It has had to face some significant technical challenges, however Chinese Missile Julang-1 (JL-1)ballistic missile submarine launching (SLBM) the first generation, is still an important and often underestimated element nuclear deterrence from Beijing. The reason is very simple: according to some military magazines, this weapon represents a nuclear threat to the United StatesAlaska and potentially for the rest United States of America. There Chinathrough the JL-1 program, essentially setting a high technical standard, managing to overcome some of the limitations that plagued other countries’ missile programs. Although this system is now considered largely retired or obsolete compared to more modern models, its technological legacy is crucial to understanding China’s current nuclear triad power.
Watch out for Chinese missiles
As he explained ScmpThat design and it technology This missile surpassed, in some technical aspects, US equivalent missiles at the time, such as the UGM-27 Polaris. The main advantage of Dragon Joker? Ability to use solid fuel and is housed in a more compact body, a feature that facilitates its transportation and launch from submarines. This not only shows China’s engineering prowess in overcoming complex challenges, but also provides Beijing with a solid foundation for the development of next-generation submarine ballistic missiles, such as the latest and most advanced ballistic missiles. JL-2 and the current one JL-3.
This missile can be carried by H-6N strategic bomber of the Chinese Air Force and is the final piece necessary for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army to complete its nuclear triad, namely the capability to launch nuclear weapons from air, land, and sea platforms. Second Arms Industry Science TechnologyThis missile is also the only long-range hypersonic missile in the world capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. The JL-1 will have autonomy of up to 8,000 kmwhile the H-6N bomber has a combat endurance of up to 4,000 km (if supported by in-flight refueling).
The combination gives the weapon system an effective operational range of more than 8,000 km, enough to reach targets such as Alaska or locations within the region. the third island chain in the Pacific. “Considering that Alaska is the main base of the US national missile defense system, the JL-1 would have no real combat purpose if it did not pose a real threat to it.“, we read in the magazine article above.
Threat to America
But be careful, because the JL-1’s strategic limitations actually lie in that launch platform: China’s Xia Class (Type 092) nuclear-armed missile submarine (SSBN). These submarines, although a step forward for the Chinese Navy, were considered technologically inferior and much noisier than US and Soviet/Russian submarines.
Noisy submarines are in fact easier to track and neutralize, thereby drastically reducing survivability at sea and, consequently, the deterrence effectiveness of the entire missile system. In essence, advanced missiles like the JL-1 are tied to vulnerable launch platforms, limiting their strategic potential. Therefore, this gap highlights a recurring challenge in the military evolution of a new power: the difficulty in developing aircraft carriers (missiles) and their support systems (submarines) simultaneously and uniformly.
However, the JL-1 program, after reducing operational limitations due to the platform Xia classhas enabled Beijing to shape its current naval and nuclear modernization strategy. The experience gained in the development of the JL-1 allowed Chinese engineers to overcome the problems of miniaturization, solid-state propulsion and submarine launching, thereby creating a solid knowledge base. This experience was then successfully applied to the next SLBM program. China has responded to the limitations of the Xia Class by developing much more capable submarines, such as Jin’s class (Type 094) and, in perspective, futuristic Type 096.
This new SSBN is designed to be quieter, more resistant and capable of hosting the latest generation of submarine ballistic missiles (JL-2 and JL-3), equipped with an intercontinental range that covers the entire US territory.
