China has sent a strong message to the United States by revealing the first photo its new Type 094A ballistic nuclear missile submarine with an equally new missile that can hit the United States when fired from the South China Sea.

The threat conveyed by revealing this enhanced version of the Type 094 nuclear submarine is clear: China isn't scared of the United States and is apparently willing to face the consequences of a nuclear war.

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The photo of the new submarine shows a more prominent "hump" near the nuclear missile tubes of the Type 094A compared to its predecessor, which is China's main nuclear ballistic missile submarine. The change in design was made necessary by the new and larger Julang-3 (JL-3) submarine launched ballistic missile (SLBM) with an estimated but unconfirmed range of 12,000 kilometers. That would bring much of the mainland United States within range of this SLBM.

The current Julang-2 (JL-2) SLBM on the Type 094 submarine has a range of 8,000 km. This submarine carries 12 JL-2s.

Russian military expert Vasily Kashin believes the South China Sea is the only place where the Type 094A can fire its SLBMs at the USA in relative safety. The main base for China's fleet of ballistic missile submarines is Hainan Island on the South China Sea.

Kashin said that while the JL-2 can't strike the US mainland from the South China Sea, the SLBM can attack any of the US bases and US allies across Asia.

The only problem, however, is that China apparently has only one Type 094A in operation. In contrast, the U.S. Navy operates 14 Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines, each with 24 Trident nuclear missiles. These missiles can hit Beijing if fired from Hawaii.

Tagschina, Type 094A, South China Sea, Julang-3