New Chinese Ballistic Missile Submarine Spotted,By Hans M.
Kristensen--http://www.fas.org/blog/ssp/2007/07/new_chinese_ballistic_missile.php
A commercial satellite image appears to have captured China's
new nuclear ballistic missile submarine. The new class, known as
the Jin-class or Type 094, is expected to replace the unsuccessful
Xia-class (Type 092) of a single boat built in the early
1980s.
The new submarine was photographed by the commercial Quickbird
satellite in late 2006 and the image is freely available on the
Google Earth web site.
A Comparison of SSBN Dimensions
Two satellite images are now available (see figure below) that
clearly show two missile submarines with different dimensions. One
image from 2005 shows what is believed to be the Xia-class (Type
092) SSBN in drydock at the Jianggezhuang Submarine Base
approximately 14 miles east of Qingdao. The submarine is
approximately 390 feet (120 meters) long of which the missile
compartment makes up roughly 80 feet (25 meters). Twelve missile
launch tubes are clearly visible.
The second image from late 2006 shows what appears to be the new
Jin-class (Type 094) SSBN moored at the Xiaopingdao Submarine Base
south of Dalian, approximately 193 miles north of Qingdao. The
Jin-class appears to be approximately 35 feet (10 meters) longer
than the Xia-class SSBN, primarily due to an extended mid-section
of approximately 115 feet (35 meters) that houses the missile
launch tubes and part of the reactor compartment.
The extended missile compartment of the Jin-class seems seems
intended to accommodate the Julang-2 sea-launched ballistic
missile, which is larger than the Julang-1 deployed on the
Xia-class. Part of the extension may also be related to the size of
the reactor compartment. The U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence
estimated in 2004 that the Jin-class, like the Xia-class, will have
12 missiles launch tubes (see figure below). Other non-governmental
sources frequently claim the submarine will have 16 tubes. The
satellite image is not of high enough resolution to show the
hatches to the missile launch tubes.
The U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence estimated in December 2006
that China might build five Jin-class SSBNs. The estimate has been
widely cited by non-governmental institutes and some news media as
a fact, but the Pentagon's annual report on China's military forces
from May 2007 did not repeat the estimate.
Background: Chinese Nuclear Forces and US Nuclear War Planning |
Pentagon Report Ignores Five SSBN Projection
The U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence estimated in 2004 (bottom)
that the Jin-class SSBN would have 12 missiles.
