Nuclear armament
Nuclear submarine Type 096 – China is catching up with the USA’s lead with Russia’s technology
Type 096 is intended to complement the older Type 094 (photo).
©PLA
With a little help from Russia, China’s new nuclear submarine class should be technically on par with the USA. The first operational boats are expected later this decade.
These boats will be much more powerful than previously thought. Thanks to Russian help, China will massively catch up in submarine technology. A study by the China Maritime Studies Institute suggests that it will be far more difficult to locate the new ships.
Hard to track down
“The Type 096s are going to be a nightmare,” said Christopher Carlson, a former submariner and intelligence analyst. “They will be very, very difficult to detect.” Carlson told Reuters that he did not believe China had received the latest technology from Russia, but Beijing would build a submarine so difficult to detect that it could be compared to Moscow’s improved Akula boats. “We have a difficult time today finding and tracking the improved Akulas in their current form,” Carlson said.
Type 096 – the Tang class – is nuclear powered and can carry ballistic missiles. The boats are around 140 meters long and have an underwater displacement of 20,000 tons. A new missile with a range of 9,000 kilometers will significantly strengthen China’s nuclear deterrent capability. China is generally expected to increase its nuclear armament. Compared to Russia and the USA, China is currently a nuclear dwarf. Ballistic missiles are currently on patrol with the older Type 094. They are loud and therefore easy to detect. Type 096 is said to be able to carry 24 missiles, instead of the 12 of Type 094.
China’s shipyards and Russia’s technology
Pacific Forum defense expert Alexander Neill said: “China is on the right track with a new generation of submarines.” Type 096 will be ready before the first AUKUS boats. He assumes that with the Type 096, Beijing is producing a boat that is technologically at the same level as the AUKUS. The AUKUS-class submarines are being developed jointly by the United Kingdom and Australia, with the first expected to enter service around 2040. That would be ten years later than the Type 096 class.
The defense cooperation between Russia and China is a nightmare for the West. Beijing can quickly catch up with existing backlogs through technology transfer. Because of China’s industrial base, the threat is much greater. China’s shipbuilding capacity is 223 times larger than that of the United States.