By Franz-Stefan Gady
When can we expect Beijing’s stealthy new submarine to enter service? A simulator may offer some clues.
Over at Eastern Arsenal, Jeffrey Lin and P.W. Singer, are discussing in detail a new Chinese submarine simulator that could provide clues what could become Beijing’s stealthiest (and deadliest) nuclear-attack submarine (SSN) when it enters service in two to four years – the Type 095 (Chinese designation: 09-V).
Once in service, the Type 095 will “provide a generational improvement in many areas such as quieting and weapon capacity,” the Pentagon’s Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) states in an unclassified assessment of the Chinese navy’s new capabilities and missions in the years ahead.
So far, no Type 095 vessel has been launched and there is sparse information on the subs’ capabilities, save that it will be equipped with a new vertical launching system capable of firing supersonic anti-ship missiles, and that it will boast improved speed, reduced noise, and an increased operational range, in comparison to its predecessor the Type-093 Shang-class second-generation nuclear-powered attack submarine.
Read the full story at The Diplomat