China builds 'secret' underground sub base

[CaptainChewbacca]

How secret is it if the Telegraph knows?

Chinese nuclear submarine base
By Thomas Harding, Defence Correspondent
Last Updated: 8:13PM BST 06/05/2008

China has secretly built a major underground nuclear submarine base that could threaten Asian countries and challenge American power in the region, it can be disclosed.

Satellite imagery, passed to The Daily Telegraph, shows that a substantial harbour has been built which could house a score of nuclear ballistic missile submarines and a host of aircraft carriers.

In what will be a significant challenge to US Navy dominance and to countries ringing the South China Sea, one photograph shows China’s latest 094 nuclear submarine at the base just a few hundred miles from its neighbours.

Other images show numerous warships moored to long jettys and a network of underground tunnels at the Sanya base on the southern tip of Hainan island.

Of even greater concern to the Pentagon are massive tunnel entrances, estimated to be 60ft high, built into hillsides around the base. Sources fear they could lead to caverns capable of hiding up to 20 nuclear submarines from spy satellites.

The US Department of Defence has estimated that China will have five 094 nuclear submarines operational by 2010 with each capable of carrying 12 JL-2 nuclear missiles.

The images were obtained by Janes Intelligence Review after the periodical was given access to imagery from the commercial satellite company DigitalGlobe.

Analysts for the respected military magazine suggest that the base could be used for "expeditionary as well as defensive operations" and would allow the submarines to "break out to launch locations closer to the US".

It would now be "difficult to ignore" that China was building a major naval base where it could house its nuclear forces and increase it "strategic capability considerably further afield".

The development so close to the sea lanes vital to Asian economies "can only cause concern far beyond these straits".

Military analysts believe that China’s substantial build up of its forces is gaining pace but has remained hidden from the world in the build-up to the Olympics.

China has diverted much of its resources from the huge Peoples Liberation Army to the navy, air force and missile development.

An old Russian aircraft carrier, bought by Beijing for "leisure activities" has been picked over by naval architects who hope to "reverse engineer" the ship.

Within the next five to 10 years the People's Liberation Navy is expected to build up to six carriers which will also coincide with the Royal Navy’s construction of two major carriers.

The location of the base off Hainan will also give the submarines access to very deep water exceeding 5,000 metres within a few miles, making them even harder to detect.

Britain’s Trident submarines have to remain on the surface when they leave Faslane in north east Scotland and cannot dive to depth until outside the Irish Sea.

While it has been known that China might be developing an underground base at Sanya, the pictures provide the first proof of the base’s existence and the rapid progress made.

Two 950 metre piers and three smaller ones would be enough to accommodate two carrier strike groups or amphibious assault ships.

Christian Le Miere, editor for Jane's Intelligence Review, said the complex underlined Beijing’s plan “to assert tighter control over this region".

"This is a challenge to any hegemonic power, particularly the US which still remains dominant in the region."

So far China has offered no public explanation for its building at Sanya.

Its a pretty cool freaking base, but it seems a bit of overkill given the size (or lack thereof) of the People's Navy. Of course, I'm sure there's a few choice warheads pointed at this island as we speak.

[Darth Wong]

This is awesome. It's like a James Bond movie.

[K. A. Pital]

Its a pretty cool freaking base, but it seems a bit of overkill given the size (or lack thereof) of the People's Navy.

No. That's just one hardened underground base. The USSR with it's rather small Navy had built many of them, and it expected to have 8 small cruiser-carriers and 1 true aircraft carrier (the Ulyanovsk) by the year 2000 tops. Of course our sub fleet was formidable, but China is aiming for that. If it wants 10-12 subs, and keep at least 3-4 of them operative at all times, it would need such a base.

[Ritterin Sophia]

Within the next five to 10 years the People's Liberation Navy is expected to build up to six carriers which will also coincide with the Royal Navy’s construction of two major carriers.

Good luck with that task.

[Stuart]

How secret is it if the Telegraph knows?[/url]

It's the Holiday Inn less that two miles away that is the really serious security Breach. That and the guided tours for foreign tourists.

There's nothing new about this; the base has been known for at least two or three years. The more interesting question is what it tells us about how the Chinese intend to deploy their SSBNs

[K. A. Pital]

Within the next five to 10 years the People's Liberation Navy is expected to build up to six carriers which will also coincide with the Royal Navy’s construction of two major carriers.

You think six small TAKR-type carriers (not true carriers) reverse-engineered from the USSR are not constructable in ten years? Why? The USSR constructed quite a few of them and the program was supposed to take around 15-20 years overall. It was like, a total from scratch project, and the Chinese already have a lot of prior years of new CV construction.

[CaptainChewbacca]

How secret is it if the Telegraph knows?[/url]

It's the Holiday Inn less that two miles away that is the really serious security Breach. That and the guided tours for foreign tourists.

There's nothing new about this; the base has been known for at least two or three years. The more interesting question is what it tells us about how the Chinese intend to deploy their SSBNs

It looks to me like China is looking to expand operations in the Indian Ocean, probably due to the bigger role its trying to take in the mideast and eastern africa. Right?

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

It looks to me like China is looking to expand operations in the Indian Ocean, probably due to the bigger role its trying to take in the mideast and eastern africa. Right?

It can't do that in China itself. Too far away. Likely they are trying to cozy up to Colombo (I believe that is in process). There's also the Indian navy to contend with, which is actually somewhat more developed than the PLAN.

[Gustav32Vasa]

Its a pretty cool freaking base, but it seems a bit of overkill given the size (or lack thereof) of the People's Navy.

No. That's just one hardened underground base. The USSR with it's rather small Navy had built many of them,

Yeah, its no big deal. Sweden with a even smaller navy have them too.

