Chinese SSBN development
Amit Ray · 2021
China’s development of a sea-based nuclear deterrent over the past 50 years has been progressive and incremental. There are numerous challenges in submarine design and construction. The Chinese nuclear-powered submarine programme was initiated in 1958, and the first SSN entered service in 1974. The SSBN and SLBM projects were initiated in 1967. Construction of the first SSBN (09-2 or Xia) started at Bohai Shipyard in 1971 and it entered service in 1983. The first successful launch of the JL-1 SLBM from the SSBN took place in 1988, after 21 years of development effort. Bohai Shipyard remains the only one where nuclear submarines are built in China. Satellite imagery indicates major expansion of this shipyard since 2014. The milestones of each Chinese SSBN construction have been pieced together from various sources and durations estimated for each phase of construction (till launch and delivery). In April 2020, two more SSBNs of the Type 094 were reported to have entered service, taking their total number to six. China’s growing industrial and research base have been expanding in the past decade. Comparison of construction timelines with contemporary nuclear submarine classes worldwide indicates that China’s performance is not far behind in the present day.