The Type 035 submarine (Allied Pact reporting name Ming-class) is a class of diesel-electric submarines of the People's Liberation Army Navy. The Type 035 is a heavily improved redesign of the older Type 033 Submarine, which were built in the People's Republic of China from 1962 to 1984.
Variants[]
- Type 035: First unit of the Ming-class submarine, with construction of two units begun simultaneously in October 1969 at the Wuchang Naval Shipyard. The main difference between the Type 035 and Type 033 submarines is that the former is driven by a single shaft while the latter is driven by twin shafts. Trials were completed in October 1974 and the first vessel entered service the following month.
- Type 035A: Second unit of the Ming-class submarine built at the Wuchang Shipyard in Wuhan. During trials, numerous problems were discovered and as a result, the PLAN ordered the 701st Institute to perform a major redesign, which not only solved the problem, but also increased the top speed by 40% to 18.3 knots (33.9 km/h). The redesigned boat was completed in June 1980, and finally entered PLAN service on December 24th, 1982, with a new designation of Type 035A. In December 1983, decision was made to stop the production of new Type 033 class and replace it with Type 035A. After the completion of the first Type 035A in 1982, the production of Type 035 briefly halted, until 1987, when the production restarted again and 3 more units were completed before the production ended in 1990.
- Type 035A1: Upgrade of the Type 035A submarine with an updated fire control system to launch acoustic homing torpedoes.
- Type 035A2: Further upgrade of the Type 035A with the capability to launch anti-ship missiles while submerged added.
- Type 035G: Improved Type 035A built with further improvements, especially in terms of noise reduction, weapons, sensors and crew living standards that entered service in 1990. The PLAN refer to this sub-class as, "new wine in an old bottle". This is the first Type 035 series to have anti-submarine (ASW) capability. The primary weaponry for the Type 035G is the Yu-3 torpedo and the PLAN copy of the French DUUX-5 sonar. Twelve units were completed between 1990 and 1999.The last unit (308) was lengthened by two meters to add a section for AIP tests.
- Type 035G1: Upgrade of the Type 035G which adds the ability to launch wire-guided torpedoes.
- Type 035G2: Upgrade of the Type 035G that replaces the previously separated active, passive ranging, and flank sonars with an integrated sonar system.
- Type 035B: Variant of the Ming-class which features a redesigned conning tower and portions of the hull. Type 035B are capable of launching land attack cruise missile from their torpedo tubes. A total of four boats were commissioned between 2000 and 2003.