After a Chinese nuclear attack submarine was discovered by the Japanese navy while submerged
near disputed islands in the East China Sea, military experts say that Chinese sub could
be too easy to detect.
The PLA Navy’s 110-metre Shang-class submarine surfaced in international waters with a Chinese
flag on its mast on January 12 after it was followed by the Japan Maritime Self-Defence
Forcees for two days.
Some military experts believe the vessel was forced to surface, but others say there is
not enough information to back up that theory.
China’s defense ministry has not responded to enquiries.
The silence indicates that indeed the vessel was detected.
In this video, Defense Updates analyzes, HOW NOISY CHINESE SUBMARINE WAS EASILY EXPOSED
BY JAPAN ?
Relations between China and Japan have long been tense because of historical issues and
their territorial disputes over the tiny, uninhabited archipelago – which lies between
Taiwan and the southern Japanese island of Okinawa – that is controlled by Japan but
also claimed by China.
It was the first time a Chinese navy submarine had come so close to the islands, leading
to speculation that it was an apparent move by China to demonstrate its sovereignty claim.
The submarine entered the adjacent zone less than 24 nautical miles from the contested
Diaoyu Islands, which are known as the Senkakus in Japan.
But the early and long exposure of its underwater trajectory, according to military experts,
suggests the vessel is not as quiet as it should be.
Japan’s defence ministry said anti-submarine ships and planes had been tracking the Chinese
submarine since January 10.
China’s nuclear attack submarine has been in service since 2006, carrying out missions
in the Indian Ocean and Western Pacific.
Two of the submarines, type 093, were built in the 2000s, and at least two more – the
upgraded type 093A – were commissioned in 2016, according to a report to the US Congress
in 2017.
Japan did not say whether the submarine spotted near its waters was one of the earlier vessels
or the upgrade, but experts say it was the newer type.
That submarine is believed to have a vertical launch system for anti-ship YJ-18 cruise missiles,
and was expected to be on par with the United States’ Los Angeles-class submarines – or
at least much quieter than its notoriously noisy predecessor, the type 091 Han-class.
“This is such a shame for the navy,” said a Beijing-based military source, who requested
anonymity, adding that the vessel was detected because it was “too noisy”.
The incident has also shown the strong anti-submarine capabilities of Japan, which has the technological
backing of the US military, according to military commentator Zhou Chenming in Beijing.
“It’s not so bad that they’ve been exposed, it could push the Chinese to work harder on
making the submarines quieter,” Zhou said.
“As a strong military power China should be confident enough not to cover up its weaknesses
and failures.”
It is also unusual that a nuclear submarine – which could stay underwater for months
– surfaced in front of another navy, given that they usually strive to stay unseen and
undetected.
“Once a submarine has been exposed and its unique acoustics have been recorded, it puts
them at a great disadvantage,” said Li Jie, a researcher at the Naval Military Studies
Research Institute in Beijing.
In 2004, a type 091 Han-class nuclear submarine was detected as it trespassed in Japanese
territorial waters near the recent incident.
But it remained submerged until it returned to Chinese waters, despite being chased by
Japanese ships and planes dropping sonobuoys, which pick up underwater sounds and transmit
them.
Macau-based military expert Antony Wong Dong believed the nuclear attack submarine was
forced to surface, and said it was “dumb” of the Chinese navy to allow its features
to be seen and photographed.
He also dismissed claims that the submarine was flying a Chinese flag to assert its claim
to sovereignty over the Diaoyus, noting that it surfaced in international waters.
“If they wanted to claim sovereignty, why didn’t the submarine enter the territorial
seas of the islands?”
Wong said.
Flying a flag is the general practice when a submarine surfaces in international or foreign
waters.
Some experts point out that , the sub was forced to surface because the Japan’s Self
Defense Force could have sunk it with a depth charge as an “unidentified sub” and the
PLA wouldn’t be able to object to it.
There’s an extensive undersea network of US-Japan Sound surveillance system (SOSUS)
called 'Fish Hook' that constantly monitors all submarine patrols, undertaken by the PLA.
navy.
It stretches from Yonaguni to the Senkaku Islands, Yonaguni and Suao in north-east Taiwan,
between Kaohsiung in south-western Taiwan and the Dongsha Islands and across the Bashi
Channel between Hengchun at Taiwan’s southernmost tip and Luzon Island in The Philippines.
Another runs from Sasebo to near Kagoshima in the southwest part of Kyushu, down the
Osumi archipelago to Okinawa, then to Miyako-jima and Yonaguni in the southern part of the Ryukyu
Islands, past Taiwan to the Balaban Islands in The Philippines, to Lomkok in the Indonesian
archipelago, across the Sunda Strait between Java & Sumatra, and from Sumatra to the Andaman
& Nicobar Islands in the Indian Ocean.
Real-time information-sharing between the Quad, that is , the US, Japan Australia & India,
links the undersea defense lines, effectively drawing a tight arc around Southeast Asia,
from the Andaman Sea to Japan.
In addition, large numbers of hydrophones had been installed “in Chinese waters”
close to China’s submarine bases in Qingdao, Xiaopingdao, and Yulin on Hainan Island.
The Fish Hook could have been instrumental in exposing the Chinese submarine.
The Chinese navy plans to expand the fleet of nuclear attack submarines to 6, according
to the US Congress report, before it brings in the next generation type 095 – which
it hopes will be substantially quieter when it is introduced in the 2020s.
It was known before that , Chinese sub were inferior to western or Japanese counterparts.
It should be wake up call for Chinese Navy.
Infact it can be a blessing in disguise.
To be detected easily like this during peace should go a long way in implementation of
measures to prevent detection during a conflict.