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Chinese Navy (PLAN) Extra-Large & Extra-Extra-Large Underwater Vehicles
When China unveiled its first ever large displacement underwater drone for the Navy in 2019, the 5-meter long HSU001, it was as if China was only taking baby steps on the road to autonomous undersea warfare. At the time Beijing was clearly behind leading Western navies. In just 6 years since then the situation has flipped, and the HSU001 now appears toy-like compared to what has followed. China’s development of extra-large uncrewed underwater vehicles (XLUUVs) is now unmatched globally, and accelerating rapidly. No other nation is pursuing undersea autonomy at comparable scale, scope, or speed. Four factors set China’s program apart from all others:
1. Program Scale and Diversity
China’s XLUUV effort is vast, featuring multiple design bureaus and several distinct operational concepts (compared to the U.S. Navy’s single combat-oriented platform, the Boeing Orca). Several additional prototypes are likely under development, while earlier iterations have already been learned from and shelved. Many, indeed most, have not been publicly displayed. This design churn reflects an industrial ecosystem moving quickly from experimentation to mass production.
2. Greater Size and Ambition
Chinese XLUUVs are consistently larger and more capable than those developed elsewhere. Beijing has gone further still, pioneering an entirely new category, the “extra-extra-large” uncrewed underwater vehicle (XXLUUV). At least two 45-meter long XXLUUV prototypes or different designs are currently undergoing sea trials in the South China Sea. No other country has deployed or is even developing an equivalent capability.
3. Rapid Weaponization
China is expected to arm its XLUUVs with torpedoes and other offensive payloads far sooner than its competitors. Western programs remain constrained by technical, ethical, and legal debates, while China moves ahead, gaining years of experience. The result is a decisive lead in transitioning from experimental systems to combat-ready platforms.
4. Export and Strategic Influence
The scale of China’s undersea program ensures that export variants will follow, such as from the designs which the Chinese Navy (PLAN) does not adopt. These systems could rapidly enhance the capabilities of client navies, extending Beijing’s strategic reach and reshaping undersea balances of power.
AJX002 minelaying XLUUV
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