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The Type 039 submarine (NATO code name Song class) is a class of diesel-electric submarines of the...

The Type 039 submarine (NATO code name Song class) is a class of diesel-electric submarines of the People's Liberation Army Navy. The class is the first to be fully developed within China and also the first Chinese submarine to use the modern teardrop hull shape. The People's Republic of China's first submarine design was the locally-produced derivative of the Romeo class submarines provided to China by the Soviet Union. Large numbers of these were built, but their obsolete design, derived from World War II submarine technology, led China to develop a wholly new class on its own, resulting in the Type 039. Designed for attacking both other submarines and surface ships with torpedoes, the submarine uses a modern teardrop-shape hull for underwater performance. The hull incorporates four rudders and is propelled by a single propeller. For quieter operation, the engine was mounted with shock absorbers and the hull is plated in rubber tiles for sound deadening. Development was not without problems, as a lengthy testing period for the first vessel (320) attests. Problems with noise levels and underwater performance led to revisions in the design and only a single boat was ever built to