[Darth Wong]

It would be much cooler if it was built inside of a fake volcano, with a door on top that can open to do space launches.

[Sidewinder]

More alarmist bullshit. (I'm Chinese and I'm sick of "Grrrr, China evil evil evil!!!" fearmongering, and if I understand Stas Bush and Vympel correctly, they're sick of "Grrrr, Russia evil evil evil (again)!!!" fearmongering.)

China has secretly built a major underground nuclear submarine base that could threaten Asian countries and challenge American power in the region, it can be disclosed.

Why is a British newspaper concerned about the challenge to "American power"? Did some American right-wing nuts bribe the reporters and editors to be their proxy bullshit sprouts?

In what will be a significant challenge to US Navy dominance and to countries ringing the South China Sea, one photograph shows China’s latest 094 nuclear submarine at the base just a few hundred miles from its neighbours.

China ITSELF is only a few hundred miles from its neighbors. The US is THOUSANDS of miles away from China's neighbors, and it has Navy bases only a few hundred miles from them. Hypocrisy much?

The US Department of Defence has estimated that China will have five 094 nuclear submarines operational by 2010 with each capable of carrying 12 JL-2 nuclear missiles.

The US has 14 Ohio class ballistic missile subs operational NOW with each capable of carrying 24 nuclear missiles. More hypocrisy.

Analysts for the respected military magazine suggest that the base could be used for "expeditionary as well as defensive operations" and would allow the submarines to "break out to launch locations closer to the US".

Again, there are THOUSANDS of MILES of OCEAN separating the US and China. I don't see how having a base at Hainan (an island southeast of the Chinese mainland) is going to make much of a difference, especially when you consider that ballistic missiles are designed to fly THOUSANDS of MILES to reach their targets.

The development so close to the sea lanes vital to Asian economies "can only cause concern far beyond these straits".

Cause concern in whose minds? American right-wing nuts? Taiwan and the Spratly Islands are the only places seriously threatened by the Chinese Navy. Taiwan is content with the status quo, China is willing to leave Taiwan alone (for now), and to my knowledge, there are NO nations willing to go to war over (Chinese naval bases on) the Spratly Islands.

[Stuart]

It looks to me like China is looking to expand operations in the Indian Ocean, probably due to the bigger role its trying to take in the mideast and eastern africa. Right?

Not quite. Look at a map and you'll see the new naval base has deep water access to a fairly enclosed area of sea that can only easily be approached via some easily defended bottlenecks. That makes the SSBNs at the base hard to get at using SSNs but it also means that the SSBNs have a hell of a job getting out through those same bottlenecks. In short by walling the enemy SSNs out, they've walled themselves in.

So, from this we can deduce that the Chinese SSBNs use a bastion strategy, being held in easily-defended waters and protected by their own SSNs and surface units that will deploy in the choke points. They are not deploying using deep ocean strategy. So, by applying the known range of Chinese SLBMs to the bastion in question, we can calculate that none of those missiles can reach the USA. In other words they aren't a threat to us.

They are a threat to India but that's SEP

[Rye]

Why is a British newspaper concerned about the challenge to "American power"? Did some American right-wing nuts bribe the reporters and editors to be their proxy bullshit sprouts?

Uh, if there's a big challenge to American power it usually affects more than just Americans? Some newspapers have this crazy idea that America plays perhaps the most significant part in international politics and so warrants awareness.

[CJvR]

Yeah, its no big deal. Sweden with a even smaller navy have them too.

Indeed, Musköbasen...

http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/3564/musko1nz.jpg
http://www.huvudbas.kajen.com/pictures/minjakt.jpg
http://www.huvudbas.kajen.com/pictures/risdalslip.jpg
http://www.nti.org/db/submarines/sweden ... /musko.jpg
http://www.afchapman.nu/images/kustkorvett.gif

It was built as a defence against traditional ordonance and poorly aimed nukes, with todays precission weaponry I suspect it could well do more harm than good. Fly a few missiles up the tunnels and the mountain will direct the blasts to where they will do the most damage.

[Stuart Mackey]

snippage
Cause concern in whose minds? American right-wing nuts? Taiwan and the Spratly Islands are the only places seriously threatened by the Chinese Navy. Taiwan is content with the status quo, China is willing to leave Taiwan alone (for now), and to my knowledge, there are NO nations willing to go to war over (Chinese naval bases on) the Spratly Islands.

Concern about the potential of Chinese action to defend/attack sea lanes and overall growing power and influence is even beginning to crop up in New Zealand, not a nation known for right wing nuts. China is a dictatorship, and will never be trusted, traded with, but never trusted.

[Pelranius]

Well, one can trust Beijing to do what is good for Beijing, I guess.

As for the bastion strategy, it doesn't seem that the 8000km range JL-2 can actually hit America from the South China Sea. Perhaps they're aimed at Russia or India?

[Stuart]

As for the bastion strategy, it doesn't seem that the 8000km range JL-2 can actually hit America from the South China Sea.

That's the whole point.

Perhaps they're aimed at Russia or India?

As I said, SEP.

[Kane Starkiller]

As I said, SEP.

What does SEP stand for?

[Stuart]

What does SEP stand for?

Somebody Else's Problem

[Col. Crackpot]

It would be much cooler if it was built inside of a fake volcano, with a door on top that can open to do space launches.

Shaped like Chairman Mao's head perhaps? I didn't spend eight years in evil school to be called mister, Mike.

[Ritterin Sophia]

It would be much cooler if it was built inside of a fake volcano, with a door on top that can open to do space launches.

Shaped like Chairman Mao's head perhaps? I didn't spend eight years in evil school to be called mister, Mike.

I don't think our design is complete yet, it needs hidden speakers that allow us to hear General Han laughing maniacally from half a mile away.