Type 095-class (Sui)

The Type 095, Chinese designation 09-V and NATO reporting name Sui class, is a class of third-generation nuclear-powered attack submarines built for the People's Liberation Army Navy. It succeeds the Type 093 family. Construction takes place at the Bohai Shipyard in Huludao, Liaoning province, which has been extensively expanded since 2014 to support higher submarine output.

The program remained unseen for years until February 2026, when satellite imagery and synthetic-aperture radar data revealed that the lead boat had been launched at Bohai without any official announcement from Beijing. Imagery from June 2026 showed the boat fitting out alongside a newly launched submarine of a still-unidentified class, giving analysts a first opportunity to compare the two designs. The Type 095 is estimated at around 110 meters in length with a beam of 12 to 13 meters, and carries X-form stern control surfaces in place of the traditional cruciform arrangement, a configuration that improves maneuverability and is a hallmark of new-generation submarine design.

The class is expected to introduce a more advanced nuclear reactor, vertical launching system cells for cruise missiles, and an upgraded sensor suite including active and passive flank array sonars with low- and high-frequency towed arrays. A substantially reduced acoustic signature is the central objective of the program, as the Type 093 family remains noisier than modern Western boats such as the American Virginia and French Suffren classes. Anticipated missions include underwater escort of Chinese aircraft carrier task forces.

The lead boat emerged amid an unprecedented acceleration of Chinese nuclear submarine construction: five nuclear-powered attack submarines were launched in the first half of 2026 alone, including two Type 093B and two boats of an unknown sailless design, one of them at the Jiangnan shipyard in Shanghai, a site that had never previously built nuclear submarines.