[citation needed] The Yuan class is armed with wired-guided and wake-homing torpedoes, long-range land-attack and anti-ship cruise missiles, and naval mines.

[11] According to an early assessment by the US Naval Institute, the Yuan class was primarily designed as "an anti-ship cruise missile (ASCM) platform capable of hiding submerged for long periods of time in difficult to access shallow littorals.

The submarine is equipped with indigenously developed machinery rafts (shock absorbers) system that helped to reduce noise level by over 35 dB.

[citation needed] Additionally, the submarine is covered with rubber anti-sonar anechoic tiles to reduce the risk of acoustic detection.

It also has access to a wide range of modern Russian sonar systems (MG-519 MOUSE ROAR, MGK-500 SHARK GILL) through its purchase of the Kilo class.

[5][18][19] According to the Chinese newspaper Science and Technology Daily (科技日报), this 039A class is equipped with an air-independent propulsion system developed by the 711th Research Institute of the China Shipbuilding Heavy Industry Group Corp.[22] In 1998, the first experimental sample was built and a decade later and after a dozen technological breakthroughs, a wide range of matured versions became commercially available and the newest diesel-electric submarine in Chinese navy became the first customer.

[citation needed] The engine is built by Shanghai Qiyao Propulsion Technology Ltd. (上海齐耀动力技术有限公司), a wholly owned subsidiary of the 711th Institute.

[citation needed] A total of four variants of Type 039A have been developed by the first half of 2014, and they are listed here in chronological order based on their public debut: A satellite image of the Wuchang Shipyard, dating to 26 April 2024, was acquired by Tom Shugart, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) think tank and retired U.S. Navy submarine warfare officer, whom was first to notice the new boat, at the Wuchang Shipyard, in Wuhan.