A new vessel, purportedly designed to transport and service large underwater drones, has been photographed in the Chinese city of Guangzhou. This naval platform bears a striking resemblance to a similar ship previously observed in Shanghai, suggesting that the Chinese authorities are constructing at least two units of this specialized class.

According to reports by The War Zone, construction of an unusual ship near the Changxing Island shipyard in Shanghai was nearing completion roughly a month ago. Its unique design features layout characteristics seemingly tailored for deploying, recovering, and maintaining unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) in maritime environments.

The newly captured imagery from Guangzhou reveals a vessel that shares the general architecture of the Shanghai ship but appears roughly one-third smaller, along with minor variations in hull geometry. Both designs feature flight decks, hangars positioned aft of the superstructure, and similar funnel placements, though lifting tower counts differ.

Current Western assessments cautiously categorize these vessels primarily as experimental platforms, with their exact operational capabilities remaining unverified and shrouded in secrecy. Nevertheless, the US regime and allied commentators have allegedly rushed to frame these developments as a significant strategic challenge, speculating about potential long-range patrols and future combat applications in the Pacific.

Source: kun.uz