AJX002, confirm that China is progressing towards the production of large-sized underwater vehicles (XLUUV). However, in the absence of official information, the real mission of this new weapon remains surrounded by mystery.
Sources and images: Navalnews | defense-blog.com | X @Nickatgreat1220. This content was created with the help of the AI and revised by the editorial team.
