China to launch first Type 095 nuclear submarine as US naval edge narrows in Pacific.

Satellite imagery shows China’s first Type 095 nuclear-powered attack submarine being prepared at the Huludao shipyard in Liaoning Province, as part of a larger expansion of Chinese undersea forces that has outpaced US submarine production in recent years.

Satellite imagery indicates that China is preparing to launch its first Type 095 nuclear-powered attack submarine, which is being prepared at the Huludao shipyard in Liaoning Province. The Type 095 submarine, also known as Type 09V, is part of a larger expansion of Chinese naval forces that has outpaced US submarine production in recent years. US officials warn that China’s growing submarine fleet could rapidly narrow the submarine gap with the United States, especially in the case of an escalation over Taiwan.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link

The entry into service of the Type 095, combined with a larger Chinese nuclear-powered submarine fleet, alters the strategic environment in the western Pacific by increasing the density and persistence of Chinese undersea patrols in key U.S. maritime approaches. (Picture source: Chinese Navy)

On March 1, 2026, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) announced that the Chinese Navy may be preparing to launch its first Type 09V guided missile nuclear submarine at Huludao in Liaoning Province after satellite imagery dated February 9 showed the boat moved into a launch bay at Bohai Shipbuilding Heavy Industry Corporation. Also referred to as the Type 095, this new-generation nuclear-powered attack submarine is intended to expand China’s undersea strike capacity in the western Pacific during a Taiwan contingency. The Type 095 Sui-class submarine appears during a period of sustained nuclear submarine construction at Huludao involving both ballistic missile and guided missile classes.

Between 2021 and 2025, China launched 10 nuclear-powered submarines totaling 79,000 tons, exceeding the US output of seven boats totaling 55,000 tons during the same period. The appearance of the Type 09V/Type 095 also coincides with China reaching a 1+2 annual nuclear submarine production rhythm in 2024 to 2025, matching the US Navy’s target for 2028. The launch preparation, therefore, could mark for China both a new class milestone and a continuation of an expanded industrial tempo. The Type 09V/Type 095 incorporates an X-tail stern arrangement with large control surfaces, replacing the cruciform rudders used on previous Chinese nuclear submarines.

This configuration improves the maneuverability and represents the first use of such a stern layout on a Chinese nuclear-powered submarine. The sail shows no visible external control planes, indicating the likely adoption of retractable hull-mounted bow planes instead of fairwater planes used on earlier nuclear and conventional classes. The submarine’s overall length is assessed at 110 to 115 meters, with a beam between 12 and 13 meters, producing a submerged displacement estimated at 9,000 to 10,000 tons. Larger than the Type 093, which displaces about 7,000 tons, the Type 09V/095 possesses an expanded internal volume for propulsion, sensors, and weapons integration. 

Imagery shows an unfinished open compartment behind the dorsal sail consistent with the installation of a vertical launch system (VLS), with potentially enough space for 18 vertical launch system cells. These cells are intended for anti-ship and land-attack cruise missiles such as the YJ-18. The preceding Type 093B carries 12 vertical launch cells in a three-abreast arrangement for anti-ship and land-attack cruise missiles, indicating a continued weapon improvement across new Chinese nuclear attack submarines. Compared to ballistic missile submarines, which form part of the nuclear triad, the Type 095 will function as a guided missile attack submarine equipped for conventional anti-surface and land-attack roles in the western Pacific.

However, the open section behind the sail may alternatively relate to reactor compartment work, although missile integration remains consistent with prior Chinese SSNs. According to available information, the Type 095's design cues indicate the use of a pumpjet propulsor instead of a traditional skew-back propeller, as the pumpjet propulsion reduces acoustic signatures during higher-speed transits where conventional propellers are more vulnerable to detection. Separate Chinese assessments of the Type 09V also conclude that a pump-jet is the most probable configuration for a new-generation nuclear-powered design. The visible high waterline and red-painted lower hull suggest reduced reserve buoyancy compared with earlier Chinese submarines, implying a potential single-hull or hybrid-hull construction, whereas previous classes employed full double-hull layouts.

