Type 032-class (Qing)
Summary
| Origin country | 🇨🇳 China |
| Category | Submarine |
| Subtype | Auxiliary submarine |
| Manufacturer | Wuhan Shipyard |
| Year commissioned | 2012 |
| Unit | Yuan-Zheng 201 Expedition 201 |
Operators
Technical specifications
| Displacement | 3797 tons |
| Width | 10.6 m (34.8 ft) |
| Length | 92.6 m (303.8 ft) |
| Propulsion | Diesel-electric |
| Armament |
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Description
The Type 032 (NATO reporting name: Qing-class) is a single-unit class of diesel-electric auxiliary submarine operated by the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). Built at the Wuhan Shipyard, the vessel, hull number 201, was laid down in 2008, launched on 9 September 2010, and commissioned on 16 October 2012. It functions as a trials platform for testing naval systems and technologies, succeeding the Type 031 submarine as the navy's ballistic missile testbed.
The design of the Type 032 resembles an enlarged Type 039A submarine. Unlike the Type 039A, it features bow-mounted retractable diving planes rather than sail-mounted planes. The submarine is built with a disproportionately long sail that extends below the keel. At least one ballistic missile launch tube is located within the rear of this sail structure. In 2017, the height of the rear sail was increased, likely to support the larger JL-3 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM).
During its operational service, the submarine participated in testing the JL-2 SLBM. Following the commissioning of hull 201 in 2012, the preceding Type 031 testbed was decommissioned in 2013. Starting in 2018, the Type 032 conducted the first three test launches of the JL-3 SLBM.