Hudong-Zhonghua
Shanghai shipyard of China State Shipbuilding Corporation; builds LNG carriers and Type 075 assault ships.
A hull taking shape at Hudong-Zhonghua is China's first mothership for extra-large uncrewed submarines, Naval News assessed on 15 September 2026 from satellite imagery showing a stern well-deck and a forward hangar. Neither the yard nor Beijing has commented.
Last refreshed: 7 October 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Is Hudong-Zhonghua building China's first mothership for giant drone submarines?
Timeline for Hudong-Zhonghua
China may build a drone-sub mothership
Autonomous Systems: Land & SeaBackground
Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding is a Shanghai yard owned by China State Shipbuilding Corporation, the state shipbuilding group. It is one of China's leading builders of Liquefied Natural Gas carriers and also builds major warships, including the Type 075 amphibious assault ships, three of which have been commissioned, according to CSIS China Power.
In September 2026 Hudong-Zhonghua became the suspected birthplace of a new class of Chinese naval vessel. On 15 September 2026 Naval News assessed a hull there as China's first mothership for extra-large uncrewed submarines. Satellite imagery shows a stern well-deck with a cradle on 12 jack-up arms and a forward hangar that the outlet estimates could hold four of the largest vehicles. Naval News calls its reading "by FAR the most plausible"; it is an inference, and Chinese authorities have said nothing.
The mix of work matters for anyone watching it. A yard that turns out both large civil gas carriers and big-deck warships can take on a novel naval hull without any visible break in its commercial order book, so imagery analysis is often the first public signal of what it is building.