JL-2
| Julang-2 (JL-2) | |
|---|---|
|
JL-1 and JL-2. | |
| Type | SLBM |
| Place of origin |
 China |
| Service history | |
| In service | Development |
| Used by |
 People's Liberation Army Navy |
| Specifications | |
| Warhead | 1 or 3-4 MIRV nuclear warheads[1][2][3] |
| Blast yield | 90 kt (MIRV) or 250-1000kt (single)[2][3] |
|
| |
| Propellant | Solid[1][2] |
Operational range | 7400[4]-8000[3] km (estimated) |
Guidance system | Astro-inertial[2] |
Launch platform | Type 094 submarine[1][2] |
The JL-2 (Chinese: 巨浪-2; pinyin: Jù Làng-2; literally: "Giant Wave 2", NATO reporting name CSS-NX-14[1]) is a Chinese second-generation intercontinental-range submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) slated for deployment aboard the People's Liberation Army Navy's Type 094 submarine. It succeeds the JL-1 SLBM deployed on the Type 092 submarine.
Development
The JL-2 is a naval variant of the land-based DF-31.[3][5] Their common 2-metre diameter solid fuel rocket motor was successfully tested in late-1983,[3] and research and development efforts were reorganized starting in 1985 to produce both missiles.[5]
The first JL-2 at-sea launch occurred in 2001 from a Type 031 submarine.[3][5] The program was delayed after a failed test in 2004.[3] Successful launches occurred in 2005 and 2008. The missile was successfully fired from a Type 094 submarine, the intended operational platform, for the first time in 2009.[3] A series of test launches occurred in 2012.[4][6] Another test launch occurred in January 2015.[7]
In 2012, the United States Department of Defense noted development had suffered repeated delays.[8] However, the following year, the Department assessed that the missile would reach initial operating capability that year, giving the PLA Navy "its first credible sea-based nuclear deterrent."[9]
Description
The JL-2 is a three-stage, solid-fuelled missile.[1][2] Range estimates have included 7,400 km (4,600 mi)[4] and 8,000 km (5,000 mi).[3] Payload may include multiple 90 kt warheads,[3] or a single 250–1000 kt warhead.[2] According to Hans Kristensen of the Federation of American Scientists, Chinese nuclear policy makes it unlikely that nuclear warheads are fitted to the JL-2 during peacetime.[9]
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 National Air and Space Intelligence Center (2013). Ballistic & Cruise Missile Threat (PDF) (Report). p. 25. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Rahmat, Ridzwan (25 March 2014). "PACOM chief says China will deploy long-range nuclear missiles on subs this year". janes.com. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 "JL-2 (CSS-NX-14)". Globalsecurity.org. 20 April 2014. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 United States Department of Defense (May 2013). Annual Report To Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China 2013 (PDF) (Report). p. 31. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Lewis, Jeffrey (25 June 2005). "JL-2 SLBM Flight Test". armscontrolwonk.com. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
- ↑ Gertz, Bill (21 August 2012). "Ready To Launch: China conducts rare flight test of new submarine-launched missile". The Washington Free Beacon. Retrieved 15 January 2013.
- ↑ Gertz, Bill (18 February 2015). "China conducts JL-2 sub missile test". The Washington Times. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
- ↑ "Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China 2012" (PDF). Office of the Secretary of Defense. pp. 23 (pp30 of PDF).
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Taylor, Marcus; Tamerlani, Eric; Farnsworth, Timothy (June 2013). "Pentagon Sees China Progressing on SLBM". Arms Control Today (Arms Control Association) 43 (5): 31–32. Retrieved 27 April 2015 – via JSTOR. (subscription required (help)).
External links
- JL-2 from Mark Wade's Encyclopedia Astronautica
