As soon as the new submarines of the People's Liberation Army were unveiled, the West reacted: it turned out that the Chinese side had already changed its tactics, and the nuclear submarines would usher in the era of mass production, and the underwater situation between China and the United States had been reversed.
The Chinese Navy announced a new type of submarine in a high-profile manner
Recently, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the submarine force of the People's Navy, the official first revealed the true face of China's new submarine, the Type 039C submarine.
Type 039C submarine, as China's latest generation of conventionally powered submarines, has a significant technical highlight is the adoption of AIP (full name Air-Independent Propulsion) technology, that is, "air independent propulsion system".
This innovative technology gives the submarine the ability to sneak underwater for a long time, completely getting rid of the limitation that traditional submarines need to surface regularly for ventilation, thus greatly improving the survivability and combat effectiveness of submarines.
[Type 039C submarine]
Particularly striking in the design of the submarine is its unique enclosure design. This design is not just for aesthetics, but has been carefully developed to dramatically reduce the signal strength received by enemy sonar, greatly enhancing the submarine's concealment and survivability on the battlefield.
The enclosure design of the Type 039C submarine is not only very practical, but also a sign that can be quickly identified, once you see this unique "monk's hat" shape, people can quickly identify that this is a Type 039C submarine.
It is worth mentioning that this enclosure design is the first time in the world that it has been in service, and even in Sweden, where plans have long been revealed, a similar design is still in the testing stage. This milestone innovation undoubtedly demonstrates China's leading position and outstanding strength in the field of submarine technology.
According to Western speculation, China is likely to plan to equip the 039C submarine with YJ-18 supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles, a move that will further consolidate and enhance the Chinese Navy's capabilities in the field of anti-ship warfare. As a result, the United States and the West have greatly dispelled the idea of "testing on the edge of danger."
However, the PLA will not rest on its laurels. It is reported that the PLA submarine force recently disclosed a new strategic transformation plan.
The Chinese side has changed its style of play
The Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy publicly stated for the first time that it will adjust its strategic focus, no longer taking conventional submarines as the core development direction, but will make every effort to promote the modernization of nuclear submarines, and strive to build a highly modern naval force by 2027.
[Naval submarine force officer reveals important information]
In an interview with CCTV, Wen Wenxing, an officer of the PLA Navy's submarine force, clearly pointed out that at present, the equipment construction of the Chinese Navy's submarine force has entered a new stage, that is, a new era of both nuclear and conventional weapons and nuclear dominance.
As a matter of fact, the pattern of competition in maritime military has quietly changed, and the focus is no longer solely focused on aircraft carriers. Today, the configuration of nuclear submarines has become a new focus of the maritime strategic game.
In the future, nuclear submarines will undoubtedly become the dominant players in the maritime battlefield, and they specialize in restraining large aircraft carriers by virtue of their unpredictable characteristics. Yue Gang, a retired colonel of the People's Liberation Army, has said that only nuclear-powered submarines have the ability to track and accompany aircraft carriers at full speed.
It is worth mentioning that just a few days ago, the Type 094A strategic nuclear submarine appeared in the sea area from Kinmen to Penghu, which caused an uproar on the island of Taiwan at that time, and at the same time attracted widespread attention from the international community, and also issued a clear warning signal of deterrence to the United States, persuading the "chaotic China" forces not to act rashly.
[Type 094A Strategic Nuclear Submarine]
Prior to this, the Pentagon conducted a comprehensive analysis and investigation of the mainland's nuclear submarines, and they believed that the PLA already has six Type 094 nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, two of which are advanced Type 094A nuclear submarines. In addition to this, there are 6 Type 093 nuclear-powered attack submarines.
The Pentagon also believes that the Type 094 nuclear submarine has the ability to launch the Julang-2 submarine-launched ballistic missile, which has the ability to reach the continental United States if it launches an attack from the waters of the Central Pacific.
Western analysts have also speculated that the Type 094A nuclear submarine may have been technically improved on the original basis, equipped with 16 launch tubes and enhanced Julang-2A missiles, and is very likely to cover the entire US territory when launched from the coastline of China.
It can be seen that they are only now really reacting, and it turns out that China has already changed its style of play.
Chinese nuclear submarines are also starting to make dumplings?
Previously, the U.S. Navy also pointed out that given the huge scale of China's shipbuilding and military industry, as well as its rapid development capabilities, if China begins to mass-produce nuclear submarines, it is likely to strongly reverse the long-held dominant position of the U.S. Navy in a very short period of time.
【U.S. Nuclear Submarine】
The US side also predicts that the PLA will continue to launch more advanced Type 095 attack nuclear submarines after the Type 091 and Type 093 attack nuclear submarines. According to the analysis of the US side, the new nuclear submarine is expected to be equipped with a pump-jet propulsion system to greatly reduce the noise generated by the submarine during operation.
This technology is also widely used by US and NATO submarines, which also means that China has caught up with them in submarine mute technology.
If, as the US side says, China has already achieved mass production of nuclear submarines, this will undoubtedly open up a new strategic pattern.
In the past, we focused primarily on strengthening our defense strategy in the near seas, but now we have broadened our horizons to defend the far seas and strengthen our offensive defenses in the near seas.
In view of the particularity of the protection of the open sea, the attack nuclear submarine with unlimited endurance and excellent self-sustaining power has become an indispensable weapon for us. These nuclear submarines will provide us with more powerful support and protection over the vast oceans.