China is building in Shanghai a vessel that could serve as a mobile base for its larger underwater drones. The boat is in the shipyard Hudong-Zhonghua and measures about 205 meters long and 27 meters wideaccording to estimates published by Defense Security Asia. Its design aims to a platform prepared to transport them, put them in the water and recover them after each mission.
The naval analyst HI Sutton points out this possible function in Naval News, which advanced the information this Tuesday after examining several satellite images. The Telegraph later published similar conclusions based on images of the American company Vantor. Beijing has not confirmed the purpose of the ship, so her identification as a wet nurse remains an interpretation by experts.
The so-called XXLUUV They are unmanned underwater drones of exceptionally large size, comparable to conventional submarines. Its English acronym corresponds to extra-extra-large uncrewed underwater vehicles, extra large unmanned underwater vehicles in Spanish. By doing without a crew, they can dedicate more space for batteries, sensors or equipment for its missions than a conventional submarine.
You haven’t seen a ship like this before(!): China’s New Giant Submarine Drone Mothership www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2…
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— HI Sutton (@covertshores.bsky.social) September 15, 2026 at 10:34
China has been testing two designs of this category in the vicinity of the island of Hainan. The most recent estimates place its length at about 35 and 45 meters. Naval News considers them the largest known underwater drones, although their dimensions have no official confirmation. For reference, the Killer whale of Boeing for the Navy American reaches about 26 meters.
The operational characteristics of these Chinese vehicles remain surrounded by unknowns due to the lack of official information. Analysts raise possible surveillance, reconnaissance, seabed observation or mine warfare missions. However, its armament, autonomy or loading capacity have not been confirmed.
The design of the new ship seems designed to resolve the difficulties of handling vehicles of these dimensions. In the back there would be an open dock below, with a great support structure that could go down to the water through 12 vertical lifting arms. The drone would be placed on it before submerging it enough for the vehicle to float and be able to move away.
He hangar It would be located just ahead of that deployment area, inside the ship itself. It would be a closed area where the drones could be stored out of the water and maintenance work carried out. Sutton estimates that it could accommodate up to four of the great Chinese models. To use them, they would be moved from the hangar to the aft support. The recovery would follow the reverse path.
Until now, tests of these drones have relied on specialized floating docks that transport them and allow them to be introduced into the water. A mothership would combine these functions with workshops, spare parts and technical personnel in a vessel capable of traveling to different areas of operations.. The vehicles could receive maintenance and prepare for another mission without returning to a fixed coastal facility. That capability would facilitate its use far from current testing areas, although it is still unknown when the ship could enter service.