JL-2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Julang-2 (JL-2) or CSS-NX-4 | |
|---|---|
 JL-1 and JL-2. |
|
| Type | SLBM |
| Place of origin | China |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2009? |
| Used by |  People's Liberation Army Navy |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Huang Weilu |
| Designed | 1990s |
| Manufacturer | Factory 307 (Nanjing Dawn Group) ? |
| Produced | 2000s |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 13 metres (43 ft) |
| Width | 2.0 metres (6.6 ft) |
|
|
|
| Warhead | nuclear, single or MIRVs |
| Blast yield | 25-1000kt? |
|
|
|
| Propellant | 3-stage solid fuel |
| Operational range |
7,200 kilometres (4,500 mi)[1] - 8,000 kilometres (5,000 mi) |
| Launch platform |
Type 096 Tang class submarine Type 094 Jin class submarine |
The JL-2 (巨浪-2 Ju Lang-2, Giant Wave 2) is a Chinese second generation intercontinental-range submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) which has a three-stage, solid-fuelled propulsion design. Accurate specifications of the new missile are hard to obtain and substantiate due to the secretive nature of the program. However, the missile is thought to be able to deliver its payload(s) up to a range of 7,200 km[1] (4,500 miles) to 8,000 km (5,000 miles) and could carry either single or multiple warheads (conventional or nuclear).
[edit] Capability
JL-2's design is based on the mobile land-based DF-31 ballistic missile. As such, it shares many features of DF-31 missile such as its operational range. There has been a debate among Western analysts on whether the JL-2 missile is capable of carrying multiple warheads (MIRVs) because China has never fielded any ballistic missiles with such capability before. Most analysts within the U.S. intelligence community believe that the missile can carry only a single warhead (conventional or nuclear). Other analysts such as Jane's Defence asserted that the missile can deliver 3 to 4 MIRVs, each with a yield of 90 kt or a single warhead of 25 to 1,000 kt yield. The JL-2 SLBMs are carried on the new Chinese Type 094 (Jin-class) submarine. It replaces the earlier first-generation JL-1 SLBM which were primarily deployed by the older Type 092 (Xia-class) nuclear submarine.
The JL-2 missile is expected to provide China with its first credible sea-based nuclear deterrent. The expected operational range of the missile (up to 8,000 km or 5,000 miles) will allow it to reach Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, Russia, and India but not the continental United States from Chinese littoral waters (Bohai Sea or South China Sea).
The general designer of the missile is Huang Weilu [黄纬禄] (1916-). The first sea launch of the JL-2 was reported to have taken place mid January 2001 from a modified Golf class submarine. The missile is expected to enter initial operational capability within the 2009-2010 timeframe.[1][2]
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ a b c Military Power of the People’s Republic of China 2008, Office of the Secretary of Defense, pp. 4 and 25 (pp14 and 35 of PDF), http://www.defenselink.mil/pubs/pdfs/China_Military_Report_08.pdf
- ^ Gertz, Bill, "Inside the Ring", Washington Times, April 30, 2009, p. B1.
[edit] External links
- JL-2 (CSS-NX-4) - China Nuclear Forces from Globalsecurity.org
- JL-2 from Mark Wade's Encyclopedia Astronautica
- launch article from Armscontrolwonk
- Chinese Defence Today - JL-2 Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile
