Posted on 05/24/2004 5:27:29 PM PDT by LibWhacker
May 24, 2004: The Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) regards its submarine force as its first line naval force. Not without reason. Only the submarine force has nuclear powered ships. More importantly, Chinese submarines pose the most significant threat to hostile naval forces, especially U.S. Navy carrier battle groups. The Chinese submarine force is undergoing rapid conversion to modern propulsion, sensor and weapons technologies. At the same time, serious measures have been taken to reduce noise levels and increase the effectiveness of the crews.
The elite portion of the submarine force is its nuclear powered ships. Submarines are officially "ships" in the PLAN, rather than "boats" as in other navies. The Chinese nuclear submarine force was long mainly a paper threat. The original half a dozen nuclear submarines (5 Han attack boats and a single Xia which is nominally a ballistic missile sub) were the most noisy nuclear submarines ever built. Worse, they had terrible problems with radiation leaks in the reactor coolant system. The first of these subs was completed in 1974, but not operational until the 1980s because so many design and construction flaws had to be corrected. During the 1990s, an extensive program was undertaken to rebuild them all. Rumored to have been re-engined with French reactors (replacing the original German ones). U.S. Navy intelligence believes that, instead, the entire reactor coolant system was rebuilt. The Chinese subs had their electronics and sonar systems replaced with French equipment, and three may have been fitted with C-801 Ynng Ji 8 (Eagle Strike) ASCM (submarine launched cruise missile). Interestingly, the single Xia class sub, although used for missile launch trials, has never deployed with operational ballistic missiles, and apparently has been added to the force as an attack submarine. Supporting this theory are reports indicating the JL-1 and JL-1A ballistic missile (designed for Xia) never entered mass production nor were warheads manufactured for them.
Meanwhile, the first of the new 093 class SSN is nearing completion this year. A second of the 093 class has already been launched and two or more additional units are eventually expected to be built. These submarines, built with Russian technical advice, are similar to the Russian Victor III class. They have been modified to use the new Chinese land attack cruise missile (HN-3). The 093s are considered to be “very quiet.” A new missile submarine (type 094) has also begun construction. It is reportedly designed to use a sea based version of a land based ICBM (known as JL-2 in naval form). This missile could reach US targets from Chinese waters.
Potentially more significant is the rapidly expanding conventional submarine force. Typical of PLAN programs, there are parallel domestic and foreign weapons systems. Most famous, perhaps, is the purchase of four Russian Kilo class submarines, including two of the more advanced Project 636 types. More ominously, China ordered an additional eight units of this class, for simultaneous delivery in 2006, and it appears all will be delivered by 2007. These are superb submarines, quieter than most of the world’s nuclear submarines (when not recharging batteries with their diesel engines), and outfitted with very good sensors and torpedoes.
Less well understood are the newer domestic submarine classes. The first of these, called Ming, has completed production. But one of these boats was used to test a form of AIP (Air Independent Propulsion), and the final series of six was built to use the best sonar and torpedoes available and also reportedly use AIP. With a workable AIP, these subs could stay underwater for weeks, and be quieter than American nuclear subs.
The other domestic class is the Song. Subject to protracted development, it required a substantial redesign, so that the first ships produced were considered a subclass, called Song I. There are now six Song II, all with AIP, and all fitted to fire the same ASCM as the later Han SSNs (YJ-8). Often reported to be fired from separate tubes, in fact these missiles are torpedo tube launched weapons.
Taken together, these modern submarines represent a very significant capability. They are as quiet as the US Los Angelus class, and those with AIP do not have to use noisy diesel engines to recharge their batteries for weeks. The Song class subs are still building at a rate of one a year.
Finally, the PLAN continues to operate significant (but declining) numbers of Romeo class submarines. Copied from a Russian design, those still in service have also had new French sonar equipment installed. There are about 36 of these ships, but only about 21 active duty crews to serve them. The PLAN does not associate a crew with a specific submarine. Crews live ashore and are assigned a sub for a given mission. The Romeo class submarines might be significant as minelayers, as bait for anti-SSN traps, and as threats to merchant shipping.
A final note about the PLAN submarine force. Long thought to use inferior Chinese designed torpedoes, it is entirely equipped with Russian torpedoes. The Yu-1 torpedo is the Russian Type 53-51, the Yu-3 is the SET-65E, the Yu-4 is the SET-60, the Yu-5 is the TEST-71/96 and the Yu-6 is the Type 53-65 (which has been compared to the Mark 48). Only the newer boats are fitted to use the Yu-5 and Yu-6.
The people I hired were likely not spies, although I cannot know for certain. The characteristics of the security check were such that, a nominal effort on the part of any operatives to falsify their actual status vis a vis active duty in the PLA or intel ops combined with their "legend" (e.g. public career profile) would likely not have been detected by the screen. With the exception of direct DoD contractors under tighter controls, the vast majority of US corporations do not, as a goal, seek to prevent hostile military or intel ops from being hired. They have not even considered the threat, let alone taken action against it. Therefore, at corporations who are themselves often non-DoD controlled suppliers to DoD primes, or, are simple commercial firms, the opportunity for hostile operatives to have been embedded is immense. Benes to the Communist powers are not only industrial epsionage of prescribed, export controlled dual use items, but also, placement of ops who now have access to key financial data systems and IT systems, and who can effect massive economic or cyber attack on command. War by other means - classic Sun Tzu thought.
Russia and India know something we don't know: That China cannot escape its borders.
Ping. Food for thought. Consider the numbers of H1Bs who are PRC nationals (not to mention ones from other nations I do not trust). Among them must be active duty PLA or intel ops. In many large multinationals in the US, and other Western countries, some of them have write access to key finanacial data and other corporate IT systems. Consider the possibilities. Thank God Japan, Taiwan and a few other allies do not allow such sloppy hiring to go on in their own corporations - those allies may be the only thing up and running (in limp-along mode) if a worst case non conventional cyber / economic attack happens.
And therefore, they must build a virtual over-land bridge to the south. And to think that, at least in the case of the autobahnen being built into Thailand, a bunch of duped businessmen in Bangkok are helping to pay for them!
China's enemies are always within.
Our submariners will kick their ass. NOBODY outwits or outplays our Silent Service.
Nobody.
In the end...Germany, Japan, and several others could not either...that didn't stop them from trying or prevent the bloodbaths it took to contain them.
Our southern border is sieve, we check only a fraction of the containers coming in...there are many ways into our nation.
I explore this in great detail and the potential downside of having so many sappers already within the perimeter when the baloons go up in the Dragon's Fury Series, along with many, many other considerations (from outsourceing, to immigration, to downsizing, to Chinese control of the Panama Canal, etc.).
Let me know what you think should you read any of them.
Best Fregards.
I have recently bought your first book, though I haven't had time to get to it yet with the other books that I have laying around. I hate it when I buy more books than I have time to read, but I hope to get to it in the next month after I finish reading Burke's Reflections on the Revolution in France.
The last World War was even MORE "fun!"
"Not only have rats handed them our technology on a silver platter, we've been training our enemies for a generation now how to take that technology and run with it, improve upon it, and discover who knows what? Makes me sick."
Not only that but when the final conflict happens, it will be the first time in history that one nation(China)planned and funded it's war build-up off of trade with it's enemy (U.S.).
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