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Russia Transferred Over $80 Million in Submarine Technology to China
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Russia supplied China with more than $80 million worth of submarine-related technology and technical documentation, helping Beijing develop its conventional submarine fleet through cooperation that continued after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
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According to an October 22 report titled A Marriage of Convenience? by the Washington-based research organization C4ADS, Russia’s Rubin Central Design Bureau for Marine Engineering conducted 12 shipments to Chinese military procurement agencies and China Shipbuilding and Offshore International Co. (CSOI) between August 2015 and April 2023.
The transfers, valued at more than $80 million, reportedly involved conceptual designs for non-nuclear submarines, testing documentation, and technologies intended to improve underwater stealth.
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Two shipments in October 2019 and January 2020 included documents related to submarine testing, particularly cavitation—a phenomenon that generates underwater noise and can make submarines easier to detect.
A maritime security expert consulted by C4ADS assessed that the documentation indicated Russian assistance in evaluating Chinese submarine noise-reduction technologies.
The cooperation also operated in the opposite direction. Between December 2019 and September 2022, CSOI supplied Rubin with submarine testing equipment, including instruments and control-panel components used to evaluate onboard information and control systems.
Documents accompanying a September 2022 shipment also referenced a joint design and manufacturing contract, indicating that technical cooperation continued after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Rubin, a subsidiary of Russia’s state-owned United Shipbuilding Corporation, is subject to sanctions imposed by the United States, European Union, and Japan.
China’s conventional submarine fleet has historically relied on Soviet and Russian technology, although Beijing has since developed its own designs. The C4ADS findings indicate that Russian expertise continued to support Chinese submarine development, particularly in acoustic stealth and underwater systems.
Earlier, an October 19 report revealed that Chinese companies had supplied Russia with industrial equipment, engine components, and navigation technology, helping expand production of Shahed-type attack drones at the Alabuga facility to a reported capacity of more than 3,000 per month.
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-efa69d4733b5af9f7cd0a642f85424a6.jpeg "Thick black smoke rises from the heavily damaged Proton-Electrotex plant in Orel, Russia, following a reported strike. (Source: Exilenova+)")
