Satellite images reveal scary things on Chinese nuclear submarine | The world | News

A shocking new satellite image has emerged showing horrifying detail of a Chinese nuclear submarine docked at a naval base.

The vessel, identified as a Type 094 nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine by an open source intelligence analyst, can be seen with at least four of its nuclear ballistic missile hatches open.

The Type 094 is capable of carrying up to 12 long-range nuclear missiles.

The photo was taken by Google Earth Pro on December 7 while the submarine docked at the Longpo Naval Base on Hainan Island in southern China.

It also showed a dockside crane being operated over the submarine’s open hatches, although it remains unclear whether it was loading or unloading ballistic missiles.

Collin Koh, senior fellow at Singapore’s Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies, said the photo of the ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) was rare.

He wrote on X: “(It) further reinforces reports of regular strategic deterrent patrols conducted by these SSBNs.”

The Longpo base has underground facilities facing the hotly contested South China Sea and boasts six 230-metre-long berths capable of accommodating 12 submarines.

Each Type 094 submarine is armed with either JL-2 or JL-3 ballistic missiles as a nuclear deterrent, according to a 2023 Pentagon report.

A JL-2 has a range of 3,900 nautical miles and can hit the US East Coast from waters east of Hawaii. A JL-3 has a range of 5,400 nautical miles and can hit the US mainland from Chinese waters.

The report said China likely conducts “almost continuous deterrence patrols at sea” with Type 094 submarines.

China has never disclosed how many nuclear weapons it has in stockpile, but the US military estimated in 2023 that the number could be over 500.