Type 092 submarine
 Profile of the Type 092 | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Type 092 |
| Builders | Bohai Shipyard, Huludao |
| Operators |  People's Liberation Army Navy |
| Preceded by | Type 031 |
| Succeeded by | Type 094 |
| Built | 1981 |
| In commission | 1983 |
| Completed | 1 |
| Retired | 1 |
| History | |
| China | |
| Name | No. 406 |
| Builder | Bohai Shipyard, Huludao |
| Laid down | September 1971 |
| Launched | April 1981[1][2] |
| Commissioned | August 1983 |
| Decommissioned | By 2015 |
| Home port | Jianggezhuang Naval Base |
| Identification | Pennant number: 406 |
| Status | Retired |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine |
| Length | 120 m (393 ft 8 in) |
| Beam | 10 m (32 ft 10 in) |
| Draught | 8 m (26 ft 3 in) |
| Propulsion | 1 × pressurized-water nuclear reactor, 58MW; 2 × steam turbines; 1 shaft. |
| Speed | 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph) |
| Range | Unlimited |
| Test depth | 300 m (984 ft 3 in) |
| Complement | 100 |
| Armament | |
The Type 092 (Chinese designation: 09-II; NATO reporting name: Xia class) submarine is the first nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) deployed by the People's Liberation Army Navy Submarine Force (PLANSF). Boat 406 was the only member of the class.
Description
[edit]The Type 092 was designed by Peng Shilu and Huang Xuhua,[3] essentially a Type 091 submarine with an added section[2] for twelve[4] JL-1 submarine-launched ballistic missiles. The missile launchers used a gas-steam generator; the generator was tested on land and on a Chinese Golf-class submarine.[2] The output of the powerplant was increased during development; the changes were incorporated into the later Type 091 boats.[5]
The Type 091 and 092 had similar problems. It was slow, noisy, and had powerplant reliability issues. The limitations of the submarine and the missile made their operational status[6] and deterrence value questionable.[3]
History
[edit]The only example of the class, boat 406, was laid down at the Bohai Shipyard[1] in September 1971. Construction was disrupted by the Cultural Revolution. It launched in April 1981 and commissioned in August 1983;[2] Janes Fighting Ships (JFS) 2015-2016 reported an in-service year of 1987.[1]
The boat was based at the Jianggezhuang Naval Base and rarely went to sea.[7] Reportedly, the boat never conducted a strategic patrol outside of China's regional waters.[8]
The boat made its first submerged test launches of the JL-1 in September 1985; the three launches were successful although the missiles failed in flight. Successful launches and flights occurred two years later.[2]
The boat was first officially acknowledged in public during on 23 April 2009, the 60th anniversary of the PLAN.[9]
The boat was no longer listed in JFS 2015–2016.[10]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 Saunders, Stephan, ed. (2009). Jane's Fighting Ships 2009-2010. Jane's Information Group. p. 128. ISBN 978-0-7106-2888-6.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Carlson & Wang, p. 5.
- 1 2 Erickson & Goldstein 2007, p. 59.
- ↑ Erickson & Goldstein 2007, p. 69.
- ↑ Carlson & Wang, p. 3.
- ↑ Carlson & Wang, p. 6.
- ↑ Chang, Felix K. (27 April 2017). "China's Nuclear Interest in the South China Sea". Foreign Policy Research Institute. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
- ↑ Taylor, Marcus; Tamerlani, Eric; Farnsworth, Timothy (June 2013). "Pentagon Sees China Progressing on SLBM". Arms Control Today. 43 (5). Arms Control Association: 31–32. JSTOR 23629520.
- ↑ Li, Gary (13 May 2009). "China's Sixtieth Anniversary Naval Review: Following the trend of modernisation and its strategic implications". Royal United Services Institute. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
- ↑ Saunders, Stephan, ed. (2015). Jane's Fighting Ships 2015-2016. Jane's Information Group. pp. 128–129. ISBN 978-0710631435.
Sources
[edit]- Carlson, Christopher P.; Wang, Howard (August 2023). "A Brief Technical History of PLAN Nuclear Submarines". China Maritime Report (30). China Maritime Studies Institute.
- Erickson, Andrew S.; Goldstein, Lyle J. (2007). "China's Future Nuclear Submarine Force: Insights from Chinese Writings". Naval War College Review. 60 (1).