Type 035

Type 035
Name	Type 035
Place of origin	People's Republic of China
Builder	China State Shipbuilding Corporation
In service	1974–present
Length	56 m
Beam	8.2 m
Displacement	700–900 t
Propulsion	Diesel engines
Speed	25 kn
Complement	60–80
Armament	See section "Armament and sensors"

Type 035 is a class of diesel-electric coastal submarine developed and operated by the People's Liberation Army Navy and associated shipbuilding organizations. Conceived during the Cold War era, the class reflects influences from earlier Soviet Navy designs and subsequent Chinese naval engineering efforts centered at institutions such as the Wuhan Shipbuilding Industry Company and China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation. The class served as an interim indigenous platform while the People's Republic of China pursued more advanced submarine programs.

Design and development

The design emerged amid interactions between the People's Liberation Army Navy and foreign technology transfers involving the Soviet Union and later dynamics with the United States Navy, French Navy, and Austrian industrial exchanges. Initial engineering efforts were overseen by naval architects from the People's Liberation Army and researchers at the Naval University of Engineering, seeking to adapt hull forms and propulsion arrangements benchmarked against Whiskey-class submarine lineage and lessons from the Romeo-class submarine. Industrial management was coordinated through entities like the China State Shipbuilding Corporation and provincial bureaus such as Hubei Provincial Government agencies. The program involved iterative design reviews influenced by doctrines formulated within the Central Military Commission and strategic guidance linked to the 1972 Nixon visit to China geopolitical context.

Variants

The class produced several iterations manufactured at yards including Wuhan Shipyard, Qingdao Shipyard, and facilities tied to the People's Republic of China's Third Ministry. Variants incorporated incremental improvements in hull structure, propulsion, and sensor suites, paralleling developments seen in classes from nations such as Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and Royal Navy modernization programs. Some builds featured revised conning tower arrangements and upgraded systems influenced by exchanges with firms akin to Sperry Corporation and engineering institutes comparable to the Harbin Engineering University.

Operational history

Type 035 units entered service in the 1970s and participated in coastal patrols, training exercises, and deterrence patrols directed by the South Sea Fleet, East Sea Fleet, and North Sea Fleet. Deployments often aligned with regional tensions involving the Taiwan Strait Crisis (1995–1996), Sino-Soviet border conflict, and maritime interactions with the Republic of Korea Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. The class supported training for submarine officers at institutions such as the Naval Command College and took part in bilateral exercises with forces like the Russian Navy and academic exchanges with the Chinese Academy of Sciences-affiliated laboratories.

Armament and sensors

Armament configurations included torpedo tubes compatible with wire-guided and straight-running torpedoes procured or developed in collaboration with entities such as the China Ordnance Industry Group and technologies modeled after systems used by the Soviet Navy and Royal Danish Navy. Sensors and fire-control systems integrated sonar suites informed by research at the Institute of Acoustics (Chinese Academy of Sciences) and navigational aids influenced by equipment standards from suppliers resembling Northrop Grumman-era technologies. Electronics and countermeasure packages evolved to address acoustic signature reduction priorities influenced by studies from the People's Liberation Army Navy Research Institute.

Construction and operators

Construction was concentrated at state-owned shipyards under the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation umbrella, with workforce and technical input from academies such as Dalian Naval Academy and Tsinghua University research groups. Operators were primarily the People's Liberation Army Navy fleets, with training support from the Naval Submarine Academy. The class remained in service across multiple squadrons and supported coastal defense strategies formulated by the Central Military Commission.

Modernization and upgrades

Over time, units received incremental upgrades including quieter propeller designs, improved diesel generators, and revised acoustic insulation guided by studies at the Harbin Institute of Technology and Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Electronic suites were periodically refreshed to incorporate advances analogous to those deployed by the Russian Navy and the Hellenic Navy in their own modernization initiatives. Some boats obtained retrofit work overseen by yards associated with the China State Shipbuilding Corporation to extend operational life spans and enhance sensors to contemporary standards.

Incidents and losses

Throughout service, a limited number of incidents were recorded involving peacetime accidents and maintenance-related mishaps, topics addressed by inspection regimes from the People's Liberation Army's logistics departments and safety boards analogous to the Ministry of Transport (People's Republic of China). Investigations and procedural changes were influenced by lessons from international incidents involving platforms operated by the United States Navy, Royal Navy, and Indian Navy, prompting revisions to training curricula at institutions such as the Naval Academy (China).

Category:Submarines of the People's Liberation Army Navy