[R&D]Chinese 2025 R&D Roundup

R&D

PEOPLE'S LIBERATION ARMY NAVY

Type 095A SSN

The Type 095 SSN was introduced into the PLAN in the earlier part of the decade and it will see a number of updates in time to begin construction on the first of this type in 2027.

Updated propulsion system including a 3rd Generation Pressurized Water Nuclear Reactor which will integrate with the VY-100N IEP/P System and will produce 55,000 SHP through a pumpjet propulsion system making it possible for the Type 098 to achieve sustained underwater speeds in excess of 35 knots.

The hull will be strengthened with a newly designed second hull which will increase maximum operating depth from 475m to 600m. An Improved Anechoic Hull Design will produce much improved acoustic performance over the Type 095's existing anechoic design. A ship-wide vibration reduction envelope has been developed to be placed beneath the second pressure hull of the vessel, isolating the interior from the outer hull and making any interior vibrations or noise nearly impossible to escape. It is expected to match if not exceed performance of the latest Ohio-Class submarines of the United States Navy.

As with the Type 032A SSK and Type 098 SSBN, the H/SQZ-264 fully digitized integrated sonar system will offer noticeable improvements over the existing H/SQZ-262C system currently in use by Chinese submarines. The resolution and filtering capabilities are expected to improve by 25% over the outgoing sonar. This will be integrated with the new H/SQG-208 Flank Array Sonar, and H/SJD-10 conformal array active/passive sonar systems to provide improved detection and responsiveness from the system. The H/SAS-301 Bow Mounted Spherical Synthetic Aperture Sonar is China's first bow mounted spherical SAS array which will provide additional detection capabilities for the submarine.

Two additional high-speed datalinks will be included aboard the vessel as well as increased use of fiber optic wiring to improve data transfer speeds. The ships computer systems will see upgrades in processing capacity to deal with the higher quality sonar information and bring the ship into line with the Type 098 SSBN in terms of capability.

Price will increase slightly to $1.75 billion per copy. The PLAN will build 3x copies per year for 5 years beginning in 2030.

Type 434 Stationary Submerged VLS System

The Type 434 is a novel solution to the removal of GLBM and GLCM systems from China's inventory. This weapon system is designed to be used close to shore (at a distance of no more than 25km offshore) and is to be tethered to the seafloor. Communications will consist of an extendable fiber optic line to shore based mobile control stations. These can be integrated into networks allowing one control unit to command several launchers in an area. The Type 434 is intended to be used to protect harbors, island installations, and critical coastal areas by creating a credible deterrent. This system is designed to be modular, easy to transport, easy to deploy and easy to move so that some of the mobility of GLCM systems is maintained, while the stealth is more greatly enhanced.

The following features will appear on this weapon system:

Anechoic coatings on the exterior to isolate and reduce detectability by underwater vessels to nearly nonexistent levels.

Power is provided through the shore connection, and the system has battery backups capable of powering the system for one week should main power be lost.

A nine-cell configuration with the ability to connect to other units and form large bays of these launchers should the need arise.

Constructed to "CM" specifications and will be capable of fitting any missiles able to be fitted to surface warship VLS cells.

Smart interface system permitting readouts of missile status, operating status, temperature, and other important metrics.

The budget for this project will be set at $500 million with expected rollout to occur in 2027.

EA-102 Ponderous Shark AUV

The EA-102 Ponderous Shark AUV will be China's first Autonomous Underwater Vehicle and will be designed to test new technologies, machine learning algorithms, underwater communications techniques, and power sources to develop the next generation of AUV's for use by the Chinese commercial and defense industries. The first of these vessels will be powered by electric motors fueled by hydrogen fuel cells. This form of power will be tested first at the Lake Bosten Naval Research Facility for proof of concept and reliability throughout 2026, with full scale tests being carried out a year later in 2027. The goal is for each AUV to operate for at least 90 days underwater before refueling.

