Can China Catch Up With U.S. Nuclear Submarine Tech? | WSJ U.S. vs. China

Aug 11, 2023

Can China Catch Up With U.S. Nuclear Submarine Tech? | WSJ U.S. vs. China

Decades behind, China is now in the process of modernizing its ballistic missile submarine fleet to strengthen its nuclear deterrence capabilities. Can its new Type 096 submarines and JL-3 missiles compete with the U.S. Navy’s quieter Ohio class SSBNs and larger Trident II missiles?

WSJ compares China’s and the U.S.’s fleets and explains what impact each has on the global stage today.

0:00 Here’s how the U.S. and China’s nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines match up
0:46 Origins of U.S. and China’s SSBNs: Ohio-class vs. Jin Class
3:17 U.S. and China’s missile capability: Trident II vs. JL 3
5:45 U.S. and China’s plans for new SSBNs: Columbia class vs. Type 095

U.S. vs. China
This original video series explores the rivalry between the two superpowers’ competing efforts to develop the technologies that are reshaping our world.

#Submarine #China #WSJ

Content

0.24 -> - [Narrator] This is the USS Louisiana.

2.82 -> It's one of the Navy's current 14 nuclear-powered

5.67 -> ballistic missile submarines.

7.74 -> This is China's version, the Type 094.

11.58 -> It's one of the nation's six nuclear-powered

13.77 -> ballistic missile submarines.

15.93 -> These submarines serve the same purpose.

18.51 -> They are a sort of insurance policy

20.43 -> in the event of a nuclear attack.

23.04 -> But to do its job, each of these submarines

25.44 -> has to do one thing really well: hide.

29.32 -> (light music)

30.45 -> We compare the Ohio class submarines' technical capabilities

33.78 -> and missiles with the Jin classes

36.03 -> to see which comes out on top,

38.16 -> and take a look at what each country has in store

41.7 -> for the future of these nuclear-powered

43.62 -> ballistic missile submarines.

45.81 -> (fanfare music)

46.83 -> On June 9th, 1959, a decade into the Cold War,

50.7 -> the United States launched this submarine,

53.37 -> the USS George Washington.

55.44 -> It was the Navy's first nuclear-powered

57.6 -> ballistic missile submarine.

59.46 -> These SSBNs are nuclear-powered,

61.62 -> carrying nuclear missiles,

63.27 -> and are one arm of the US military's nuclear triad,

67.26 -> which includes intercontinental ballistic missiles,

70.17 -> ballistic missile submarines,

72.03 -> and bombers.

73.89 -> And for the United States, SSBNs became a crucial part

77.37 -> of its nuclear triad because of their survivability.

80.58 -> That is, their ability to remain safe

82.77 -> from anti-submarine warfare,

84.69 -> and, if needed, launch missiles past enemy defenses.

89.22 -> In fact, SSBNs are the most survivable arm in the triad.

95.34 -> So in the 1980s, the first Ohio class

97.98 -> nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine entered service.

102 -> The Ohio class, still active today,

104.58 -> was the Navy's sixth generation of SSBNs.

108.09 -> 18 submarines in this class were built

110.4 -> over the next 16 years,

112.41 -> though four were later converted

113.88 -> into cruise missile submarines.

116.19 -> As these Ohio class SSBNs were procured,

119.52 -> China was building its first ballistic missile submarine,

122.55 -> the Type 092, which became operational in 1983.

127.29 -> They only fielded one, but it marked a turning point

130.17 -> in China's nuclear capabilities.

132.78 -> A few decades later, in 2006,

135.24 -> satellite imagery spotted the next generation, the Type 094.

139.95 -> In its 2022 annual report,

142.2 -> the Department of Defense says

143.55 -> China has six operational Jin class submarines

146.61 -> running deterrence patrols.

148.98 -> But these Type 094s are much noisier than the 1970s era

153.27 -> Soviet nuclear submarines.

155.221 -> - And that would can safely say undermine

158.263 -> the overall survivability of the Chinese submarines,

162.057 -> and therefore undermines the overall credibility

164.433 -> of a sea-based nuclear deterrence.

167.4 -> - [Narrator] Dr. Tong Zhao has been researching

169.29 -> China's nuclear capabilities and strategic security issues

172.98 -> for about a decade.

175.29 -> The Ohio class submarines are capable of carrying

177.9 -> up to 24 missiles,

179.79 -> but to comply with the New START treaty

181.95 -> only 20 are allowed to be carried.

184.23 -> In contrast, the Jin class submarines

186.51 -> can only carry up to 12 missiles.

189.96 -> And like each submarine survivability,

192.3 -> the missiles they carry are also critical factors

195.06 -> in each military's strategy.

197.37 -> The Navy's SSBNs have held a variety of missiles.

200.85 -> Today, the Ohio class submarines carry this missile,

204.09 -> the Trident II.

