Multiple witness sightings of a Type 094 submarine transiting in the Taiwan Strait in June and earlier may be a sign that China’s nuclear submarines and missile technology has matured, according to mainland observers.
A military magazine analysis estimates that the Chinese ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) force has at least two vessels and four crews available to act as a nuclear deterrent and possibly carry out a counter strike at any moment and under any conditions.
The assessment was based on the repeated sightings of the nuclear-capable Type 094A ballistic missile submarines of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy sailing on the surface through sensitive waters between Taiwan and the mainland, according to an article in China’s Ordnance Industry Science Technology.
“This means China’s integrated technologies of SSBNs and the submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) are mature,” the article in the July edition of the magazine said, adding that the vessel and crews, as well as the command chain and the logistics for operation, were all combat ready.
