Defense News – China has launched two more nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines and might fit anti-ship ballistic missiles on a new cruiser class on the verge of entering service, according to a new Pentagon report.
The two new submarines will bring the number of Type 094s, or Jin-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile subs, in Chinese service to six, according to the latest annual “China Military Power Report,” released May 2 by the U.S. Defense Department. The report also said China is planning a new class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile subs, or SSBN, with construction expected to begin in the early part of the next decade.
The report confirms earlier assessments based on open-source satellite imagery published in late 2018, which showed two Type 094s under construction at the submarine yard in Huludao in the northern Chinese province of Liaoning.
The Type 094 SSBN can carry up to 12 CSS-N-14 (JL-2) submarine-launched ballistic missiles, which constitute China’s “first viable sea-based nuclear deterrent.” The JL-2 reportedly as a range of about 4,500 miles.
