PLA's Type 091 nuclear powered sub based on US toy

Huang Xuhua, the father of Chinese nuclear-powered submarine

Huang Xuhua, China's chief submarine designer told Shenzhen Satellite Television that China's Type 091 Han-Class nuclear-powered submarine, was designed and developed based on two toys from the United States.

After Huang took over the position as chief designer of the Type 091 submarine from Peng Shilu in 1983, he argued that the linear-shape design is no longer suitable for nuclear-powered submarines which operate at high speeds and at depths of up to 300 meters. Since each tangent plane of the hull is round in a streamlined water-drop shape, Huang believes the boat will be subject to minimum friction or drag while maintaining stability at great depths.

During this period of time, China was unable to get any foreign assistance since it was under a technology blockade imposed by both the United States and Soviet Union. Huang said that the United States took three steps to develop its own water-drop shaped nuclear-powered submarine. First, they installed a nuclear reactor into linear-shape submarines; then the American designed a conventional submarine with a water-drop shape and finally they put a nuclear reactor into the water-drop shaped submarine.

China decided to complete the three steps in one because it did not have enough time according to Huang. Eventually, they brought two US-made toy submarines back to China from Hong Kong and the United States. With those two toy submarines in different sizes, the Chinese researchers were able to learn the design of American water-drop shaped submarine through disassembling them. Huang said this is the reason why China was able to design its first water-drop shaped submarine.