China seems to have constructed a submarine base that opens
directly into the deepwaters of the South China Seas that allows
the submarine movements to go largely undetected from the air.
Friday, May 02, 2008
China has secretly built an underground nuclear
submarine base in the South China Sea, posing a new threat to
powers in the region — a development the Pentagon says it has known
about for at least two years.
Satellite photos of the base obtained by FOX News show a large
harbor and massive tunnels that defense experts say could shelter
many nuclear subs.
The Defense Department has estimated that by 2010 China will
have five operational 094-class nuclear submarines capable of
carrying 12 nuclear missiles each, according to the Daily
Telegraph.
According to the Defense Department, China has 57 attack
submarines, but these satellite pictures suggest their 094-class
nuclear submarine may already be available.
“It’s very significant to have further visual evidence of the
kinds of military build-up that they’ve been engaged in for some
time,” said Stephen Yates, a senior fellow at the American Foreign
Policy Council.
Photos of the base were taken on November 28 by DigitalGlobe’s
QuickBird satellite, and first appeared in the military journal
Jane’s Intelligence Review.
The secret base, known as Sanya, is located on the southern tip
of Hainan Island in the South China Sea. Defense experts say
the harbor feeds into waters so deep that the
submarines could launch without having to surface, making it
difficult to detect them from the sky.
