The thrust that China He has given his military capacity in the last decade. United States Strategic Command (Usstratcom). The general Anthony J. CottonCommander of the Usstratcom, said on March 26, in a testimony before the Subcommittee of Strategic Forces of the United Senate Armed Services Committee. UU. On the current strategic environment, which ‘The 6 Balistic Submarines of Nuclear Propulsion (SSBN) Jin Class Operations of the Navy of the Popular Liberation Army represent the first credible nuclear deterrence of China based on the sea’.
Cotton also assured that modernization undertaken by Xi Jinping will make China’s popular liberation army (EPL) A military force of ‘world class’ by the year 2049. China is increasing its nuclear arsenal, which is currently estimated by 600 eyelets and, according to the strategic command, it will reach 1,000 for 2030.
The 6 modern SSBN submarines of the Jin class (Type 094 for NATO) They have the ability to transport 12 nuclear ballistic missilesand the next generation of SSBN, Type 096will be armed with missiles than those of the Jin class.
So are China’s Jin class submarines
The first time a Jin class submarine was seen was 2006in some satellite photos of the Xiaopingdao submarine base. In 2010, I was already in service; In 2013, two others had been joined and today They are 6 type 094. Its estimated cost is 750 million dollars per unit and China has planned to have 8 in the coming years.
These nuclear propulsion submarines have a length of 135 metersmanga of 12.5 and move 11,000 tons When they are submerged. Initially, they were armed with 12 JL-2 ballistic missileseach with a nuclear eye, which have a range of 7,200 kilometers. This is greater than the one offered by missiles JL-1 that used the submarines of the XIA class (type 092)to which they replace, but it is less than that of the JL-3with which type 094 can also be assembled. The JL-3 have a range of 10,000 kilometers.
According to GlobalSecury.org, a type 094 patrolling just northeast of the Kuriles, northeastern Japan, could Attack three quarters of the United States; While patrolling in Chinese coastal waters, he would barely attack the Aleutian islands, south of Alaska.
The noise problem
The XIA class submarines that preceded the Jin went into service in 1983but they had a Excessive noise emission that facilitated its detection. Type 094 was an improvement in many aspects, but they are still loud in a significant way if they compare with US, Russian, French and British SSBN.
In 2009, a list of the United States Naval Intelligence Office listed type 094 as a little louder than the Soviet submarines of the 667bdr project (Delta III Class according to the designation of NATO) of the late 1970s, with which it shows similarities.
Although they have the ability to attack the United States from areas relatively close to the coast of China, an investigation by the 2015 National University of Australia indicated that The noise of type 094 would make it difficult to enter and stay in patrol areas from which to attack the United States.
Among the 6 ssbn of China, two belong to the variant Type 094a With improvements to reduce acoustic firm. In any case, China plans to continue operating type 094 submarines and their successor, type 096, Until the 2050sCotton said.