introduction
Until China decided to develop aircraft carriers, submarine forces have been the main combat force of the Navy.
The total number of submarines built by it is more than 130, and in addition to its own research and development, it has also imported relatively advanced "Kilo"-class submarines from Russia.
Now, the Chinese Navy has achieved leapfrog development, and even the original "Kilo" class has begun to be decommissioned.
It can be said that China's submarines have gone through a difficult and glorious history of development, so how difficult is the road to China's domestic submarines?
Conventional submarines start with imitations
At the beginning of the founding of the People's Navy, the central authorities formulated the principle of "air, submarine, and speed" in light of the actual situation, that is, focusing on the development of naval aviation, submarines, and torpedo boats, so as to rapidly build up combat effectiveness.
Compared with speedboats, submarines have the advantages of long range and can conceal the enemy, and are a relatively ideal weapon for naval warfare, while at that time to develop submarines, they could only turn to the Soviet Union for help.
At the end of 1950, the mainland submitted a request to the Soviet Union for the introduction of submarine equipment and personnel training, and after more than three years of preparation, in 1953, China and the Soviet Union signed an agreement.
The Soviet Union provided equipment and drawings at a paid basis, as well as sent experts to guide the production of W-type submarines in China, the first submarine began construction in April 1955 and was officially delivered to the Navy in 1957.
The W-type submarine is called Type 6603 in the sequence of our army, with a maximum underwater displacement of 1,300 tons, a maximum underwater speed of 13 knots, and can cruise at sea for 30 days at full capacity, and is equipped with six 533-mm torpedo tubes.
The performance of this submarine was not advanced at the time, but it was invaluable to the poor Chinese Navy, a total of 21 of which were built and used as training ships until the 70s.
Strictly speaking, the W-type submarines belong to authorized production, and the real domestic submarines are the subsequent 6633 and 6631 types.
In 1959, China and the Soviet Union signed a second round of agreements, under which the Soviet Union transferred the relevant technology of R-class and G-class submarines to the mainland.
Later it turned out that the decision of the naval department was very prescient, and after the rupture of Sino-Soviet relations, the USSR withdrew all its specialists, and we had to build these two types of submarines completely on our own.
In the process of tackling key problems, we have not only realized the localization of materials and equipment, but also solved technical problems such as special steel welding, and cultivated a strong technical team.
In December 1965, the first R-class conventionally powered attack submarine was completed, known as the Type 6633, and in August 1966, the first G-class conventionally powered ballistic missile submarine, known as the Type 6631, was completed.
Type 6633 has a maximum underwater displacement of 1800 tons, and due to the use of high-strength alloy steel, it is equipped with a more complete underwater aerator.
The attack power and diving depth are much higher than that of the 6603 type, and as the first domestic conventional submarine, it has laid a solid foundation for the independent development of the mainland's submarine industry.
The Type 6631 has a maximum underwater displacement of 3,000 tons, three SS-N-4 SLBM launchers on the back, and a total of four torpedo launchers in the bow and stern.
It is also equipped with navigation, positioning, and missile control and command systems, enabling the mainland to possess a maritime strategic strike force for the first time, and its significance is also extraordinary.
If conventional submarines can also be learned from the Soviet Union, then the mainland's nuclear-powered submarines are completely self-made, and it turns out that we Chinese are no worse than anyone.
Self-made nuclear submarines
In fact, during the period of Sino-Soviet cooperation, the mainland also put forward the need to introduce nuclear submarines, but the Soviet Union, out of its own strategic security considerations, believed that China did not need to equip nuclear submarines at all.
However, the mainland insisted on developing nuclear submarines independently, and in 1958, under the personal chairmanship of Marshal Nie Rongzhen, the scientific research team began the research and development of nuclear submarines.
At that time, the only information in hand was a toy model bought from the United States, and the difficulty can be imagined.
After preliminary demonstration, the main parameters of the nuclear submarine were roughly determined, as well as the general policy of research, design, infrastructure, trial production, and production, and in November 1968, China's first nuclear submarine officially started construction.
Nuclear submarines have very high requirements for safety performance, and important components must be tested for ultrasonic flaw detection and mechanical properties to reach 100% qualification before they can be used.
With a few test planers following the normal workflow, it would take at least two years to complete the test.
In order to speed up the testing of important components of the nuclear submarine, the working group gathered all the skilled workers and cattle head planers in the factory, and completed it ahead of schedule in less than two months.
In the overall construction process, everyone also worked together to carry out technical training, break through technical difficulties such as welding, and spent more than a year to complete the hull closure and overall water test.
The next installation process is also full of challenges, there are tens of thousands of equipment on the nuclear submarine, if it is overweight or the center of gravity is unstable, it may cause the nuclear submarine to capsize when it is launched.
In order to ensure that nothing goes wrong, Chief Engineer Peng Shilu requires all personnel to figure out the weight and center of gravity of each piece of equipment.
And recorded, even the leftovers in the installation process have to be weighed one by one, through this "stupid method" to make the stability of the nuclear submarine meet the design standards.
