"Yuan" or Type 039A is the name of a class of Chinese diesel-electric destroyer submarines, designed primarily to destroy enemy submarines. The first unit of this type was commissioned in 2006. In total, up to 20 units of this type have been built or are planned to be built, of which, probably, 5 are operational and are in the queue. A ship of the "Yuan" class has a length of 77.6 m, a beam of 8.4 m and a displacement of approximately 3,600 tons. The maximum underwater speed is probably about 20-22 knots. Ships of this type are equipped with six 533 mm torpedo tubes.
The Yuan-class ships were designed and put into production to supplement and eventually replace the Song-class (Type 039) units in the Chinese Navy and to replace the aging Type 033 and 035 ships. Using anechoic coatings and using a very advanced marine propeller. Based on Chinese sources, it can also be said that the units of this class have a hybrid air-independent (AIP) drive, but this is not entirely accurate. There is no doubt, however, that the Yuan-class units can use a relatively wide range of weapons to destroy underwater and surface targets. They almost certainly also have modern electronic and sonar equipment. Ships of this type are to be replaced in the Chinese fleet by the Type 039C.
