A new AI-powered system developed by Chinese researchers has the potential to end the stealth of submarines. According to a study published in August in the journal Electronics Optics & Control, this new anti-submarine system reduces the survivability of submarines in future conflicts to just 5 percent.

Will submarines be a thing of the past?

This means the detection and tracking rate for submarines has increased to 95 percent, and it is seen as a development that will fundamentally change the balance of power in naval warfare.

Developed by Meng Hao, a senior engineer at the China Helicopter Research and Development Institute, and his team, this system operates differently from traditional submarine hunting methods. AI acts as a digital commander, integrating sonar buoys, underwater sensors, radar systems, and ocean data into a single hub.

By analyzing all this data together, the system detects and tracks submarines with a 95 percent success rate. Computer simulations show that this success rate remains unchanged despite the submarines employing the most advanced stealth techniques.

This isn’t the only study in this area; a previously developed AI-powered torpedo targeting system achieved 92.2 percent success in distinguishing decoys.

China’s investments in this area are no coincidence. Submarine competition has recently been escalating in the South China Sea. Beijing views the US submarine surveillance network in the region as a serious threat to the mobility of its own submarines.

Therefore, anti-submarine systems and underwater drones are among China’s priority projects. The loss of submarines’ stealth advantage could also impact the balance of nuclear deterrence. If these claims from China are true, the security of nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarines is jeopardized, and their ability to sneak behind enemy lines is eliminated.