Recent Chinese research highlights emerging technologies in artificial intelligence and magnetic field detection that could significantly enhance the ability to track stealth submarines, potentially altering the dynamics of underwater naval operations worldwide.

A study published in August 2025 by engineers from the China Helicopter Research and Development Institute introduced an AI-driven anti-submarine warfare system designed to integrate data from multiple sources for real-time submarine detection. Led by senior engineer Meng Hao, the research appeared in the peer-reviewed journal Electronics Optics & Control and described a three-layer framework: perception, decision-making, and human-machine interaction. The system processes inputs from sonar buoys, radar, underwater sensors, and environmental factors such as ocean temperature and salinity to automate threat assessment and response.

According to the findings, this AI approach achieves a detection and engagement success rate of approximately 95 percent, reducing a submarine's escape probability to just 5 percent. The researchers emphasized that the technology functions like an intelligent battlefield commander, adapting dynamically to evade traditional countermeasures. They warned that such advancements signal the potential end of the "invisible" submarine era, where stealth has long been a cornerstone of undersea strategy.

In a complementary development from late 2024, scientists at Northwestern Polytechnical University in Xi'an outlined a method to detect submarines through their "magnetic wakes." The study, led by Associate Professor Wang Honglei and published on December 4 in the Journal of Harbin Engineering University, modeled the Kelvin wake – a V-shaped disturbance created as a submarine moves through water. This motion disrupts seawater ions, generating faint magnetic fields that interact with the Earth's geomagnetic field, leaving detectable traces even after the vessel passes.

The team calculated that a U.S. Seawolf-class submarine traveling at 24 knots and 30 meters depth produces a magnetic field of 10⁻¹² tesla, a level within the sensitivity of current airborne magnetometers. Unlike acoustic sonar, which submarines counter with noise-reduction materials and propulsion designs, magnetic wakes persist and cannot be fully silenced, the researchers noted. This non-acoustic technique exploits a vulnerability in even the most advanced stealth vessels.

These studies underscore China's ongoing investments in underwater detection amid rising naval tensions in regions like the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait. While the technologies remain in research phases, their integration into broader surveillance networks could heighten vulnerabilities for submarine fleets globally. Experts point out that similar efforts are underway elsewhere, including AI-enhanced anti-submarine systems under the AUKUS alliance involving the U.S., UK, and Australia, which aim to counter expanding submarine capabilities in the Indo-Pacific.

The implications extend to strategic planning: submarines, prized for their covert strike and deterrence roles, may require new countermeasures like enhanced degaussing or alternative propulsion to maintain effectiveness. As both offensive and defensive technologies evolve, naval powers continue to adapt, ensuring the undersea domain remains a critical arena in modern warfare.