China is building 'first-ever mothership capable of launching submarine drones'

China is building the world's first-ever underwater mothership capable of launching submarine drones, according to new satellite images.The vessel, which was identified at a shipyard in Shanghai, is understood to be able to carry four enormous autonomous submarines and deploy them across the ocean.Images taken by Vantor, a US defence intelligence company, show a red ship under construction at the Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard.Beijing has previously constructed large amphibious assault warships at the site.China is the only known nation to have designed an uncrewed submarine so big. They are so large that a new term had to be coined: extra-extra-large uncrewed undersea vehicle (XXLUUV). 'The most plausible explanation is that it is a special drone submarine mothership,' H I Sutton, an independent defence expert who specialises in underwater warfare, told Naval News.He theorised that, based on its size, the new warship could feasibly hold at least four of China's XXLUUVs for thousands of miles. China is building the world's first-ever underwater mothership capable of launching submarine drones, according to new satellite images The vessel, which was identified at a shipyard in Shanghai, is understood to be able to carry four enormous autonomous submarines and deploy them across the oceanThe full-size uncrewed submarines, first revealed in January 2025, have already been tested by Beijing in the South China Sea off the coast of the island of Hainan.At 35 and 45 metres (115-148 feet) long, they are roughly six to eight times the overall size of the US Navy’s Boeing Orca XLUUV, which is about 16 metres (51 feet).It is probable that the two models are in direct competition. The Orca has a range of up to 6,500 nautical miles and is used for long-range covert maritime operations.On China's new mothership, the submarines will likely be stored in an internal hangar, the size and presence of which 'make a civilian or research explanation unconvincing'.While not much is understood about the XXLUUV drones, Mr Sutton said the American iteration can typically carry around eight heavyweight torpedoes.This means an uncrewed submarine of an even larger size should be able to carry an even greater payload over 10,000 nautical miles.The UK has also built its own XLUUV, known as the XV Excalibur, under Project Cetus.It is slightly smaller than the Orca and almost four times smaller than China's XXLUUV.The XV Excalibur, which began undersea trials in July and is expected to be operational by 2028, measures only 12 metres (39 feet) and has an endurance of up to 1,000 miles.China's new vessel appears to also have a hangar near its bow, which can be used to transport a helicopter.Beijing is the world's largest producer of warships, with experts claiming that its shipbuilding capacity is at least 200 times greater than that of Washington, with an estimated 405 warships to America’s 295.The main drive behind the production is that China’s major defence goals – and what it perceives to be its greatest threats – are at sea. Chinese President Xi Jinping has been vocal about his ambition to bring Taiwan under Chinese control, and has not ruled out the use of military action to seize the island nation.In the event of him following through with his plans - which Taiwan strongly opposes - maritime conflict would be inevitable.Beijing has been quickly expanding its presence in the South China Sea, where it claims sovereignty over nearly all islands despite fierce opposition from the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei and Taiwan.These disagreements have already flared up into violence, and experts have warned of potential flashpoints that could accelerate into an even more volatile situation.China’s yearly Xiangshan Forum, one of its highest-profile international security and defence conferences, began on Tuesday with nearly 100 nations in attendance.During the conference on Wednesday, Dong Jun, the country’s defence minister, said: 'We must bear in mind the lessons of history and remain highly vigilant against all latent manifestations of hegemony, militarism and historical revisionism.'Many analysts took the comment as a veiled condemnation of Japan, which has been embroiled in a diplomatic argument with China since last year and which has also been accelerating the expansion of its own defence capabilities.