# China builds first giant submarine drone carrier

> Satellite imagery reveals China constructing an unprecedented mothership designed to launch and recover extra-large underwater drones, reshaping naval power dynamics.
- Title: China builds first giant submarine drone carrier · TechRadar
- Summary: Satellite imagery reveals China constructing an unprecedented mothership designed to launch and recover extra-large underwater drones, reshaping naval power…
- Keywords: china, submarine drones, naval technology, mothership, shanghai, military, us navy, south china sea, technology, builds, first, giant
- Source: TechRadar — https://techradar.com/pro/china-is-readying-the-worlds-first-giant-submarine-uav-carrier-built-with-a-1115ft-dock-the-unnamed-mothership-could-be-longer-and-bigger-than-ww2-light-aircraft-carriers-and-carry-148ft-underwater-drones
- Published: 2026-09-19T19:05:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: china, submarine drones, naval technology, mothership, shanghai, military, us navy, south china sea, technology
## Satellite imagery reveals Chinese mothership
Satellite imagery shows China building a roughly two hundred metre ship in Shanghai that analysts say is a mothership for submarine-sized drones.
## A ship designed for underwater drones
China appears to be building a type of ship no navy is publicly known to operate: a large surface vessel designed to carry, launch, and recover uncrewed submarines.
## Discovery and location
The hull was first posted on September thirteen, twenty twenty-six by Japanese open-source analyst KAROTASU and assessed two days later by H I Sutton at Naval News. It sits at Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard in Shanghai.
## Size compared to World War Two carriers
The hull measures roughly two hundred five metres by twenty seven metres. While shorter than an Essex-class carrier at eight hundred seventy two to eight hundred eighty eight feet, it exceeds US Navy Independence-class light carriers from World War Two.
## The drones it will carry
The mothership will deploy extra-extra-large uncrewed underwater vehicles, or XXLUUVs, at thirty five to forty five metres long. These are the size of small crewed submarines with an estimated range of ten thousand nautical miles.
## Advantage over current methods
Until now, drones have been tested from specially built floating docks, which limits range and access to spare parts. The mothership's enclosed hangar addresses these constraints, enabling longer deployments and better maintenance.
## Strategic implications
The vessel challenges the current balance of power on multiple naval fronts. China is closing gaps on multiple fronts and taking the lead on others, even as territorial disputes in the South China Sea remain a key issue.
## Key takeaway

China is building a mothership for submarine-sized drones at Shanghai's Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard, a vessel type no other navy publicly operates, challenging US naval dominance.