China has converted a commercial container ship into a missile arsenal ship capable of launching up to 60 rockets, marking a new step in the militarization of civilian maritime platforms.
According to Militarnyisatellite images and photographs sockets at the Hudong-Zhonghua shipbuilding facility in Shanghai reveal that the ship in question, the ZHONGDA 79, has been fitted with modular missile launchers camouflaged in standard shipping containers.
The images also show radar systems, close-in weapons systems (CIWS) and decoy launchers installed on the deck.
Missile launchers hidden in standard shipping containers. (Source: Militarnyi)
The ZHONGDA 79 is a 97-meter container ship, now equipped with what appear to be containerized missile launchers, capable of deploying various types of munitions, including anti-ship, cruise, hypersonic and surface-to-air missiles.
The ship also carries a Type 1130 CIWS for short-range air defense and Type 726 decoy launchers, in addition to a prominent rotating radar system with an array of active phased antennas and a second antenna housed under a radome, which can perform communication or guidance functions.
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11 jun 2025 19:56
The container markings on the ship reference nationalist slogans such as “Marine Renaissance of the Chinese Nation and a Shared Ocean Future for Humanity.”
The conversion aligns with a broader concept known as “arsenal ship,” a military doctrine aimed at deploying large numbers of missile systems on inexpensive, less visible platforms.
Radar systems installed on board the arsenal ship ZHONGDA 79. (Source: Militarnyi)
The concept was originally explored by the United States in the 1980s as part of a strategic plan to create launch platforms capable of firing hundreds of cruise missiles.
While the United States did not deploy such vessels, China’s adaptation of the idea demonstrates interest in scalable and asymmetric capabilities at sea.
According to Militarnyi, the ZHONGDA 79 is currently not listed in the official register of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) or in the Chinese auxiliary fleet. Starting in December 2025, the ship will retain its civilian designation despite its new weapons systems.
ZHONGDA 79 is undergoing conversion at a Shanghai shipyard in 2025. (Source: Militarnyi)
The ship spent several months at a Longhai shipyard for modernization, between April and August 2025, before moving to Shanghai for what appears to have been the final phase of the conversion.
Previously, Chinese military researchers claimed to have achieved a breakthrough in hypersonic glide vehicles (RGVs), claiming they could enable global attacks from space platforms within 30 minutes. According to a study led by Professor Guo Yang of the PLA Rocket Force, the vehicles can maneuver at Mach 20 and could eventually be launched from satellites.
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