Interesting and well written article. Some key points;
- The ASHM carried by Yuan class is YJ-82 (subsonic) with the range of 30-42 km, which means the targeted warship can immediately detect and fire back at the sub giving it little to no time for diving or evasive maneuvers.
- The proposed missile for the sub is definitely not to have the range propagated i.e. 290nm or 550km owing to its small size. So the range is yet to be ascertained.
- The maximum number of missiles that can be fired from the sub is limited to 4 or 5. Clearly, not enough to saturate any modern ASHM defence system but at the same time will invite an immediate counter attack. Not a good strategy.
- Even with the proposed upgrade of ASHM capability from subsonic YJ-82 to Mach 3 (terminal) YJ-18, the lack of numbers of missiles fired in a salvo will result in a catastrophe for the sub.
Thanks to the OP for posting this article. Cleared a ton doubts about the China's conventional submarine capabilities.
