The Chinese 096 nuclear submarine has made the US military fear, and the core reason is that its performance not only caught up with the US's similar equipment, but in some areas even achieved superiority.
The most prominent advantage of the 096 is its extreme noise reduction performance. A report shows that its noise level can reach 95 decibels, and even if this is just a theoretical value, it is already lower than the ocean background noise. This means that the US's proud towed array sonar may only be able to barely capture the signal when the 096 approaches to a dangerous distance. In comparison, even the improved US Ohio-class nuclear submarines, their propellers and mechanical drive shafts generate noise that may expose their position at a long distance; and the next-generation Columbia-class in the US also faces significant challenges in noise reduction technology.
This almost "invisible" quietness is due to a disruptive technology, the shaftless pump jet propulsion. The 096 discards the traditional long transmission shaft (a component that easily generates great noise), and instead uses electromagnetic force to directly drive the water flow. This system, developed by the team led by Academician Ma Weiming, eliminates the main mechanical friction noise from the root, achieving a qualitative leap in propulsion efficiency and noise reduction performance.
What makes the US military more problematic is the 096's active acoustic countermeasure system: after detecting the enemy's sonar signal, the onboard computer can quickly analyze its characteristics and accurately emit counteracting sound waves to cancel it out. This "you detect your, I hide mine" tactic is highly misleading in actual combat.
Of course, aside from concealment, firepower is the core card of a strategic nuclear submarine. On the wide hull of the 096, it is equipped with the JL-3 missile, which is said to have a range of 14,000 kilometers. This range means that it does not need to move far forward to be able to include the entire North American continent within the strike range, significantly expanding the strategic deterrence radius. More importantly, each JL-3 can carry multiple independently targeted warheads, using a hypersonic glide trajectory, with strong terminal penetration capability, and precision sufficient to threaten high-value targets such as aircraft carriers and land-based missile launch silos.
In short, the emergence of the 096 not only impacts the US's technological confidence, but also its underwater advantages for maintaining global hegemony. While the US puts high hopes on the Columbia-class, which is still being assembled on the slipway, a powerful opponent has quietly launched, drawing a new strategic red line in the Pacific with unprecedented quietness, firepower, and information capabilities.
This national treasure marks that China has entered the ranks of the world's top-tier in strategic nuclear submarines, and even begun to lead in some core performances. What it brings is not only a balance of power on the military level, but also a clear declaration of national strength and strategic determination.
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1839414187125786/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author.