Great Detail About China's Type 093 SSN

I would like to claim: “At great personal risk Russia's top agent (cunningly Codenamed “Ivan” to throw off MSS as to his real identity) sneaked into the Chinese Navy's Beijing HQ, bribed all the guards to avert their eyes, while “Ivan” deftly pulled out his vintage 1940s Minox spy camera, then took multitudinous Happy Snaps of Top Secret details of China’s latest nuclear attack submarine, the Type 093.”

But, that’s a fib. 

In truth Anonymous kindly supplied a comment of August 13, 2021 with wording from “Weapon Encyclopedia” from China. 

The document below is lengthy, dated October 4, 2019 and at http://www.wuqibaike.com/index.php?doc-view-13384 . I have had to remove photos and captions.

All the intel can be used in many ways. For example, by finding the sub-heading “Stealth technology” you will see ways China has said it has achieved noise reduction.

 “Type 093 attack nuclear submarine”

[Abstract] “Type 093 attack nuclear submarine (design code: 09-III, English: Type 093, NATO code: Shang-class SSN, translation: commercial-class attack nuclear submarine), is a nuclear-powered attack submarine under the Chinese Navy, and is a Chinese self-propelled nuclear-powered attack submarine. A second-generation attack nuclear submarine designed and built. The Type 093 attack nuclear submarine is of great significance to improving China's maritime rights protection capabilities and the deterrence of the nuclear submarine force. The first ship of the Type 093 attack nuclear submarine was built in 1998 at Bochuan Heavy Industry in Liaoning, China. It was launched for sea trials in 2002 and entered service in 2006. There are now 2 to 4 ships in service.

Weapon performance

·  Chinese name:Type 093 attack nuclear submarine

·  English name:Type 093

·  Pre-type/level:Type 091 attack nuclear submarine

·  Subtype/level:Type 095 attack nuclear submarine

·  Development time:1983-1998

·  Service time:year 2006

·  Setting time:year 2002

·  nation:China

·  Generation level:Second-generation attack nuclear submarine

·  Construction unit:Liaoning Bo Ship Heavy Industry

·  Construction quantity:2-4 ships

·  Service status:All in service

·  Boat type:Attack nuclear submarine

Development history

Development background

Type 093 nuclear attack submarine pre-research work dates back to the late 1960s, when the Chinese navy's combat training concentrating on both scientific research "09-I" project

At the same time, relevant units began to conduct early demonstrations and research on the development of a new generation of attack nuclear submarines. With the continuous development of the "09-I" project, the technical requirements and positioning of new nuclear submarines have become more rational and scientific. In the 1970s, China successfully developed the Type 091 attack nuclear submarine, but there were many imperfect problems. Therefore, soon after the construction of the Type 091 was completed, the development of the second generation attack nuclear submarine was immediately on the agenda. While the nuclear submarine was upgraded and transformed, preparations for the development of a new type of nuclear submarine were also started. In July 1983, the Chinese military leaders formally approved the development plan of the "09-III" project.

 At the initial stage of the project development, the scientific researchers put the key nuclear power system in the first place. Through many discussions, it was confirmed that the power system of the new generation of attack nuclear submarine should have the characteristics of high power, long life, high reliability, etc., focusing on breakthroughs in nature. Circulation technology to improve the submarine’s quiet performance and overall tactical technical indicators.

Regrettably, with the gradual end of the construction of the Type 091 attack nuclear submarine, the funding for the nuclear submarine project has been seriously inadequate. As the nuclear power propulsion system requires a large amount of investment in capital and technology, at that time China was in the stage of adjusting its national development strategy, and its main energy was on economic construction. Insufficient investment in related fields, coupled with the fact that China's industrial infrastructure was still relatively backward at that time, which caused the inability to solve the technical problems of new nuclear power systems and shipboard weapons for a long time. The development of the "09-III" project was slow and even once. Stagnant.

Construction history

In the 1990s, with the end of the Cold War and the disintegration of the Soviet Union, China’s national security situation and environment have undergone significant changes.

The task has also changed from resisting the invasion of a powerful enemy to a national unity war under the background of the intervention of a powerful enemy. In this case, the role of attack nuclear submarines is more important. Although the 091 attack nuclear submarine in service at that time has undergone many improvements, but is limited by the original design, its tactical and technical indicators are far from the world's advanced nuclear submarines. And the upgrade potential has been tapped, so the Navy urgently needs a new generation of attack nuclear submarines. In this context, the Type 093 attack nuclear submarine was put on the agenda again.

