CNS Changzheng (18)

CNS Changzheng (18) History

The Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Navy Type 094 boat program was completed after construction and commissioning. In NATO, these ships are called "cuts".

At the heart of these ships is the ballistic missile carrier, which can accommodate a total of twelve JL-2 surface-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) ??to strike ground targets within range. These missiles are much larger than their JL-1 (NATO: CSS-N-14) predecessors, have a range of up to 4,500 miles, and have a maritime nuclear deterrent that the service once lacked.

Combined with the modern Type 094 design, the submarine is a formidable opponent.

CNS Changzheng (421) is one of the newer, slightly modified Type 094A boats now available to the Chinese Navy. She officially entered service on April 23, 2021, and is still in service at the time of writing (2021).

She joined the Long March 10 (412) and Long March 11 (413) sisters laid in 2001 and 2003, respectively, and served in 2010 and 2012, respectively. The ships have a submerged displacement of 11,000 tons and dimensions include an overall length of 442.10 feet and a beam of 41 feet.

Propulsion is provided by a single water-cooled nuclear reactor driving a single propeller shaft, giving the design essentially unlimited range. In addition to the submarine-launched ballistic missiles included in the design, the ships are equipped with traditional torpedo weapons, giving them a dual-threat nature.

The Type 094A boat is an offshoot of the Type 094 base class and differs from the original plan mainly in the modified canvas arrangement demonstrated in the earlier Type 093 project. Otherwise, the ships are closely related.

The profile is traditional, the sails are mounted close to the rounded bow. The sail contains the dive plane. The stern of the sail is the integrated SLBM launcher section, which looks like a long tubular flat section of the upper hull.

Each missile is housed in a compartment and released for launch via an open powered circular cover. At the stern, the traditional crisscross tail pattern is located in front of the multi-blade propeller assembly. The torpedo tubes are all attached to the bow.

These ships were built by the Bohai Shipyard in Huludao, China, and the newer series is the direct successor to the Type 092 (Xia class). The Type 094 was followed by the updated Type 096, which has not yet entered service with the PLAN.

These will also be nuclear powered, possibly carrying the JL-2's successor, the more powerful JL-3.

From the looks of it, the Type 094/094A poses a new threat to the West - especially as Chinese authorities demonstrate the Type 094A's ability to hit the US West Coast with long-range missiles. The combination of the Type 094 hull and the JL-2 missile undoubtedly gives it strike power, the first sea-based nuclear threat capability of the Chinese Navy, and also poses a threat to neighboring India, which remains at odds with its regional neighbors. Still, the U.S.

Navy's equipment was able to track the Type 094s, which are less likely to launch a surprise attack because of their higher noise levels.

Specification

BASICS

Service Years

2021

Origins

China

Status

In service

supplement

120

staff

SHIPBUILDER

Bohai Shipyard - China

Class information

Class

Type 094A

Class Size

2

ships

Class

CNS Long March (18); Nameless Ship #2

Carrier

China

Roles

Underwater Attack

Move subsurface to find, track and/or attack or reconnaissance areas.

Sea Patrol

Active patrolling of critical waterways and sea areas; also serves as a local deterrent against air and maritime threats.

Fleet Support

Provide support (fire or materiel) to major surface fleets in blue water environments.

Distinctive Features

Rocket Weapons

The ship supports long-range missile launches to air, sea or land-based targets; typical of modern design.

Torpedo

Able to launch torpedoes at distant targets.

Dimensions and Weight

Length

436. 0 feet

132.89m

Ray

41. 0 feet

12.50m

Draft

30. 0 feet

9.14m

Shift

8,000

t

No. submerged

9,000

t

Power and Performance

Installed Power:

1 x water cooled nuclear reactor of unknown power output, driving 1 x axis.

Surface Velocity

20.0 nodes

(23. 0 km/h)

Underwater speed

25. 0 nodes

(28.8 km/h)

Area

essentially infinite

Weapons

The 6 x 533 mm torpedo tubes are located on the bow (side of the bow). 12 x JL-2 ballistic missiles (nuclear attack capability) housed in vertical launch tubes behind the sails.

Aircraft

None.