Chinese Type 039C submarine secretly entered service.

According to information published by Louis Cheung on July 19, 2022, the Chinese Navy's official account posted a picture that proves that the type 039C submarine has entered service.
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A photo posted on the WeChat account shows a Type 039C submarine. (Picture source: Chinese Navy)

Recently the Chinese PLA Navy's WeChat account released an article and at the end of the article, a picture of the Chinese Navy's canteen dining attracts everyone's attention.

On the background wall to the left of this picture, is a picture of a submarine hanging full of flags, which seems to be topped with a "mushroom head" on the submarine shell, with a very peculiar appearance. The submarine is the Chinese Type 039C submarine, which has been inducted into service.

Believed to be a new entry to the Type 039 family, possibly called the Type 039C, the new submarine is different from the Type 039A and Type 039B in appearance in terms of its unique, angled sail, eastday.com reported.

With the new submarine, China became the second country in the world to develop a submarine with an angled sail design after Sweden's A26-class submarine. Foreign reports drew comparisons between the Chinese and Swedish submarines with some analysts claiming China copied the Swedish design.

But the first A26 just had its keel laying ceremony a few weeks ago, meaning it still has a long way to go before commissioning, while the Chinese submarine has seemingly already entered service, the eastday.com report said.

Although the two submarines both use angled sail designs, the details are very different. China's shipbuilding industry has made fast strides and is fully capable of making independent, innovative designs, an expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times.