In 1990, the last 405 boat of the 091 nuclear submarine was finally delivered to the army after 13 years of construction and sea trials. Jiang Zemin, then chairman of the Chinese Central Military Commission, pointed out when inspecting the 405 boat: "Nuclear submarines cannot be disconnected." At that time, the production of part of the supporting systems, especially the key submerged nuclear reactor equipment, had actually started to "disconnect", this decision played a key role in the timely resumption of the "09-III" project. Later, under the leadership of academician Huang Xuhua, the chief designer of the Type 091 nuclear submarine, the new generation of "09 people" team struggled to resume the "09-III" project in the 90s when funding was tight. The research and development work of nuclear submarine, those nuclear submarine development and production personnel who turned to civilian production because of the temporary suspension of the nuclear submarine project have also regrouped.

In December 1998, the first boat of the Type 093 attack nuclear submarine was manufactured at Bohai Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (Bohai Shipyard) in Liaoning, China.

Construction started, completed and launched in 2002, and a long-term sea trial was conducted after 2003. During this period, relevant reports on the Type 093 nuclear submarine were frequently seen in the media around the world, but it has not appeared publicly.

In December 2006, Hu Jintao, the then Chairman of the Central Military Commission of China, personally presided over a grand ceremony for the nuclear submarine, which marked a milestone in the new phase of the "09 Project". Formally entered service. The No. 2 boat was commissioned in 2008, with hull number 408 and the name of the boat "Long March 8". After the completion of the two boats, they both joined the submarine base of the South China Sea Fleet to serve. The second batch of Type 093 submarines to be built started in 2012, one of which is Type 093A.

The design of the 093 prototype has been modified to improve the power system and acoustic performance, and it has been in service. The latest one is Type 093B. Google Maps in May 2015 showed that the boat has entered the delivery state.

Service history

On July 16, 2007, at the 80th Anniversary Achievement Exhibition with the theme of "Our Team Facing the Sun" held by the Chinese military, the Type 093 nuclear submarine made its first low-key public appearance in the form of the "new nuclear submarine" and model in the wall chart. . Compared with the Type 091 attack nuclear submarine, the biggest appearance feature of this type of nuclear submarine is the horizontal top of the podium hull and the five sections of different lengths of drainage holes on the hull. Since then, the Type 093 attack nuclear submarine has officially appeared in public. The Type 093 attack nuclear submarine plans to build 6-8 ships, and there are now 2-4 ships of the same type in service.

Technical characteristics

Design Features

The development and service history of the Type 093 attack nuclear submarine shows that Type 093 first solves the problem that the development and production of nuclear submarines cannot be disconnected. Therefore, it is technically inevitable.

Attention should be paid to the inheritance of the Type 091 nuclear submarine, and the Type 091 has also carried out a lot of technical improvement after its service. In addition, during the development of the Type 093, when the nuclear submarine related systems were disconnected midway and the technical reserves were very weak, some supporting subsystems were newly developed with the submarine, and their performance still lags behind the world's advanced level, and the progress is delayed. Therefore, the 093 The overall technical level of the Type 091 is relatively limited, which is a major reason why the number of its first batch of construction is even smaller than that of the Type 094 strategic nuclear submarine. Analyzing these factors together, it is unrealistic to expect too much of the performance indicators of the 093 type.

Although the development and construction of the Type 093 attack nuclear submarine has experienced some setbacks due to the disconnection of the project, the 093 project is still successful overall. Many of its design details are closer to advanced Western nuclear submarines, such as the wing profile-shaped podium enclosure. The segmented longitudinal slotted water holes, etc. all reflect the efforts of scientific researchers to improve the technical and tactical performance of submarines to the best of their ability under limited conditions. Compared with the French Ruby-class attack nuclear submarine, Type 093 has a larger tonnage, more weapons and equipment, a wider space for noise reduction equipment, and a better noise level. The overall performance should be better than that of the Ruby-class nuclear submarine. .

Boat structure

Boat type

The Type 093 attack nuclear submarine still adopts a drop line design from the appearance, and the length of its parallel hull midship is obviously longer than that of Type 091, which is a standard pull.