A new satellite datalink communications tether will be developed and tested on the Ponderous Shark which will be designed to be extended from an AUV or submersible and float to the surface where it can receive communications from satellites. The goal is to do so in as discreet a manner as possible.

Funding for the project will be set at $350 million with testing to be completed by the end of 2028.

WEAPON DESIGN AND SENSOR EQUIPMENT

WU-15 HGV

The WU-14 Hypersonic Glide Vehicle has been in development for nearly two decades. It has been successfully tested but has been found wanting in the wake of newly developing weapons by the United States and other Western powers. Because of this, the WU-14 and what has been learned in the program will be reoriented into the WU-15 Program which will be a joint project between China and the Russian Federation.

Previously, the top speed of the WU-14 HGV was set at less than 10,000 kph. The tradeoff of this reduced speed was greater range. However, the speed at which a railgun can fire a projectile, and a laser can be brought to bear have necessitated higher speeds in order to outmatch a railgun projectile and evade any rounds that are fired.

The WU-15 will have several advancements over the WU-14 prototype.

Newly formulated heat resistance coatings to cope with the increased temperatures along with new sensors also able to deal with the immense amount of heat generated at speed.
Shape will be optimized to improve aerodynamics and handling during descent stage and avoidance maneuvers.
Onboard algorithms designed to generate random movements to discourage and increase the difficulty in targeting the weapon. These movements can alternate between S-curves, random trajectory changes, and altitude changes.
A laser detection system will be installed capable of detecting when a laser has been trained upon the weapon. This will cause the weapon to enter into evasive maneuver patterns to attempt to stay outside the path of the laser beam. At the speed this weapon travels, it would only have to do this for seconds.
Top speed of the weapon will be increased to 13,500 kph while range will drop from 7500 miles to 5000 miles.
2x High-bandwidth satellite datalinks, intertial navigation systems, and 2x additional high-bandwidth datalinks for connections to drone surveillance craft will provide guidance towards the target.
Warheads will be capable of being fitted to the JF-21E SLBM for delivery to target area.

The funding for this project will be set at $4 billion and test flights are expected to commence in 2027, with initial production occurring around 2030.

R/ZVD-10 Electronic Warfare Suite

Chinese EW Capabilities have been consistently lagging behind those of the United States, other western powers, and even Russia. The R/ZVD-10 EWS will attempt to rectify that situation. Based on the YH-96 and YH-96A EW Systems mounted in Chinese attack aircraft, the R/ZVD-10 will be scaled up with redesigned components and updated architectures.

Improvements and capabilities include:

Common Modular Architecture (CMA) requirement, which will integrate all communication antennae, EW subsystems, and accompanying radars into one platform for efficiency, improved response times, reduced electromagnetic interference, and greater overall effectiveness. This will be a bolt-on capable system with flexible options for different vessels. It is intended to be easily installed aboard all modern Chinese surface vessels.
Fully digitized interface for ease of use that is common across all platforms. This is designed to be integrated into the existing combat systems of modern vessels and aircraft, and is able to be installed in upgraded receptacles aboard legacy vessels.
Full spectrum electronic attack capabilities with automatic frequency-agile mode (present in the JY-26A UHF/VHF Radar), able to mitigate ECM attempts against targeting systems aboard the vessel. Auto-learn feature will be present enabling cataloging of unknown signals for later dissemination and advanced algorithms capable of applying the best-fit solution to the threat based on previous experience.
CMAAD integration for scaling of capabilities with other nearby platforms, and immediate responses to inbound threats detected by other platforms connected to the network. R/ZVD-10 EWS can be auto-cued with a unique "pop-up" capability able to automatically react to inbound missiles detected by the CMAAD network once within range. The R/ZVD-10 will then return to passive mode to reduce radar signature and risk of anti-radiation missile attack. EW Missile Defense will be accomplished through robust Radio-Frequency jamming and deception methods concurrent with existing Chinese doctrine.
Coordination with onboard IR Dazzlers to provide IR countermeasures as well as RF countermeasures.
Full ECM/ECCM capabilities to reduce effectiveness of hostile EW and reduce the effectiveness of hostile ECM systems aboard vessels, aircraft, and missiles.

