Sheet South China Morning Post (SCMP) On the evening of April 23, it was reported that the Chinese Navy on April 22 released rare footage of the launch of a JL-2 ballistic missile from a nuclear-powered submarine. The video records China’s Shandong aircraft carrier fleet, including four submarines, during an exercise.
Near the end of the video, a ballistic missile is launched after the narrator states that “the submarine arrived at the launch site as scheduled… and was ordered to carry out a fatal strike”.
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Although the video does not specify the type of missile or submarine, the newspaper Hoan Cau Times newspaper April 22 said the missile in the video is the JL-2 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), which was first launched during a Chinese military parade in 2019.
With a range of 7,400 km, the JL-2 became China’s first reliable sea-based nuclear deterrent when deployed on the Type 094A nuclear submarine in 2015.
Compared to ground-launched missiles, SLBMs generally have a better chance of surviving an initial enemy attack and conducting a second attack.
China’s JL-2 submarine-launched ballistic missile made its first appearance during a military parade in Beijing in 2019
If operating in the middle of Thailand Binh Duongthe JL-2 could threaten targets in the western half of the continental US, as well as Hawaii and Alaska, and could threaten targets on the US east coast if deployed east of Hawaii, according to The Pentagon’s annual report on China’s military power was released last year.
The above video was released to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese navy and appeared right before US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to China starting today, April 24. During this three-day visit to China, Mr. Blinken will meet with senior Chinese officials in Shanghai and Beijing and discuss many issues from the Russia-Ukraine conflict to the East Sea.
The above video also shows exercises between two aircraft carrier groups, including the group led by the Shandong ship. This video is the first confirmation that the Shandong aircraft carrier strike group has at least four submarines, including one nuclear-powered vessel, according to SCMP.
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The video shows three submarines carrying out “cover” missions, with one launching an unmanned underwater vehicle before the fourth nuclear submarine successfully launched a missile.
According to a Pentagon report, the Chinese navy currently operates six nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs), six nuclear-powered attack submarines and 48 attack submarines. runs on diesel.
Also according to the above report, China’s Type 094 SSBN ships can also deploy JL-3 SLBMs. This would allow one of the submarines equipped with the JL-3 to attack areas of the continental United States, according to SCMP.