206.07 -> It's 44-feet long, has an 83-inch diameter,

209.64 -> and weighs 130,000 pounds.

212.22 -> That's about the weight of five school buses.

215.88 -> Although the Trident II can carry up to eight warheads,

219.03 -> it likely carries only three or four

221.13 -> to comply with the New START treaty.

223.77 -> But most importantly, it has a range

225.84 -> of about 4,000 nautical miles.

228.48 -> And since 2017, the Navy has been updating these missiles

232.23 -> to extend their life and increase their range even more

236.04 -> to about 6,480 nautical miles.

240.12 -> The Department of Defense says

241.56 -> that China's Jin class submarines carry either the JL-2

245.1 -> or its next iteration, the JL-3.

248.91 -> The JL-2 has one warhead,

250.92 -> while the JL-3 has multiple.

254.461 -> The JL-2's range is estimated to be about

256.65 -> 3,780 nautical miles,

259.59 -> and the JL-3's range reaches at least 5,400 nautical miles.

265.17 -> This means that from China's shores,

267.33 -> the JL-2 has sufficient range to target Guam or Alaska.

271.89 -> But the JL-3 might target the continental US

275.34 -> from areas near China's coast.

277.53 -> But, - Even if you put

279.33 -> a longer range missiles on the Jin class submarines,

282.18 -> it's still the Jin class submarines. (chuckles)

284.1 -> They're still as noisy as the old ones.

286.17 -> - [Narrator] Hans Kristensen has studied the status

288.48 -> of American nuclear weapons since the 1980s.

291.87 -> And since noisiness impacts an SSBNs survivability,

295.47 -> it makes it harder for China's submarines

297.48 -> to travel further from the shores without being detected.

300.75 -> - Even if you get longer range,

302.19 -> that range is not sufficient to cover

304.2 -> all of the continental United States,

305.82 -> unless you sail far into the Pacific.

308.22 -> - [Narrator] And that's also difficult

309.57 -> for China's submarines to do

311.37 -> because of US anti-submarine defenses

313.74 -> across the Pacific Ocean.

315.48 -> - A sea-based nuclear capabilities is one area

318.99 -> in which China still lags behind the United States

323.34 -> in a very significant manner.

325.11 -> China understands that eventually

329.01 -> nuclear submarine may be the most survivable part

332.37 -> of a country's nuclear arsenal.

335.04 -> So China had this long-term vision

337.56 -> to eventually acquire very advanced

339.93 -> nuclear submarine technologies.

342.12 -> - [Narrator] So what's China working on to close the gap?

345.51 -> China is expected to begin construction

347.58 -> on its next generation of SSBN, the Type 096,

352.17 -> in the first part of this decade.

354.63 -> These submarines will run with the existing Jin class ones,

358.08 -> and experts like Dr. Zhao say that the Type 096

361.5 -> will be quieter than its predecessor.

364.44 -> But the US is forging ahead, too.

366.81 -> Construction on the next generation of SSBNs

369.63 -> is already underway.

371.61 -> These Columbia class boomers will be even bigger

374.22 -> than their predecessors.

376.59 -> - This thing about the modernization cycle,

378.667 -> you know, they don't happen at the same time

381.03 -> in China and the United States.

383.55 -> So there's sometimes sort of a simplistic tendency

386.22 -> or a temptation in the debate

388.59 -> for nuclear advocates to say,

390.787 -> "See, they're modernizing, we're not.

393.99 -> Therefore, we're behind."

395.76 -> But now we have actually,

396.99 -> now we're entering our modernization cycle

401.28 -> and that will run for the next two to three decades.

405.15 -> - [Narrator] The Ohio class submarines

406.47 -> are reaching the end of their lifetime.

408.66 -> In just a few years, the first of its generation,

411.42 -> the USS Ohio, will retire.

414.36 -> By 2040 they are set to be replaced by Columbia class SSBNs.

418.98 -> The Navy is acquiring 12 new SSBNs

421.89 -> and each one will have room for 16 missiles,

425.19 -> eight less than the Ohio class could carry.

427.86 -> Cutting back might seem counterintuitive,

430.23 -> but the US military estimates no more are needed

432.9 -> to meet nuclear deterrence requirements.

435.48 -> And the US Navy says the Columbia class submarines

438 -> will be even quieter.

439.62 -> That's because they're being built

440.97 -> with an electric drive propulsion train

443.37 -> versus the traditional mechanical drive system.

446.22 -> So even if China's Type 096 is considerably quieter

449.76 -> than its predecessor,

451.23 -> it could be far less stealthy

452.94 -> than the US' upcoming Columbia class.

455.91 -> - So we may see some incremental improvements.

460.005 -> That doesn't mean that China will be

462.66 -> at the same technical level

464.61 -> with this American counterpart.

466.905 -> (light music)

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIWeJHmh0xY