A single-hull configuration increases usable internal volume relative to external dimensions but requires more refined hydrodynamic shaping. The wider beam could also indicate a possible baseline compatibility with the future Type 09VI/Type 096 ballistic missile submarine expected later in the decade. The operational role of the Type 09V/Type 095 is expected to center on anti-surface warfare, as submarines capable of launching anti-ship missiles hold an advantage in surface combat because modern anti-ship missiles outrange a surface fleet’s organic anti-submarine warfare reach. This allows a guided missile submarine such as the Type 095 to fire from closer positions, while reducing exposure to retaliatory strikes compared with surface vessels.

Furthermore, the submarine can augment missile salvos launched from standoff ranges, compressing reaction time for targeted fleets. In a Taiwan contingency, the addition of a long-range undersea strike component expands the spectrum of threats facing US naval forces operating between Guam and Taiwan. China already fields long-range anti-ship capabilities across surface, air, and land domains, increasing fleet air defense complexity in the region, meaning that the Type 095 represents a new undersea launch vector into this existing network. Besides the Type 09V/Type 095, China’s nuclear submarine construction at Huludao has also expanded in scale and infrastructure capacity.

The Eastern Assembly Hall now contains 12 assembly slots measuring 144 meters in length, while the Southern Assembly Hall contains eight slots measuring 157.5 meters in length and 32.5 meters in width on 7.34-meter rails. In total, the two halls provide a theoretical accommodation for 20 nuclear attack submarine hulls simultaneously. Since May 2022, new nuclear attack submarines have been launched annually, with additional boats observed in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Up to eight hulls were launched between mid-2022 and early 2026, corresponding to a rate approaching three launches annually, including both Type 093B guided missile submarines and Type 094 ballistic missile submarines.

The 2024 to 2025 1+2 annual rhythm aligns with the US Navy's planned objective of one ballistic missile submarine and two attack submarines per year by 2028. Due to these factors, the estimated construction cost of the Type 095 is assessed at 100 billion to 150 billion yuan per submarine, equivalent to about $1.4 billion to $2.1 billion. Foreign nuclear attack submarines are more expensive, such as the US Virginia-class Block V at about $3.2 billion and the Russian Yasen-M at about $2.5 billion, but we have to note China’s lower industrial and labor costs. Parallel modernization includes ballistic missile submarines and earlier nuclear attack variants. As of early 2025, China operated 12 nuclear-powered submarines consisting of six ballistic missile units and six guided missile or attack submarines, in addition to 46 conventionally powered submarines.

The Type 094 Jin-class ballistic missile submarine measures 137 meters in length with an 11.8 meter beam and 11,000 ton submerged displacement. Each carries 12 submarine-launched ballistic missiles, initially JL-2 with a 7,200 km range and later JL-3 exceeding 10,000 km, enabling strike coverage from patrol areas in the South China Sea. The Type 093B Shang III variant entered serial production in April and May 2022, followed by five additional hulls by the end of 2024, at least two more in 2025, and a likely ninth boat in early 2026. The Type 093B, valued at about 6 billion yuan per unit, incorporates pumpjet propulsion and 12 vertical launch cells, increasing missile flexibility.

Future development includes the expected Type 096 ballistic missile submarine carrying 16 to 24 submarine-launched ballistic missiles. For the US Navy, the emergence of the Type 095 occurs amid a submarine crisis; the United States operates 65 submarines, including 14 ballistic missile boats and 51 attack or guided missile submarines. However, Virginia-class production has averaged 1.2 to 1.3 boats per year since 2022 against a target of two per year, approximately one-third of the US attack submarine fleet is unavailable at any given time due to maintenance cycles, and current projections indicate the U.S. attack submarine force may decline from 50 to 47 boats by 2030 as Los Angeles-class retirements outpace replacements.

Therefore, a larger and quieter Chinese submarine force also increases the probability that some boats, such as the Type 095, remain undetected during crisis escalation, affecting US calculations regarding preemption and maritime dominance between Hawaii, Guam, and forward bases in Japan. In strategic planning terms, this requires the United States to assume a higher baseline level of undersea risk in any Western Pacific scenario, in which freedom of maneuver and assured access can no longer be treated as given.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.