China’s Type 096 Strategic Nuclear Submarine Secretly Commissioned
According to a professor from the PLA Military Engineering Institute, China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy has secretly commissioned the Type 096 nuclear submarine and incorporated it into the Chinese Navy fleet. The professor also revealed that the Military Engineering Institute, where he is employed, recently conducted tests of a certain type of small submarine in a large reservoir in China. This submarine has the capability to ascend vertically in the water using a specific method. The professor did not disclose the specific purpose of this small submarine. The professor had previously participated in the Type 096 nuclear submarine proiect and personally visited the interior of the submarine.
This information was disclosed by a Chinese individual with a military background, currently residing in France, who had previously served in the Chinese Air Force. His Twitter handle is @Saint__Michel. In a written interview, Saint Michel stated that the secret commissioning of the Type 096 signifies China’s intention, as mentioned by US military personnel, to build a powerful navy and dominate the East Asian region, as well as prepare for an invasion of Taiwan. Saint Michel also mentioned that, in his understanding, the secret commissioning could mean that China has deployed commissioning could mean that China has deployed 1–2 Туре 096 nuclear submarines in critical units such as the South China Sea Fleet, as a trump card, although the number is still limited. These submarines would be sent ahead to critical units also as a test. Type 096 nuclear submarine is a strategic weapon that remains undisclosed and classified as a secret weapon.
China’s new Type 096 strategic ballistic missile submarine incorporates the most modern propulsion, stealth, and missile launching technology that exceeds those of the Russian and American fleets, and has anti-ship attack capabilities, according to a writer under the pen name Dr. Hou on the Chinese question-and-answer website Zhihu on March 11, 2021. Dr. Hou stated the Type 096, paired with the JL-3, the third generation intercontinental submarine-launched ballistic missile, will be China’s “best and most powerful underwater weapon which can compete shoulder to shoulder with U.S. nuclear submarines.” He added: “If launched from the submarines in the West Pacific, the JL-3 can put all the cities on the West Coast of the U.S. within their attack range.” He concluded that the Chinese government is closing its gaps in the strategic ‘triad: “One day, we will definitely see the glory of our achievement.”
In an article published in 2021 by the US think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies, the authors mentioned that “The Type 096 is expected to be armed with the JL-3 Submarine-launched ballistic missile….The new SLBM is estimated to have a range exceeding 9,000 km and to potentially carry multiple warheads on multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles. By 2030, the US Department of Defense assesses that China could field up to eight nuclear powered Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile systems consisting of Type 094s and 096s operating concurrently.
