[1/2]A Chinese Navy submarine takes part in a naval parade in front of the eastern port city of Qingdao to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy, China, April 23, 2019. Portal/Jason Lee/File Photo Acquire License Rights
HONG KONG, Oct 25 (Portal) – China has launched its first nuclear-powered guided-missile submarines, according to the Pentagon’s latest report on China’s military – giving the country land and sea attack capabilities that were once its sole domain American and Russian ships were.
The Pentagon report released Oct. 20 represents the first apparent confirmation that the modified submarines seen in Chinese shipyards over the past 18 months are Type 093B guided-missile submarines.
Portal revealed in May 2022 that satellite images of the Huludao shipyard in northeast China showed a new or improved class of submarine, possibly with vertical tubes for launching cruise missiles.
Satellite images from 2022 confirm that a likely nuclear-powered attack submarine was dry docked in northeast China
The Pentagon report said that in the short term, the Chinese Navy “will be able to use its submarines and surface combatants to conduct long-range, precise strikes against land targets using land-attack cruise missiles, particularly enhancing (China’s) power projection capabilities.” .
Conventionally armed missile submarines known as SSGNs were developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War in part to attack U.S. aircraft carriers, while the U.S. Navy developed its own version by using ballistic missile boats to carry large numbers of Tomahawk cruise missiles for land attacks.
Cruise missiles are typically long-range, precision weapons that, unlike ballistic weapons, fly at low altitudes or skim the surface of the sea.
The submarine USS Florida fired 93 Tomahawks at Libyan air defenses in 2011, the first combat attacks by a U.S. SSGN and an event that was closely scrutinized by Chinese strategists, according to regional military attachés.
Some analysts believe the People’s Liberation Army Navy will be happy to use the ships as an additional weapon against aircraft carriers as well as a land-attack platform, allowing attacks from far greater ranges than its fleets of smaller attack submarines.
The report notes that three of the new SSGNs could be operational by next year, as part of a broader expansion of the submarine fleet – both nuclear and diesel-powered – which could include 65 ships in 2025.
China’s defense ministry did not respond to questions from Portal.
The confirmation comes amid an intensifying submarine arms race as China builds a new generation of nuclear-armed boats as part of its evolving deterrent force.
Efforts to track China’s submarines at sea are one of the main reasons for increased deployments and contingency planning by the US Navy and other militaries in the Indo-Pacific region.
Singapore-based security scientist Collin Koh said the SSGNs are an important new capability for the Chinese navy.
With an expected nuclear armament of cruise missiles, “this potentially allows them to conduct saturated land and anti-ship attacks at stand-off range,” he said, which would complicate the strategic calculations of China’s rivals.
“I would also expect that the Chinese have learned from the Russian experience in using them to threaten US aircraft carriers – with an SSGN you can launch attacks from a distance, as opposed to a typical attack submarine which has more limited weapon options “It’s a real advantage,” said Koh of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.
Research discussed at the U.S. Naval War College in May found that the PLA is on the verge of a breakthrough, making its nuclear submarines far quieter and harder for the U.S. and its allies to detect.
However, some diplomats and analysts said it was unclear whether these breakthroughs were incorporated into the recently launched SSGNs. The upgrades are expected on nuclear-powered boats coming to market before the end of the decade.
“Unless they can rely on improvements, we can expect the People’s Liberation Army Navy to be cautious in initial deployment,” said an Asian military attache who tracks China’s submarine force. Due to the sensitivity of the matter, the attache declined to be named. “But we know that the submarine force is a priority for Xi Jinping, and this is another sign that they are getting there.”
Reporting by Greg Torode. Edited by Gerry Doyle
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