Long drop line type. In terms of line type, the elongated water drop line has similar hydrodynamic performance as the water drop line, but it avoids the disadvantages of difficult construction of the water drop line pressure shell and difficulty in arranging the equipment in the cabin. In the overall layout, Type 093 still adopts the mature and reliable enclosure rudder, cone tail, single shaft single propeller, and tail cross rudder on Type 091 submarine, which is the standard conventional layout of water drop submarine. From the perspective of the linear development of nuclear submarines in the United States, since the use of the drop-shaped conventional general layout on the bonito class, no major changes have been made. Therefore, the line design and overall layout design of the Type 093 nuclear submarine is basically synchronized with the development of nuclear submarines in the world. In addition, this mature, high-performance and excellent layout is once again used on the Type 093, which can fully guarantee the reliability of project implementation and ensure the progress of the project. Through scientific research accumulation in hydrodynamics and linear design, and further optimization of the online form, China can ensure that the Type 093 nuclear submarine has a breakthrough in underwater navigation performance, and the nuclear power propulsion system has sufficient power to match the hull tonnage. Under better circumstances, the Type 093 is entirely possible to achieve relatively excellent underwater speed and underwater maneuverability.

"Podium"

The Type 093 podium enclosure also adopts a new form. It does not follow the shape of the Type 091 "official hat", but adopts a wing profile enclosure with a small cross-sectional area and a slender shape in Western countries. The front and rear edges of the hull are perpendicular to the baseline of the deck, and the elongated cross-section is relatively narrow, and the overall appearance is slimmer, which also makes the hull look more slender and can improve the hydrodynamic performance. In the later submarine design, the United States also tends to adopt the wing profile-like enclosure. The too tall command podium enclosure on Type 091 not only increases the resistance of the submarine's underwater navigation and affects the maximum speed of the submarine, but also causes the submarine's sudden lateral rolling to affect the safety of the submarine under the submarine's high-speed maneuvering, and the area of ​​the podium enclosure Too large also improves the sound reflection intensity of the hull. And this new enclosure can reduce the hydrodynamic interference of the water flowing through the enclosure on the rear hull section of the submarine, which is beneficial to improve the uniformity and stability of the flow field of the rear hull section and the tail propeller, and it also reduces the hydrodynamic noise of the nuclear submarine. And propeller radiation noise, etc. will also have greater benefits.

Power System

There is no public data on the nuclear power plant of the Type 093 attack nuclear submarine. It is certain that the legendary "high-temperature gas cycle reactor" is not used.

Its weak thermal power is far from being able to meet the propulsion needs of Type 093. During the development of the Type 093 attack nuclear submarine, the technology of nuclear reactors for Chinese submarines was still based on the improvement of the previous generation of reactors. Therefore, Type 093 uses the first-generation, mature, reliable, and stable performance of the new improved pressurized water reactor. The primary loop system may adopt the natural circulation method of “gravity circulation” or the traditional “external pressure” circulation method. The engine power should be around 38,000 horsepower, which is much higher than the less than 20,000 horsepower of the 091 type, and it is also better in terms of quietness, safety and stability. Similar to the first-generation nuclear submarines of other countries in the world, the Type 091 attack nuclear submarine had many reactor failures in its early service life, and the anti-radiation facilities in the boat were relatively simple. Therefore, the service of the Type 093 attack nuclear submarine means that the Chinese Navy finally has a safe and reliable nuclear submarine that can operate more stably in actual combat.

There is a certain gap between China's nuclear power propulsion system and Western countries in terms of the thermal power of nuclear power plants and the conversion efficiency of propulsion plants. Therefore, the new pressurized water reactor propulsion system of the Type 093 nuclear submarine may not be able to make a major breakthrough in its top speed. It is already a huge improvement to reach the level between 26 and 28 knots. But in fact, submarines are different from surface ships. High speeds are only used when going to the battle zone. In real combat, they are all sailing at low speeds to prevent the enemy from monitoring. In addition to improving safety performance and power, the new PWR may have a breakthrough in the compact design of the reactor and possess a certain degree of self-circulation capability. Although the natural circulation power is still difficult to reach the level of the world's advanced natural circulation reactors, it should be able to reach the level of the S5W PWR on the American Sturgeon-class nuclear submarine, which is still far behind the S6G natural circulation reactor used by the Los Angeles-class attack nuclear submarine. .

Weaponry

The Type 093 attack nuclear submarine still adopts the layout of 6 533mm torpedo tubes in the bow , and can use the Yu-3 electric acoustic homing torpedo and the Yu-6 thermal power line.

Guide torpedoes, among them, the Yu-6 thermal power line guide torpedo, similar to the American MK48 torpedo, has a caliber of 533 mm and is powered by Otto-2 liquid fuel. It has a maximum speed of 48 knots and a maximum range of 50 kilometers. Passive acoustic guidance or wake self-guidance and other methods of guidance. When using the wire guidance method, the submarine can correct the torpedo's trajectory based on the information transmitted by the torpedo to improve the accuracy of the torpedo's hit. The active and passive sound guidance system adopts a brand-new digital computer and data processing system, which improves the storage capacity and processing speed of information and data. It can search for and track targets in a more complex underwater acoustic environment, and can even lose targets The ability to perform a search afterwards. The combat performance of this type of torpedo is at the same level as the MK48 heavy anti-submarine torpedo, and it can fully meet the combat needs of attacking high-speed, large-submersible deep submarines.