Program budget is set at $390 million with rollout expected in 2028.

YU-12 Vertical Attack Torpedo

The YU-12 VAT is a new type of torpedo designed specifically to be launched from a submarine operating deep underwater. The purpose of this torpedo is to attack a surface vessel from directly below to reduce the detectability and ability to counter such a weapon.

Features of the YU-12 include:

A length of 6.1 m, a diameter of 650 mm, a speed of 50 knots supplied via pump-jet propulsion, and a range of 36 km. This is a fully electrically powered torpedo to reduce acoustic signature to extremely low levels. The casing of the torpedo is specially designed from a new alloy and will permit operation at depths of 850m.
A fully digital and modern processing system with updated onboard sonar capable of detecting acoustic countermeasures and disregarding them. The guidance system is a wire-guidance system with terminal phase acoustic/proximity/wake homing detection. The torpedo is able to be switched between wire-guidance and acoustic guidance at will, and should the wire be severed, targeting information stored in the system memory will permit the computer to approximate the position of the target to achieving a higher kill probability.
Updated sodium-hydride warhead with increased detonation radius. Upon detonation a large amount of sodium powder is released which reacts violently with seawater to produce high-temperature (2000 degrees centigrade) hydrogen. Detonation radius is increased from 24 meters to 40 meters. This warhead will enable a kill even if it is a miss, due to proximity.
The YU-12 will carry forward the modular design, and open-architecture software thus permitting rapid upgrades and improved software updates.
The YU-12 can be quad-packed into VLS tubes, and will be capable of launch from 650mm torpedo tubes.

The budget for this project will be set at $284 million with FOC reached in 2028.

PEOPLE'S LIBERATION ARMY

Type 024 Light Tactical Vehicle

The Type 024 is a replacement for China's existing 4-passenger tactical vehicles and is meant to provide superior mobility for mechanized infantry units with the capability to be airlifted and modified for multiple roles in combat.

The Type 024 will have the following features:

A weight of 6,200 kg with a payload of 1,500 kg of cargo. The Type 024 LTV will be powered by a 5.3L V-8 Turbodiesel capable of accepting very low grade diesel should the need arise. The power plant will feature common architecture, and a rugged design able to cope with varying environments.

Capability to carry a wide range of weapons upon an interchangeable mount. This will be protected with high sides and bulletproof glass similar to turrets in use by US Army vehicles. This can mount grenade launchers, machine guns, as well as ATGM's. Additionally, military police variants can mount crowd control equipment such as low-power lasers and sound emitters.

Smoke canisters, as well as flares can be mounted to the vehicle to provide countermeasures and combat support capabilities. Additionally the vehicle contains a fire-extinguishing system.

A V-Shaped bottom to deflect blasts from mines and improvised explosive devices. The bottom of the hull and frame will be constructed of high strength boron steel to provide a strong yet flexible underbottom to the vehicle. This is augmented by energy absorbing seats and foot wells to further protect occupants. The vehicle is designed to accept additional armor plating on its sides and upon the hood.

An adjustable ride height system based on magnetorheological dampers with a fully independent suspension system able to tackle rough terrain. All control arms, coil springs, sway bars, and shocks will be built with rough terrain in mind.

Multiple variants of the vehicle will exist including a standard 4-passenger configuration, a medical configuration with the capacity for two passengers as well as 4 patients in the rear, a command unit with a crew of three which provides communications and electronic warfare capabilities, and finally a light reconnaissance vehicle variant.

The development costs for this program will be set at $320 million with rollout expected by the end of next year. The price per copy will be set at $250,000 for a full outfit unit.

Posted Dec 12, 2016, 12:25 AM UTC