Chinese diesel-electric submarine class
 Type 035 submarine
|
| Class overview |
|---|
| Name | Ming class |
| Builders | |
| Operators | |
| Preceded by | Type 033 (Romeo class) |
| Succeeded by | Type 039 (Song class) |
| In commission |
- Type 035 1974–1990s
- Type 035A 1982–present
- Type 035G 1990–present
- Type 035B 2000–present
|
| Completed |
- 2 Type 035
- 4 Type 035A
- 12 Type 035G
- 5 Type 035B
|
| Active |
- 11 Type 035G (2 Bangladesh Navy)
- 5 Type 035B (1 Myanmar Navy)
|
| Lost | 1 Type 035G |
| Retired | |
| General characteristics |
|---|
| Type | Attack submarine |
| Displacement | 2,110 tonnes (submerged)[1] |
| Length | 76 m (249 ft 4 in)[1] |
| Beam | 7.6 m (24 ft 11 in)[1] |
| Draft | 5.1 m (16 ft 9 in)[1] |
| Depth | 7.6 m (24 ft 11 in)[1] |
| Propulsion | Type E390ZC-1 diesel engine, 5,200 hp (3,900 kW)[1] |
| Speed | 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) (submerged)[1] |
| Test depth | 300 m (980 ft)[1] |
| Complement | 57 |
| Armament |
- 8 × 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes (6 in the bow and 2 in the stern):[1][2]
|
The Type 035 submarine (NATO reporting name: Ming class) is a class of diesel-electric submarines of the People's Liberation Army Navy. The Type 035 is a heavily improved redesign of the older Type 033 submarines (Romeo class), which were built in China from 1962 to 1984.
Background
In 1963, under the 1950 Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship, Alliance and Mutual Assistance, the Soviet Union passed to China the necessary design details in order to produce Romeo-class submarines.[3] The Chinese variant became known as the Type 033, of which China built a total of 84 between 1962 and 1984.
During the 1970s, China's ambition to create an indigenous submarine industry lead to the commissioning of Wuhan Ship Development and Design Institute (701 Institute) to design and build an improved submarine based on the Type 033 hull, named the Type 035 (Ming class).[1] Two Type 035 boats were completed by 1974.[1]
Further improvements were deemed necessary and by the early 1980s a new and improved design, named the Type 035A were produced.[1] The first of these improved "A" models entered service in 1982, with three more under construction.[1] The latter three boats were completed and commissioned by 1990.[1]
The Type 035G is the most numerous variant. A total of 12 were built and commissioned between 1990 and 1999.[1] They were built with further improvements, especially in terms of noise reduction, weapons, sensors and crew living standards. The PLAN refer to this sub-class as, "new wine in an old bottle". Two boats of the Type 035A were upgraded to same standard as the Type 035G.
The most modern design variant is the Type 035B, which features a redesigned conning tower and portions of the hull, giving it a very similar appearance to the newer Type 039 submarines. Type 035B are capable of launching land attack cruise missiles from their torpedo tubes. A total of four boats were commissioned between 2000 and 2003.[1]
Boats of the class
The following are the pennant numbers of each boat, according to their type:
- Type 035 (ES5C): 232 and 233
- Type 035A: 352, 353 and 354
- ES5D: 342
- Type 035G (ES5E): 356, 357, 358, 359, 360, 361, 362, 363, 305, 306, 307 and 308
- Type 035B (ES5F): 309, 310, 311, 312 and 313
Exports
The Bangladesh Navy ordered two off the shelf Type 035G submarines from China in 2013 worth $203 million. The boats underwent refit in China and delivery was made on 14 November 2016. They are the Bangladesh Navy's first submarines. The names and pennant numbers of the submarines are BNS Nabajatra (S 161) and BNS Joyjatra (S 162) respectively.[6] They were commissioned on 12 March 2017.[7]
Accident
In April 2003, the Ming-class submarine 361 suffered a mechanical failure that killed all 70 crew members on board during an exercise in the Yellow Sea between North Korea and China's Shandong Province.[8][9] It was one of China's worst peacetime military disasters. The PLA Navy's Commander Shi Yunsheng and Political Commissar Yang Huaiqing were both dismissed as a result of the accident.[8]