The Type 093 submarine also has the ability to launch anti-ship missiles from underwater. It can launch the YJ-82 anti-ship missiles and the YJ-84 anti-ship missiles (Eagle-83 anti-ship missiles submarine-launched type) in a dry and unpowered manner. ), it is possible to equip the Eagle-18 anti-ship missiles in the future, with a total of more than 20 ammunition. The equipment of these torpedoes and missiles, combined with the new firing commander and active and passive sonar detection system, greatly improves the strike capability of nuclear submarines. It also allows the Type 093 to have three-dimensional strikes, which can attack surface ships at long distances, avoiding approaching the enemy. It was discovered that the combat capability and survivability were greatly enhanced. In addition, according to the picture of the command cabin of the Chinese Type 039 submarine, it has been equipped with a new generation of submarine command and control system with a high degree of automation and strong informatization capabilities. The Type 093 attack nuclear submarine was developed later than the Type 039 submarine, so the command and control system it uses must be more advanced than that of the Type 039 submarine, and its multi-target strike capability should have reached the level of Western nuclear submarines in the late 1980s.

Hydroacoustic system

The H/SQG-207 integrated sonar and the DUUX-5 improved wide-aperture low-frequency side array sonar equipped with the Type 093 attack nuclear submarine have advanced technical performance and exploration.

Long measuring distance, high search accuracy, strong multi-target tracking ability. China’s H/SJG208 towed line array sonar has been equipped on a certain type of survey ship around 1997, and the newly commissioned 052B/C new type destroyer and 054A frigate are also equipped with towed line array sonar, indicating that China is in The technology of ship towed line array sonar has been mature, so the possibility of equipped with towed line array sonar on the Type 093 attack nuclear submarine is also very high. Overall, the level of underwater acoustic detection equipment and automated control systems of the Type 093 nuclear submarine should be comparable to the level of the early Los Angeles-class attack nuclear submarine.

Boat power system

Type 093 attack nuclear submarine equipped with new radar and new shooting commander.

Stealth technology

The water hole of the Type 093 attack nuclear submarine adopts the segmented longitudinal slotted water hole. Compared with the long longitudinal slotted water hole of the Type 091, this type of segmented arrangement is used.

The longitudinal length of each section of the flow hole is shortened, and the strength of the outer shell steel plate at the opening of the flow hole is improved, which is great for avoiding the resonance of the outer shell steel plate caused by the high-speed sailing of the double hull submarine and reducing the generation of a large amount of hydrodynamic noise. help. In addition, it can be seen from the outer surface of the 093 nuclear submarine that its smoothness and processing technology are obviously much better than those of the 091 nuclear submarine. A layer of overall flexible skin material is also adhered to it. This layer of material not only reduces the fluid resistance caused by the anechoic tile to reduce the speed of the submarine, but also greatly reduces the mechanical noise of the submarine and reduces the enemy’s sonar. The search distance significantly improves the concealment of nuclear submarines.

With the enhancement of the processing capacity of China’s defense industry, the processing accuracy of the reduction gears, transmission shafts and other mechanical components on nuclear submarines will be greatly improved. The equipment uses vibration-damping floating raft technology, and the pipeline adopts sound-absorbing materials, so that the mechanical vibration and noise are significantly reduced. China has installed a 7-blade large skew propeller on the Type 039 submarine. Therefore, a new type of 7-blade large skew propeller with better cavitation performance and lower noise level will be used on the Type 093 nuclear submarine. After this series of new noise reduction measures and mute technology, the noise level of the Type 093 attack nuclear submarine should be better than that of Russia's Type 671 attack nuclear submarine III (Victor Class III), which is on the same level as the early type of the Los Angeles-class attack nuclear submarine. , And close to its improved noise decibel level, which is a huge improvement to the mute level of Chinese nuclear submarines.

Performance data edit this paragraph

Series model

The first batch of Type 093 attack nuclear submarines had many limitations. First of all, it had insufficient nuclear reactor power and low underwater speed. This speed was. [no further words]

Strategic nuclear submarine escort still low, but for the third generation of nuclear submarines and enemy confrontation or tracking nuclear aircraft carrier is more difficult. In addition, the Type 093 attack nuclear submarine has a low weapon carrying capacity, because the first batch of boats are not equipped with a vertical launch system and can only use torpedo tubes to launch weapons. Taking into account the requirements of anti-submarine and anti-ship missions, it can carry anti-ship missiles and cruise missiles. The number is relatively limited, which limits the combat capability of the Type 093 attack nuclear submarine, especially the multi-purpose combat capability. Therefore, after the completion of the construction of the two basic models, the consistent "small steps and fast running" method was adopted to further improve them.

