The Type 092 (Chinese designation: 09- II;

NATO reporting name NATO reporting names are code names for military equipment from Russia, China, and historically, the Eastern Bloc (Soviet Union and other nations of the Warsaw Pact). They provide unambiguous and easily understood English words in a uniform man ...

: Xia class) submarine was the first nuclear-powered

ballistic missile submarine A ballistic missile submarine is a submarine capable of deploying submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) with nuclear warheads. The United States Navy's hull classification symbols for ballistic missile submarines are SSB and SSBN � ...

(SSBN) deployed by the

People's Liberation Army Navy Submarine Force The People's Liberation Army Navy Submarine Force (PLANSF) is the submarine service of the People's Liberation Army Navy. It consists of all types of submarines in operational service organized into three fleets: the North Sea Fleet, the East Se ...

Background

The first and only confirmed submarine of its class, boat 406, was

laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one o ...

in 1978 at

Huludao Huludao (), formerly known as Jinxi () until 1994, is a coastal prefecture-level city in southwestern Liaoning province, People's Republic of China. Its name literally means "Gourd Island", referring to the fiddle-shaped contour of the peninsula ...

, northeast of Beijing, China. The Type 092 submarine was completed in 1981. She then spent six years being fitted out and conducting tests with its twelve

JL-1 The Julang-1 (, also known as the JL-1; NATO reporting name CSS-N-3) was China's first generation nuclear submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). According to a US Department of Defense report in 2011, the operational status of the JL-1 was ...

missiles, becoming active in 1987. Later, the submarine went through numerous upgrades in incremental step, including using Type H/SQ2-262B

sonar Sonar (sound navigation and ranging or sonic navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater, as in submarine navigation) to navigate, measure distances (ranging), communicate with or detect objects on o ...

manufactured by No. 613 Factory replacing the original Type 604 sonar on board. It reportedly suffered from limited missile range and high sound emissions. She was designed by

Peng Shilu Peng Shilu (; 18 November 1925 – 22 March 2021) was a Chinese nuclear engineer. Hailed as "the father of China's nuclear submarines" and the "father of China's naval nuclear propulsion", he was the first chief designer of the country's nuclea ...

( 彭士禄) and Huang Xuhua, and derived from the Type 091 submarines, with an extended hull to accommodate twelve missile tubes. The 092 has undergone numerous refits, currently featuring a new black paint, possible quieting technologies, French-designed sonar, and the improved longer ranged JL-1A SLBM. Homeported in Jianggezhuang near

Qingdao Qingdao (, also spelled Tsingtao; , Mandarin: ) is a major city in eastern Shandong Province. The city's name in Chinese characters literally means " azure island". Located on China's Yellow Sea coast, it is a major nodal city of the One Belt ...

, it is reported that the 092 has never conducted strategic patrols outside Chinese regional waters. The sub undertook a single patrol and then never sailed again, staying pierside for so long there were rumors it had been lost in an accident in 1985. The boat was more of a test bed, allowing China to test new underwater technologies as it gradually placed more emphasis on naval forces in general. The 092 is aging however and a new nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, the Type 094, has been developed and deployed by the People's Liberation Army Navy. The U.S.

Defense Intelligence Agency The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) is an intelligence agency and combat support agency of the United States Department of Defense, specializing in defense and military intelligence. A component of the Department of Defense (DoD) and the ...

lists the 092 as being "not operational." While its capability is still being questioned, Xia made its worldwide debut on 23 April 2009 celebrating the 60th anniversary of the PLA Navy's founding. The submarine became operational in 1983, but faced enduring problems with reliability and radiation leakage from its onboard nuclear reactor. The submarine is also allegedly the noisiest of all U.S., Russian and Chinese

s, making it very easy to detect and track.

Rumour of a lost second boat

A second boat is reported to have been completed in 1982, however this has not been substantiated. There is little evidence that a second ship was ever built. Published reports that mention the boat also mention unsubstantiated reports that a second Type 092 was lost in an accident in 1985.Nuclear submarine guide, China: Type 092
, fas.org

Boats

References

External links

Federation of American Scientists: Type 92 Xia
{{SSBN classes in service, state=collapsed Submarine classes Ballistic missile submarines 1981 ships Nuclear-powered submarines Nuclear submarines of the Chinese Navy

Background

Rumour of a lost second boat

Boats

See also

References

External links