China displays nuclear submarine fleet for first time

AVERAGE INDIAN

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China has displayed its nuclear submarines for the first time in over four decades to showcase their "excellent safety" record as part of a naval drill.
The submarines were shown as taking part in exercises along with naval ships and helicopters.

The drill is the first open-sea drill in which maritime and air forces from all three of China's fleets have taken part, state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Monday.

"We are China's first nuclear submarine force, and the 42 years since our establishment have witnessed our success in avoiding nuclear accidents," Rear Admiral Gao Feng, commander of one of the People's Liberation Army navy's submarine bases, told reporters in Qingdao port.

While state television has shown the footage of the submarines taking part in the exercises, which according to the official media is the first time in 42 years ever since it began inducting nuclear submarines in the fleet, the print media highlighted its safety track with no accident record.

The exercises in the west Pacific went on "despite foreign disturbance", the People's Liberation Army said.

Foreign military vessels and reconnaissance aircraft, reportedly from Japan and US remained in the exercise area for an undue time monitoring Chinese activity in the close distance and seriously disturbing the naval drill, reports said.

Chinese authorities had previously publicised the exercise areas via international maritime organisations in accordance with international practice, alerting foreign vessels and planes to take precautions.

Though the media has not revealed the numbers of nuclear subs, international defence experts estimate it has eight to 10 subs backed by 50 to 60 diesel and electric submarines.

The strength of the Chinese navy was estimated to be around 2.25 lakh personnel.

The decision to display N-Subs for the first time shows China's confidence in the defence build-up and capability, defence analysts said. It also demonstrates the transparency of China's nuclear assets, which the west is demonstrating for long, they said.

Handling the nuclear submarines equipped with nuclear weapons is a tremendous achievement because almost all of the other naval powers in the world, including the US and Russia, have had nuclear accidents on nuclear submarines, Gao said.

China displays nuclear submarine fleet for first time - Indian Express
 

arnabmit

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I may have mistaken, but that pic looks like that of a Kilo class sub, not a nuke sub.
 

pmaitra

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I may have mistaken, but that pic looks like that of a Kilo class sub, not a nuke sub.
It does look like a Kilo class sub, and I imagine it is large enough to house a small reactor in it.
 

arnabmit

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It does look like a Kilo class sub, and I imagine it is large enough to house a small reactor in it.
I was thinking that the journalist posted the pic of a Kilo sub instead of the actual nuke sub.

You think it might be a Kilo with a retrofitted nuke reactor? But considering the size of the sub, the reactor would have to be very small, not enough power for a SSN's hunter-killer role.

Maybe a SSBN, but Russia didn't supply China with Kilos with VLS. China would have to cut up the hull and splice in a VLS module.
 
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pmaitra

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I was thinking that the journalist posted the pic of a Kilo sub instead of the actual nuke sub.

You think it might be a Kilo with a retrofitted nuke reactor? But considering the size of the sub, the reactor would have to be very small, not enough power for a SSN's hunter-killer role.

Maybe a SSBN, but Russia didn't supply China with Kilos with VLS. China would have to cut up the hull and splice in a VLS module.
PRC is a master of cloning. Why would they need to cut up a sub? They would just use an existing blueprint and fit a reactor in it. A Kilo class submarine is longer than the Arihant class, but is narrower. For this Chinese sub, we don't really know the beam or draft of it. Then again, as you said, it could be an example of shoddy journalism. From whatever we can see of the submarine, it does look like a Kilo class, or clone thereof. However, we cannot see the entire submarine, so we don't know.
 

W.G.Ewald

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You think it might be a Kilo with a retrofitted nuke reactor? But considering the size of the sub, the reactor would have to be very small, not enough power for a SSN's hunter-killer role.
Iran experience:


In June 2012, an Iranian official asserted that scientists were "at the initial phases of manufacturing atomic submarines." [24] He claimed Iran's success in retrofitting one of the imported Kilo-class submarines (after Russia had declined to do so), as evidence of the country's advancing submarine development capability, despite delays. [25] However, outside analysts stressed that manufacturing a nuclear reactor for use in submarines would be beyond Iran's current capabilities, suggesting that the announcement may be meant as leverage in negotiations with the P5+1, or as justification for ongoing enriched uranium. [26]
Iran Submarine Capabilities | Articles | NTI Analysis | NTI
 

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