In 2012, a photo of a new type of nuclear submarine moored at the dock of the shipyard appeared. The boat was once rumored to be China's new type 095 attack nuclear submarine. Later, as more information and pictures appeared, it was confirmed that it was actually an improvement of the type 093 attack nuclear submarine. The model is called 093B/G/A according to the general naming rules. Since 2011, whether [no further words]

In four years, 2 to 4 Type 093B nuclear submarines have been built, which is a huge gap compared with the past 20 years of difficult construction of 5 Type 091 nuclear submarines. This also shows that Chinese nuclear submarines have matured in the construction process and can be mass-produced like advanced conventional submarines .

Type 093B is 8 to 10 meters longer than Type 093. A "small turtleback" compartment with a slightly protruding surface behind the hull of the command podium is added. It is considered to be used for carrying special operations personnel or for launching Eagle Strike-18. anti-ship missiles or long sword -10 cruise missiles Navy. As among all types of long-range land-attack cruise missile launch platforms, nuclear submarines are the most concealed and the most abrupt. The attack nuclear submarines equipped by the US and Soviet navies in the late Cold War have generally been capable of launching land attack cruise missiles. Therefore, the newly added compartment of Type 093B should be used to launch cruise missiles. Of course, nuclear submarines can also use torpedo tubes to launch cruise missiles, but the limitation of missile launch depth will affect it.

The number of other mine shells carried by the submarine is very inconvenient for the tactical use of the submarine. After the Los Angeles-class 31 modified to use the boat bow increased 12 battle ax cruise missile vertical launch tubes instead of the original torpedo tube launch.

The size and opening shape of this compartment of 093B can accommodate at least 12 heavy cruise missiles such as Longsword-10. In theory, 4 Type 093Bs can fire more than 40 longsword-10 cruise missiles. This will make China The military has stronger options for attacking the enemy's strategic targets on land and even in depth, enough to form a huge deterrent to neighboring countries and regions, while retaining the Type 093 heavy torpedo and anti-ship missile carrying capabilities.

The Type 093B has been modified on the hull shape. The front edge of the podium hull adopts an arc-shaped transition design similar to that of Yuan-class submarines, which greatly helps reduce underwater resistance and noise during high-speed navigation. In addition, the number and shape of the flank array sonar arrays have also changed, which further strengthens the submarine's underwater perception capabilities. With the development of China's advanced conventional submarines, its supporting results have also begun to be applied to the 093B. After 2 to 4 Type 093B ships in service, plus 2 Basic Type 093 and 2 Improved Type 091 that can still undertake certain training tasks, the number of Chinese Navy’s attack nuclear submarines will reach 6 to 8 for the first time, so that it can truly realize the ocean The normal deployment in the depths escorted the Type 092/094 strategic nuclear submarine to the launch position. In addition, Type 093B is not only the main force of the Chinese Navy’s second-generation attack nuclear submarine, it is likely to also undertake the task of technical verification for some of the subsystems of China’s third-generation attack nuclear submarine Type 095.

Service dynamic

In December 2006, Hu Jintao, then chairman of the Central Military Commission of China, presided over the service flag award ceremony of the 407, the first boat of the Type 093 attack nuclear submarine.

In 2013, Xi Jinping,then chairman of the Central Military Commission of China, reviewed the Type 093 attack nuclear submarine 407 and the Type 094 strategic nuclear submarine 409.

From December 2013 to February 2014, the Type 093 attack nuclear submarine of the Chinese Navy set off from the Hainan base and went to the Indian Ocean for a three-month cruise. This is the first time that the Chinese Navy’s nuclear submarine has been deployed in the Indian Ocean for the first time, marking China’s The ocean-going combat capability of naval nuclear submarines has reached a new level.

In 2015, the Type 093 attack nuclear submarine of the Chinese Navy went to the Indian Ocean to cooperate with other ships to perform ocean-going missions.

On the morning of April 12, 2018, the then Chinese Central Military Commission held a maritime military parade in the South China Sea. Chinese President Xi Jinping took the destroyer 173 Changsha to inspect various types of ships, including two Type 093 and two Type 093B attack nuclear submarines.

This class of [submarine] edit this paragraph