Type 093

The new Type 93 SSN is expected to be similar in performance to Russian second generation designs such as the Victor III, although it would be incorrect to describe the Chinese submarine as a copy of the Russian Victor III. While there is no direct indication of Russian technology transfer to China connected with this program, Beijing’s next-generation nuclear submarine programs are expected to reflect a significant amount of Russian influence.

As with the Song SSK, the new submarine will incorporate advanced quieting with a hydrodynamically efficient hull form, a single shaft and a highly skewed 7-bladed propeller. The submarine will will be equipped with torpedoes, antisubmarine warfare missiles, and a submarine-launched antiship cruise , possibly a follow-on to the C801, as well as the projected Land Attack Cruise Missile.

In the mid-1990s the launch of the initial unit of this class from the Bohai Shipyard in Huludao was expected around the year 2000. The first unit was reported to be under construction since 1997-8, and was expected to be launched sometime after 2001. However, the extended re-fits to the Han-class SSNs appears to delayed the development of the Type 093. It was reported in August 1999 that China had begun construction of a new nuclear-powered submarine at the Huludao shipyard on the Bohai Gulf northeast of Beijing, apparently the first of China's new class of attack submarines. The first unit launch was expected in 2002, with an in-service date of 2004. As of early 2001 the Project 093 nuclear-powered attack submarine construction program appeared unlikely to produce the first unit until the 2004-2005 timeframe. According to some sources two units of this type are planned, while other sources suggest that as many as 6-8 of the Type 093 SSNs are projected, with possibly four to six Type 093 submarines entering service by 2012.

According to a 2002 estimate by the US Department of Defense, the first Type 093 Class SSN probably will be operational soon after 2005. It eventually will replace the HAN Class SSNs, all of which China will withdraw from service by 2020.

See Also: Bohai Shipyard

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