China is using Russian technology to build the Type 096 nuclear submarine with intercontinental ballistic missiles and nuclear warheads

China has joined the arms race in the segment of nuclear submarines capable of carrying nuclear weapons. According to Reuters, the Celestial Empire is developing a silent submarine using Russian technology.

Here's What We Know

The new Chinese Type 096 submarine will be equipped with a nuclear propulsion system and armed with intercontinental ballistic missiles. Commissioning is scheduled for the end of this decade. Around the same time, the U.S. will begin receiving Columbia-class submarines.

The US Department of Defence is paying a lot of attention to tracking Chinese strategic nuclear submarines. The Pentagon has previously stated that the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy regularly engages fully armed Type 094 nuclear deterrent submarines in patrols in the South China Sea. Similar manoeuvres have been conducted by the US, France, the UK and Russia for years.

Despite the fact that the Type 094s are armed with the most advanced missile (JL-3), the submarines can hardly be called silent. The Chinese military intends to solve this problem in the Type 096 nuclear submarines, which will make it very difficult for the U.S. and allies to track them. Moreover, Russian technologies are used for this purpose.

Needless to say, neither the Russian Federation nor China has commented on the information about the construction of Type 096.

Source: Reuters