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The preparations for this event were made public through photos from rehearsals for the September 3 military parade in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, marking the 80th anniversary of Japan’s World War II surrender. Naval News, a specialty outlet focused on naval technology, identified at least two types of extra-large uncrewed underwater vehicles (XLUUVs) in these photos.
The vessels are roughly 60 feet long and have torpedo-shaped hulls with pump-jet propulsion systems, suggesting they were designed for stealth. One of the subs is dubbed the AJX002 based on markings observed on its hull in previous imagery; the other type has only been photographed while covered. Of the six seen during the rehearsal, four appeared to be AJX002 units and two a slightly larger type.
Naval News noted that China now runs the world’s largest XLUUV program, with at least five types already “in the water” over the past several years. The parade will mark the first public showcase of these systems, reflecting President Xi Jinping’s goal to complete China’s military modernization by 2035.
In June, Wu Zeke, a senior officer on the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Military Commission, praised the PLA for overcoming technological hurdles and fielding cutting-edge platforms from aircraft carriers to strategic missiles and drones. “This has given our military greater confidence in its ability to fight and win,” he said according to state-run Xinhua News Agency.
This progress has been particularly visible at sea. The People’s Liberation Army Navy has poured resources into its submarine fleet, which the Pentagon expects to reach 65 boats this year—just shy of 71 compared to U.S. Navy submarines operating worldwide. However, China still trails its U.S. rival in terms of naval technology.
The fleet includes about 12 nuclear-powered submarines, including six ballistic-missile boats, with the remainder being diesel-electric. Chinese military commentators have raised concerns over the PLAN’s vulnerabilities to the U.S. undersea surveillance architecture in the western Pacific, exposing PLAN submarines to detection and targeting in a crisis, according to an analysis of a November 2023 article in the Chinese journal Military Art by Ryan Martinson, an assistant professor at the U.S. Naval War College’s China Maritime Studies Institute.
