The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (the PLAN) has developed an entirely new type of submarine, according to reports. In this, a small, “auxiliary” nuclear powerplant is coupled with batteries and a conventional powerplant – probably diesel engines.

GIVEN THE SECRECY SURROUNDING THE SINKING, details on the sub are sparse. The Pentagon identified it as nuclear-powered, in spite of the fact that all of China’s nuclear-powered submarines are currently built by the Bohai Shipyard in Huludao.

China’s naval buildup now includes a new class of attack submarine that employs both conventional and nuclear propulsion, according to defense officials.

The mysterious Chinese submarine that apparently sunk in a shipyard earlier this year was the first of a new class featuring a hybrid nuclear/conventional propulsion system, according to a new report.