IMINT confirms Type 041 visit to Karachi
James Hardy, London and Sean O'Connor, Indianapolis, Indiana - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
07 July 2015
Satellite imagery has confirmed the visit to Karachi of a People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Type 041 'Yuan'-class diesel-electric attack submarine (SSK) in late May.
Airbus Defence and Space imagery shows a Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy Type 041 'Yuan'-class submarine pierside in Karachi, Pakistan, on 28 May 2015. Also present is a Type 925 submarine tender supporting the Type 041's deployment. (CNES 2015, Distribution Airbus DS / IHS)
The imagery, provided by Airbus Defence and Space, shows the submarine alongside at Karachi's commercial port on 28 May, a few hundred metres north of Pakistan's main naval base.
The Type 041 'Yuan' class is described by IHS Jane's Fighting Ships as a diesel electric attack submarine, potentially with Stirling air independent propulsion, that is armed with YJ-2 (YJ-82) anti-ship missiles and a combination of Yu-4 (SAET-50) passive homing and Yu-3 (SET-65E) active/passive homing torpedoes.