09III/09IV (093/094) Nuclear Submarine Thread

tphuang

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According to @万年炎帝 on Weibo:

1. The US Navy ONI stated that the 885 (Yasen) is quieter/stealthier than the 688I (Improved Los Angeles), but still worse than Seawolf and Virginia in that regard,

2. The 885M (Yasen-M) should be reaching the quietness/stealth level of early-Virginia (Block 1/2), and

3. The 093B should be similar (to the Yasen-M and early-Virginia) in this regard.



Probably not exactly breaking news per se, mainly for the record.
That would be quite optimistic because Yasen-M is just so much wider than 093B (13m beam vs 9m beam for inner hull)

I think late LA class is probably more reasonable.
 

ACuriousPLAFan

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Wouldn't this be significantly in conflict with other sources? I recall patch & some others saying it certainly won't be on par with Seawolf let alone VA in stealth.
That would be quite optimistic because Yasen-M is just so much wider than 093B (13m beam vs 9m beam for inner hull)

I think late LA class is probably more reasonable.

The presence of the shrouded pump-jet propeller on the 093B alone is a considerable step-up in terms of silencing capabilities over the 093/As, let alone some other non-insignificant improvements (including-but-not-limited-to improved 2nd-generation reactor with natural circulation capability) to be expected on the 093B.

(It should also be noted that the Yasen/Yasen-M does not have a shrouded (pump-jet) propeller, unlike the 093B. Also, the first Yasen-M began construction all the way back in 2009, while the 093B should have begun construction no latter than 2020/2021.)

At this point of development, I think that the notion of 093B being equivalent to the late-Los Angeles is rather conservative, seeing that the 093Bs are being built in the 2020s, not the 1990s or even 2000s-2010s anymore.

It has been a long way since the first 093 or even 093A units began construction. And per my observation - If the 093B didn't fulfill the demands and requirements of the PLAN for subsurface naval warfare that is to be anticipated in the coming years and decades, then the PLAN would never approve the construction of at least 8x 093B SSNs in less than 3 years - All while having the 1st next-generation (i.e 095) SSN's boat already under construction within only a couple years at most after the 1st 093B boat was launched in May 2022.

Such inference of mine is also based on the recent Guancha Trio podcast on China's subsurface fleet, bringing over from the 095 SSN's discussion.

Therefore, while his claim/assertion of the 093B being equivalent to the early-Virginia can be rather (if not very) optimistic, I'd say that somewhere in between late-Los Angeles and early-Virginia while approaching/closing on the latter would be more accurate/appropriate.
 
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Biscuits

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That would be quite optimistic because Yasen-M is just so much wider than 093B (13m beam vs 9m beam for inner hull)

I think late LA class is probably more reasonable.
I've never seen any credible indication that 093 would not be wide enough to fit as much quieting systems it needs.

Some 093A (sometimes erroneously id as 093B) were speculated to be about contemporary to LA 688i. But the actual 093B (I.e. with pump jet, VLS etc.) is 2020s era rather than 2000s-2010.

If we're discussing the latter, 688i shouldn't come close to it. Although late LA may be a contemporary of the improved 093A.
 

tphuang

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I've never seen any credible indication that 093 would not be wide enough to fit as much quieting systems it needs.

Some 093A (sometimes erroneously id as 093B) were speculated to be about contemporary to LA 688i. But the actual 093B (I.e. with pump jet, VLS etc.) is 2020s era rather than 2000s-2010.

If we're discussing the latter, 688i shouldn't come close to it. Although late LA may be a contemporary of the improved 093A.
and where do you get your info from? How did you arrive to the theory that Late LA may be a contemporary of improved 093A?
 

Biscuits

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and where do you get your info from? How did you arrive to the theory that Late LA may be a contemporary of improved 093A?
From various reports on this thread.

And also given that both countries have a similar level precision tooling and quieting technology, while these two subs were rolled out in a roughly overlapping timeframe. We really don't have much better estimates to go on.
 

snake65

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"Contemporary" seems to be rather vague term when comparing SSN qualities. Yasen M indeed was laid down in 2009, but it was commissioned only in 2021, just 6 months before second boat of the class. . Astute started construction in 2001,, Suffren in 2007, Virginia even in 1999. They are all contemporary classes, still being built. Does it mean that Yasen-M is more advanced than the rest? No.
 
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