The Ship Model Forum

China Deploys First Nuclear Deterrence Patrol

China reportedly deployed its first-ever submarine nuclear deterrence patrol. What does it mean?

By Benjamin David Baker
December 19, 2015

During the Cold War, nuclear deterrence was ultimately perceived to be an effective way of keeping tensions between the Warsaw Pact and NATO from exploding into war. Although much of the rhetoric surrounding Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) disappeared along with the Soviet Union, nuclear states still keep sizable arsenals to dissuade others from attacking them.

A central part of having a credible nuclear response option is to develop a so-called “nuclear triad.” This consists of having ground-, air- and sea-based nuclear capabilities, in order to retain a “second strike” capability in case an opponent launches its nukes first. Submarines and small, mobile land-based launch platforms armed with nuclear ballistic and so-called Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicles (MIRVs) are crucial to a second strike capability, since they are difficult to detect and target.

China has recently achieved some important milestones with regards to both these capabilities. According to IHS Jane’s, U.S. military officials confirmed that the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has deployed a Type-094 Jin-class nuclear-powered ballistic submarine on a nuclear deterrence patrol. If true, this represents the first time that China has deployed a sub on this kind of mission.

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PLA Navy Gets New Nuclear Submarine
(Source: Global Times; issued Sept 21, 2017)
A new nuclear submarine has been turned over to the People's Liberation Army Navy, one of the largest State-owned naval shipbuilding enterprises revealed on Tuesday, but experts believe that this submarine is not the most advanced Type 096, which is China's next generation strategic nuclear submarine.

China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC), which also manufactures China's aircraft carrier, posted the information on its WeChat account Tuesday in an article reviewing its achievements since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 2012.

"The past five years since the 18th National Congress of the CPC has been an extraordinary period for the CSIC, with the handover of China's first aircraft carrier Liaoning to the PLA Navy, the launch of the first homegrown aircraft carrier, the completion of the new nuclear submarine and the deep-sea-exploration submersible Jiaolong…"the article said.

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Submarine-Launched Variant of China's YJ-18 Supersonic Anti-Ship Missile Emerges

Pictures have emerged in China of a new submarine-launched variant of the YJ-18 supersonic anti-ship missile. The pictures show two slides from a presentation given by a retired People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN or Chinese Navy) Rear Admiral at a Univertisty in August.

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China makes ‘big progress’ on nuclear strike range with new submarine-launched missile

Navy carried out a flight test in the Yellow Sea late last month, though its range of 9,000km is still far behind that of the American and Russian submarine-launched ballistic missiles
Analysts say China wants to show its deterrent capability, not enter into an arms race

PUBLISHED : Friday, 21 December, 2018, 3:01am
UPDATED : Friday, 21 December, 2018, 5:01am
The Chinese navy tested the JL-3 missile in the Bohai Bay late last month, a source familiar with the matter told the South China Morning Post.
The new missile has a flight range of about 9,000km (5,600 miles), which is less than the 12,000km (7,500-mile) range of the American Trident II and Russian Bulava submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs).
But the source said the successful flight test still represented a significant advance for the PLA since its predecessor, the JL-2, had a flight range of only 7,000km (4,350 miles).
“It’s still big progress, although it’s still far less powerful than the Trident or the Russian Bulava … their flight range means they can reach any
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March 8, 2021 - America, China, Latest News, Naval Power
Satellite image shows China deployed 7 Nuclear submarine to counter USA
Recently, according to a report published on “hisutton”, Google Earth’s commercial captured the photos of Chinese Navy’s 7 nuclear submarines at the Yulin Naval Base in Hainan, China. Judging from the time on the photo, it was taken on January 20, 2021, about 2 months ago. In addition, the nuclear submarine birth at Yulin Naval Base so its public, so these photos do not constitute a leak.
From the photos taken by Google earth, 4 out of 7 nuclear submarines are attack nuclear submarines and 3 are strategic missile nuclear submarines. Attacking nuclear submarines are mainly “Jin”-class ballistic missile nuclear submarines and “Han”-class attack nuclear submarines, while strategic missile nuclear submarines are “Shang”-class ballistic missile nuclear submarines. Strategic missile nuclear submarines are generally bigger than attack nuclear submarines.
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