China has created a new underwater drone, which is classified as a super-large underwater unmanned vehicle (XLUUV). The development was spotted during transportation in one of the country's cities. This is reported by Defense Express with reference to Naval News.
The authors of the portal believe that the Chinese drone could potentially carry torpedoes, sea mines, or missile weapons.
Photos of the new product have appeared in the public domain. And although the drone was transported under a tarpaulin for camouflage, some important design elements can be seen. Among them is the presence of a water jet engine.
The length of the hull of the device is estimated at 11.5 m, and the width is 1.6 m. In terms of dimensions, the underwater drone is similar to the British CETUS project for the Royal Navy or the Canadian Cellula Robotics Solus XR project.
The situation is special because this is by far the first available photo of any of China's known unmanned underwater vehicles. Naval News believes that it may be the UUV-300 underwater vehicle. It is produced both for export and for the PLA - but in different versions.
At the same time, Defense Express recalled that in February 2025, it became known about the construction of a secret submarine in China, or the world's largest underwater drone. The length of its hull is estimated at 45 m, and the width is 5 m.
So in the current situation, we are probably not talking about the most powerful Chinese underwater vehicle.