Vessel seen at Myanmar dockyard points to operational coastal submarine programme

Satellite imagery shows a patrol craft and an unidentified submarine ashore at Sinmailik Naval Dockyard in Myanmar. (Map data: Google, © 2026 CNES / Airbus/© 2026 Janes)

Satellite imagery analysed by Janes provides the strongest indication yet that Myanmar's obscure coastal-submarine programme, first identified in 2024, remains active and operational.

The imagery, captured in March 2026 but only recently made available, shows a coastal submarine ashore on what appears to be a syncrolift at the Sinmalaik Naval Dockyard in Thanlyin, suggesting the vessel was undergoing maintenance or servicing activity.

Based on measurements taken from the satellite imagery, the submarine is assessed to be about 37 m long and features a cruciform rudder arrangement.

These characteristics match those of a coastal submarine observed on the Yangon River in satellite imagery captured in April 2023.

In the latest imagery, the submarine is situated alongside a Yan Nyein Aung-class patrol craft, with both vessels appearing to be undergoing maintenance or servicing.

Janes assesses that this sighting indicates the submarine is not merely a technology demonstrator, evaluation platform, or a vessel borrowed for familiarisation purposes.

Instead, the submarine's presence at a naval maintenance facility suggests it is being sustained within the Myanmar Navy's force structure, implying at least some degree of operational use and institutional support.

The submarine's dimensions are significantly smaller than the Myanmar Navy's ex-Indian Kilo-class boat, which measures about 72.6 m in length, and the Type 035B submarine transferred from China, which is approximately 76 m long.

The considerably smaller dimensions of the coastal submarine suggest it was conceived for a different operational role.

Janes assesses that it is likely being deployed by the Myanmar Navy for covert surveillance, special forces insertion, intelligence gathering, and training missions.