China's newest nuclear-powered attack sub believed to have sunk - while in dock
China has suffered a potential embarrassment as it seeks to expand its military capabilities - with its newest nuclear-powered attack submarine reportedly sinking while it wasn't even at sea.
A senior US defence official said China's new first-in-class nuclear-powered attack submarine sank alongside a pier sometime between May and June.
In response to what would be a significant setback to one of the country's priority weapons programmes a Chinese embassy spokesperson in Washington said they had no knowledge of the incident.
"We are not familiar with the situation you mentioned and currently have no information to provide," they said.
However, a series of satellite images appear to show cranes at the Wuchang shipyard, where the submarine would have been docked.
China already has the largest navy in the world, with over 370 ships, and it has embarked on the production of a new generation of nuclear-armed submarines.
As of 2022, China had six nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, six nuclear-powered attack submarines and 48 diesel-powered attack submarines, according to a Pentagon report.
That submarine force is expected to grow to 65 by 2025 and 80 by 2035, the US Department of Defence explained.
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