| History |
|---|
 PRC |
|---|
| Name | Discovery |
| Ordered | 1 |
| Awarded | 1 |
| Builder | Specialist Machine Development (SMD) Ltd |
| Christened | 2014 |
| Completed | 2014 |
| Acquired | 2014 |
| Commissioned | 2021 |
| Maiden voyage | 2014 |
| In service | 2014 |
| Refit | 2018 |
| Reinstated | 2019 |
| Status | Active |
| Class overview |
|---|
| Operators |  People's Liberation Army Navy |
| Built | 2014 |
| In service | 2014 onward |
| In commission | 2014 onward |
| Planned | 1 |
| Completed | 1 |
| Active | 1 |
| General characteristics |
|---|
| Type | ROUV |
| Length | 3 m (9 ft 10 in) |
| Beam | 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in) |
| Height | 2 m (6 ft 7 in) |
Sensors and
processing systems | Various |
Electronic warfare
& decoys | None |
| Armament | None |
| Armour | None |
| Aircraft carried | None |
| Aviation facilities | None |
|
Discovery (Fa-xian, 发现 in Chinese) remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROUV) is a type of very little known unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) originally built in Great Britain by British firm Specialist Machine Development (SMD) Limited for the People's Republic of China (PRC).[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] and the British firm was later purchased by CSR Corporation Limited in April 2015.[9]
Equipment
In order to complete its assigned missions, Discovery ROUV is equipped with seven underwater cameras, two high definition cameras, underwater positioning system, one Titan 4 and one Atlas manipulators,[2][6] each is capable of handling objects weighing up to 120 kg,[2] and when used together, objects weighing up to 300 kg can be handled.[6] In addition, there are more than thirty different kinds of scientific instruments and equipment indigenously developed in China for the ROUV after it entered service.[7]
Upgrade
Merely less than half a decade after entering service, Discovery ROV went through an upgrade that lasted more than half a year in China, from end of October 2018 thru April 2019.[7] It's reported that during this maintenance/upgrade, by incorporating more advanced technologies, the maximum operating depth is increased by a third, to the original 4,500 meters to 6,000 meter after Discovery ROV returned to service.[3][4] The mothership of Discovery ROUV has been Chinese research ship Science (Ke-Xue, 科学)[1][2][3][5][6][7][8] since the ROUV first entered service in 2014.[1][2][3][5]
