China secretly building a new "Beast" — Never seen before

Beijing continues to strengthen its military capabilities underpinning its territorial claims in the Indo-Pacific region.

The images show the vessel — described by experts as the first of its kind in the world — at the Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard in Shanghai, where China has previously built large amphibious warships. It is an amphibious vessel capable of carrying at least four highly classified, exceptionally large Chinese-made unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs). One is approximately 35 meters (115 feet) long, while another measures around 45 meters (148 feet) — more than twice the size of the U.S. Navy’s Orca submarine.

Naval analyst H. I. Sutton wrote for Naval News that the vessel is most likely a specialized underwater drone carrier, based on an analysis of multiple satellite images.

The ship’s hull is approximately 204 meters (670 feet) long and 27 meters (88.5 feet) wide. At the stern is a well deck with an open section for accommodating vessels, along with an integrated platform that can be lowered into the water using 12 vertical lifting mechanisms.

Alessandro Arduino, an associate at the London-based RUSI think tank, said that satellite imagery alone does not prove China is building a dedicated carrier for large unmanned underwater vehicles, but that the possibility is becoming increasingly difficult to dismiss. He added that the new vessel fits a broader pattern of Chinese investment in autonomous systems, which are designed not merely to complement traditional naval power, but also to transform how that power is generated and sustained.

In recent years, China has rapidly expanded its naval capabilities amid rising tensions in the disputed South China Sea, where clashes with rival countries — primarily the Philippines — have recently turned violent.

A Chinese unmanned submarine is believed to be capable of carrying a payload over a distance of more than 10,000 nautical miles, compared with the 6,500 nautical miles that the U.S. Orca can cover. Aditya Ramanathan, a researcher at India’s Takshashila Institution, described the Chinese vessel as an entirely new type of platform, noting that he was not aware of any other country operating a vessel specifically designed to transport submarines.