Here Comes China’s Nuclear Ballistic Missile Submarines

The commander of US Pacific Command has said China has three Jin-class (Type 094) submarines in service already and may have eight in service by 2020. Source: Chinese internet

Robert Farley, National Interest: Should the U.S. Military Fear China's Underwater Atomic Arsenal?

The Hunt for Red October: China Edition? Chinese boomers are coming to the Pacific Ocean. Just how worried should America be?

By the end of this year, China’s nuclear ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs, or “boomers”) may take their first deterrent patrols. How does this change the balance of power in the Pacific?

History of Program:

China completed its first SSBN, the Type 092 “Xia” boat, in 1981. The sub did not enter service until 1987, however, and has reportedly never conducted a deterrence patrol. The sub (various rumors over the years have asserted that a sister ship was built, and lost) represented a triumph of China’s limited submarine building industry, but did not constitute a meaningful deterrent.

China’s second effort, the Type 094 class, has resulted in a much more effective group of boats. The Type 094s displace about 11,000 tons submerged, and carry 12 JL-2 submarine launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), capable of launching a nuclear warhead some 7,500 kilometers.

WNU Editor: China has been following a decades long policy of first becoming the regional super-power in Asia .... and after that .... an equal (if not stronger) rival to the U.S.. This deployment of new SSBNs is just a continuation of this policy, and one expect more developments in the future.