Type 094 submarine

The Type 094 (Chinese: 09-IV型核潜艇; Chinese designation: 09-IV; NATO reporting name: Jin class) is a class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines developed by China for the People's Liberation Army Navy Submarine Force. The Type 094 succeeds the Type 092 submarine and precedes the Type 096 submarine, which is under development.

Profile of the Type 094
Type 094 submarine
Class overview
Name	Type 094 (Jin class)
Builders	Bohai Shipyard, Huludao, China[1]
Operators	People's Liberation Army Navy
Preceded by	Type 092 (Xia class)
Succeeded by	Type 096
Cost	$750 million per unit[2]
In commission	2007–present[1]
Planned	8 (projected)[3]
Completed	6[4]
Active	6[5][6]
General characteristics
Type	Ballistic missile submarine
Displacement	11,000 tons submerged.[7]
Length	137 m (449 ft 6 in)[1]
Beam	11.8 m (38 ft 9 in)[1]
Propulsion	Nuclear, 1 shaft[1]
Range	Unlimited
Complement	140[1]
Armament	Missiles: 12 JL-2 or JL-3 SLBM

Description

JL-1 and JL-2 missiles

The Type 094's chief designer was Zhang Jinlin.^[8] It is likely based on the Type 093 nuclear-powered attack submarine.^[1]

A Type 094 was photographed by commercial satellites in late 2006 at the Xiaopingdao Submarine Base.^[9] The first commissioned in 2007^[1] and six were in commission in 2020.^[5] They began nuclear deterrence patrols in December 2015.^[10]

The Type 094 is China's "first credible sea-based nuclear deterrent" according to the United States Department of Defense.^[11][12] They were initially armed with 12 JL-2 SLBMs;^[1] each missile had one warhead^[13] and a 7,200 km (4,500 mi) range capable of reaching parts of Alaska launched from near China. By late 2022, they were rearmed with JL-3 SLBMs able to reach the continental United States from the South China Sea; ranges of over 10,000 km (6,200 mi) have been reported.^[14]

The Type 094A is a variant with a modified and improved sail. The sail appears to incorporate features from one installed on a modified Type 093.^[15]

Noise

The Type 094 is noisier than contemporary submarines. In 2004,^[16] a Chinese researcher reported that the Type 094 had an acoustic signature of 120 decibels, comparable to the Los Angeles-class submarine.^[17] In 2009, the Office of Naval Intelligence of the United States Navy listed the Type 094 as noisier than Soviet/Russian SSBNs from the late 1970s.^[18][19] In 2015, Australian researchers Brendan Thomas-Noone and Rorey Medcalf noted that noisiness and the range of the JL-2 limited the submarine's effectiveness in attacks on the contiguous United States, but not on India.^[19]

Boats

Name	Hull no.	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Commissioned	Status
Type 094
Changzheng 11	411 [1]	Bohai Shipyard, Huludao[1]	2001 [1]	28 July 2004 [1]	March 2007 [1]	Active
Changzheng 12[20]	412 [1]		2003 [1]	2006 [1]	2010 [1]	Active
Changzheng 13 [20]	413 [1]		2004 [1]	December 2009 [1]	2012 [1]	Active
Changzheng 14 [21]	414 [22]		2006 [23]	2011 [23]	2015 [23]	Active
Type 094A
Changzheng 20	420	Bohai Shipyard, Huludao[23]		2017 [23]	April 2020 [23]	Active
Changzheng 21	421				23 April 2021[6]	Active

Gallery

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See also

• List of submarine classes in service