After the completion of these basic construction works, the nuclear reactor is the key core, and the designers, factory workers, and military representatives stationed on the site are all in the workshop, day and night.
Peng Shilu
A typical example is Liang Yongjun, a military representative, who worked overtime for more than a month, and during the joint commissioning of the nuclear reactor, he did not close his eyes for three days and three nights, and was so tired that he almost collapsed.
At the end of his work, he returned to the office from the docks, and it took him two breaks to finish the walk.
On August 23, 1971, the first nuclear submarine began sea trials, but the process did not go well, and the main engine of the submarine failed several times.
As a result, the core scientific researchers, including the chief engineer, were determined to break the kettle and get off the boat to track and test the whole process.
After more than 20 trips to the sea, thousands of hours of operation of the nuclear reactor, and a cumulative range of 6,000 nautical miles, all faults were finally eliminated.
On August 1, 1974, this nuclear submarine, which condensed countless painstaking efforts and sweat, was officially delivered in Bohai Bay, and Navy Commander Xiao Jinguang announced that the submarine was named "Long March 1".
It marks the mainland's official entry into the nuclear submarine club and gives us more confidence in the face of hostile countries.
Everything is difficult at the beginning, and when we have mastered the manufacturing technology of conventional submarines and nuclear submarines on our own, we have begun to make great strides.
Having achieved today's great achievements, what advanced submarine equipment does the Chinese Navy have now?
From catching up to overtaking
Today, China's submarine forces, like the world's mainstream countries, are divided into three categories: conventionally powered attack submarines, nuclear-powered attack submarines, and nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines.
Among them, the conventional power starts with 03, the nuclear power starts with 09, the singular number behind 09 indicates the attack submarine, and the even number indicates the ballistic missile submarine, which is very intuitive in model.
Among them, the conventional power attack submarine developed the 035 and 039 types after the 6633 type, and the 035 type is called the "Ming" class by the West.
It adopts the internationally popular semi-teardrop-shaped hull, with an underwater displacement of 2,100 tons, a maximum underwater speed of 18 knots, and a domestic second-generation torpedo, in which the shadow of the former Soviet Union can no longer be seen.
The Type 039, which was launched in the 90s of the last century, was called the "Song" class in the West, and its performance was further improved.
The maximum underwater speed exceeded 22 knots, the noise was lower, the combat command system was also automated, and it could launch various types of ammunition such as wire-guided torpedoes and submarine-launched missiles, and once became the main player of China's submarine force.
It needs to be admitted that the early models of the 039 were still lacking in endurance and noise reduction, so we will introduce Russian "Kilo" class submarines to strengthen ourselves.
But now it is different, the latest Type 039B and 039C submarines use the world's leading AIP propulsion technology, which is mainly through fuel cells or cycle engines.
So that the submarine can dive underwater for a long time, without having to vent the water as frequently as diesel-electric submarines, and the survivability is greatly improved.
The Type 039C, which has just been exposed, is equipped with a peculiar command enclosure, which, according to US media speculation, can reduce the disturbance of the horseshoe vortex to the propeller when the submarine is sailing.
On the other hand, it can reduce the reflectivity of sonar, and cooperate with the new generation of silocating tiles laid on the surface to obtain excellent silent effect.
In terms of weapon systems, Type 039C submarines are equipped with YJ-18B submarine-launched missiles, which can attack surface ships at a distance of 500 km.
The equipped "Fish"-10 torpedo has a range of 60 kilometers and uses optical fiber and active phased array sonar guidance, which can achieve both offensive and defensive capabilities. In comparison, the performance of the "Kilo" class submarines is no longer enough.
Finally, let's talk about nuclear submarines, the latest models are Type 095 and Type 096, of which Type 095 is a nuclear-powered attack submarine.
With an underwater displacement of more than 10,000 tons and a maximum underwater speed of about 32 knots, the hull is equipped with 8 torpedo tubes and 18 missile launch tubes, which have the ability to launch cruise missiles to the ground, and are very powerful.
The Type 096 is a ballistic missile submarine that, depending on its configuration, has an underwater displacement of 14,000 to 15,000 tons and a maximum underwater speed of 28 to 29 knots.
It is mainly equipped with 16 to 24 intercontinental missile launchers, and the "Julang"-3 missiles launched by it have a range of 12,000 kilometers, can carry multiple nuclear warheads, and its strike range can cover any corner of the world.
These advanced submarines and equipment, together with surface ships such as 055 and 052D destroyers and new aircraft carriers, will form a powerful underwater strike force and build a great wall of steel to defend China's maritime frontiers.
Epilogue:
Looking back at the history of China's submarine development, we have gone from being poor and white to being among the world's first echelon.
It only took 70 years, and the hard work is hard for ordinary people to imagine, and the existence that we once looked up to in the past has now been left behind by us.
This history, like other equipment development history, is the epitome of China's strong rise, and it fully illustrates a truth: although the road is far, the line will be reached, and although the matter is difficult, it will be done.