文|中外舰闻 知名军事撰稿人
According to French media outlet Navy News, on February 9th, an open-source intelligence analyst observed through the European Space Agency's "Sentinel 2" series satellites that a large new submarine slowly moved into the launching area of a shipyard in the Bohai Sea. Comparing with previous submarines, the new submarine is not like the 093B type cruise missile nuclear submarine that has frequently appeared, and there are significant differences in appearance. The media judged that it should be the Type 09V (also known as the third generation or even the third and a half generation) attack nuclear submarine that the Chinese Navy has been working on for many years.
【French media report and CG speculation】
This launch event has triggered a storm of discussion on military forums on social media, marking a decisive step in the Chinese Navy's efforts to bridge the "deep sea gap".
From the information released by the French media, the physical characteristics of the Type 09V nuclear submarine are significantly different from its predecessor, the 093 type. First of all, there is a significant increase in size. According to the French media, its length is between 110 to 115 meters, and the width reaches an astonishing 12 to 13 meters. This "wide flat" design trend directly targets the U.S. Navy's "Virginia" and "Seawolf" classes.
A wider hull not only means optimized internal space, but more importantly, it can accommodate more advanced vibration isolation systems.
【U.S. Seawolf-class nuclear submarine】
In modern submarine design, to greatly reduce the noise transmitted from the power system to the hull, it is necessary to use large multi-stage composite shock-absorbing floating rafts. Such equipment requires a high degree of width requirements for the submarine hull.
The wide structure of the Type 09V indicates that its stealth performance has reached the level of world mainstream advanced submarines, and may even reach the "ocean background noise" threshold, making the SOSUS (Sound Surveillance System) array deployed by the U.S. military in the first island chain face unprecedented detection challenges.
The French media mentioned that the most eye-catching feature of the Type 09V is its tail section using an "X-shaped rudder". This is the first time that such a design has been used on a Chinese nuclear submarine. Although the traditional cross-shaped rudder is technically mature, it has limitations in shallow water operations and extreme maneuverability.
【Cross Tail Rudder with Pump Jet vs X Tail Rudder with Pump Jet】
The X-shaped rudder provides higher control efficiency and redundancy through the coordination of four rudders. Even if one of the rudders is damaged, the submarine can still maintain stable navigation. More importantly, the X-shaped rudder produces less fluid noise at high speeds and is more suitable for tactical evasion in shallow coastal areas, such as narrow waters around the first island chain.
Complementing this rudder shape is a new pump jet propulsion system (Pump-jet), which replaces the traditional seven-blade large tilt propeller. It can significantly delay the occurrence of cavitation, allowing the submarine to maintain incredible silence at medium and high speeds above 20 knots, even reaching the so-called "ocean background noise" level.
【Foreign military enthusiasts' speculation on the appearance of Type 09V】
In terms of weapon systems, the Type 09V no longer relies solely on torpedo tubes to launch missiles. According to the French media, there is a clear vertical launch module area behind the conning tower. According to the speculation of German military journalists, this area may be equipped with 12 to 18 large-diameter general-purpose vertical launch units.
This not only means that it can launch the YJ-18 long-range anti-ship missile and the CJ-10 land-attack cruise missile, but also has the capability to carry and launch hypersonic anti-ship missiles. This multi-task attribute transforms the attack nuclear submarine from a simple "torpedo carrier" into a true "underwater firepower platform", enabling it to conduct precise strikes outside the defensive ring of enemy aircraft carrier strike groups, or serve as the vanguard of an aircraft carrier battle group, providing long-term underwater escort protection.
【Vertical Launch of U.S. Virginia-class Nuclear Submarine】
When comparing the Type 09V with the U.S. Navy's mainstay, the "Virginia" class (Virginia-class), it can be seen that China has achieved comprehensive benchmarking in design concepts. As the current underwater backbone of the U.S. Navy, the "Virginia" class excels in high automation and strong sonar integrated perception capabilities. However, the Type 09V, driven by the advantages of later development, has shown strong competitive strength in hull materials and electronic systems.
China's breakthroughs in high-performance, high-strength steel have enabled the Type 09V to potentially exceed a diving depth of 450 meters, even approaching 500 meters, which in tactical confrontation means greater maneuverability. In addition, China's progress in fiber optic hydrophone arrays and side-scan sonar technology has led to a qualitative leap in the Type 09V's detection range and target resolution capabilities.
Although the U.S. still maintains a certain advantage in some core indicators such as the full-life nuclear reactor (no need to refuel during its lifetime), in terms of stealth maneuverability and firepower delivery capabilities in actual combat environments, both sides are now basically on the same level.
【U.S. Virginia Block 5】
The commissioning of the Type 09V nuclear submarine has profound significance for China's overall strategic transformation of the navy. For a long time, China's defense system has heavily relied on land-based forces and surface ships. However, as the Chinese navy moves towards the open seas, the aircraft carrier fleet needs reliable underwater protection.
Although the 093B type has improved in performance, it is still difficult to completely suppress the U.S.-Japan attack nuclear submarines in high-intensity confrontations at sea. The emergence of the Type 09V fills the "most critical link" in China's aircraft carrier battle group. It will serve as the vanguard of the formation, establishing an underwater warning circle thousands of nautical miles away, clearing enemy submarines.
At the same time, the Type 09V also shoulders the important mission of protecting China's strategic nuclear submarines (SSBN). In bases such as Hainan Island, the Type 09V can act as a "guardian," searching and driving away U.S. nuclear submarines attempting to approach for reconnaissance, ensuring the absolute safety of China's second-strike nuclear force.
【Virginia Block 5 launching a cruise missile】
From a more macro geopolitical perspective, the commissioning of the Type 09V is a strong response to the AUKUS (Australia-United Kingdom-United States) submarine cooperation agreement. While Australia is still waiting for the delivery of the Virginia-class submarines in the 2030s or even later, China has already mass-produced and launched new nuclear submarines with comparable performance.
This construction speed and iteration efficiency are changing the underwater balance in the Western Pacific. This change has already caused a chain reaction among neighboring countries, with Japan and South Korea recently frequently discussing the possibility of developing or purchasing nuclear submarines, feeling the pressure from the deep sea forces.
The Type 09V is not just an independent model; it is also the technological precursor for China's next-generation strategic nuclear submarine, the Type 09VI. Nuclear submarine designs usually have continuity, and the maturity of the Type 09V in stealth, propulsion, and material technologies will directly be transferred to the development of the Type 09VI. This "offensive as defense, technology spillover" approach ensures China's nuclear submarine forces maintain technological leadership for the next twenty years.
The launching of the Type 09V is just the beginning. In the coming years, we can expect a large-scale, top-performance Chinese deep-sea nuclear force group.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/7606570974607114798/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author.