FRANCE
The limited and densely populated territory of France practically ruled out the possibility of covert construction and placement of protected land-based ballistic missile silos. Therefore, the French government decided to develop the naval component of the Strategic Nuclear Deterrence Force.
France, after leaving NATO, unlike Britain, was practically deprived of American assistance in this area. The design and construction of French SSBNs, and in particular the creation of a reactor for them, went with great difficulties.
SSBN "Redutable"
The lead SSBN Redutable was laid down in 1964. It was under construction for about eight years. Of these, at the shipyard - five years, in the completion afloat - a year and a half, and the same amount was required to work out the equipment before entering it into the combat composition of the fleet. In 1967, she was even returned to the shipyard in order to correct the identified design flaws on the slipway. The construction time for subsequent boats of this class was reduced to five to six years. In addition to the head, the French Navy received five more SSBNs of this type.
Satellite image of Google Earth: SSBN-class "Redutable" basing point in the Il-Long region
Transferred to the fleet in 1971, Redoubt (in January 1972 it first went on combat patrol) and the following Terribble were equipped with sixteen M1 SLBMs with a maximum firing range of 3000 km., With a single-warhead warhead with a capacity of 0.5 Mt. Unlike the British, who received weapons for their missile carriers in the United States, the French were able to build missiles for their boats themselves. Since 1987, in the course of regular overhauls, all boats, except for the Redoubt withdrawn from service in 1991, have undergone modernization in order to accommodate a missile system with M4 SLBMs, with a range of 5000 km and 6 warheads of 150 Kt each. The last boat of this type was withdrawn from the French Navy in 2008.
The lead in the series of SSBN "Redutable" after the decommissioning and cutting of the reactor compartment was turned into a museum.
"Redoubt" as a museum in the port of Cherbourg
SSBNs of the "Redoubt" type were replaced by four submarines of the next generation of the "Triumfan" type.
SSBN type "Triumfan"
The collapse of the USSR significantly influenced the development program of the French NSNF. The number of SSBNs planned for construction was reduced from six to four units. In addition, due to delays in the development of the M5 system, it was decided to equip the built boats with M45 "intermediate type" missiles. The M45 rocket was a deep modernization of the M4 rocket. As a result of the modernization, the firing range was increased to 5300 km. In addition, a warhead with 6 self-guided warheads was installed.
The last fourth submarine of this type, Le Terrible (S 619), is armed with sixteen M51.1 SLBMs with a range of 9000 km. In terms of its weight and size characteristics and combat capabilities, the M5 is comparable to the American Trident D5 missile.
Currently, a decision has been made to re-equip the first three boats with M51.2 missiles, with a new, more powerful warhead. The work must be carried out during a major overhaul. The first boat to be re-equipped with a new rocket is to be Le Vigilant (S 618), the third boat in the series to be overhauled in 2015.
As in Great Britain, the main forces of nuclear deterrence are deployed on SSBNs, in this regard, the intensity of combat service is very high. Patrolling is usually carried out in the Norwegian or Barents Seas, or in the North Atlantic. Since 1983, as a rule, three boats were conducting combat patrols at the same time, one was in Ile Long, and two more were at various stages of overhaul in the shipyards of Brest or Cherbourg.
Satellite image of Google Earth: SSBN type "Redoubt" turned into a museum, near the Cherbourg maritime station.
The average duration of the trip was about 60 days. Each of the boats made three patrols a year. Presumably, each of the boats made about 60 patrols during their entire service life. To maintain such a high intensity of operation of the ships, two crews for each boat were created (as well as in the US Navy) - "blue" and "red", which alternately replaced each other.
PRC
China much later, compared with other member states of the UN Security Council, entered the race to create its own SSBNs.
The first Chinese SSBN "Xia" pr.092, created on the basis of the "Han" class nuclear submarine, was laid down in 1978 at the Huludao shipyard. The submarine was launched on April 30, 1981, but due to technical difficulties that arose, it was only possible to put it into operation in 1987. SSBN project 092 "Xia" was armed with 12 silos for storing and launching two-stage solid-propellant ballistic missiles JL-1, with a launch range of more than 1700 km. The missiles are equipped with a monoblock warhead with a capacity of 200-300 Kt. Later it was rebuilt for testing new JL-2 missiles (range 8000 km, up to 4 MIRVs, tests since 2001), is currently in service, as an experimental and training boat.
Chinese SSBN 092 "Xia"
Apparently, the boat "Xia" pr.092 was not very successful, and was built in a single copy. She did not conduct a single combat service as an SSBN, and for the entire period of operation, she did not leave the internal Chinese waters. Thus, the Xia SSBN can be regarded as a weapon in experimental operation, unable to fully participate in nuclear deterrence due to its weak tactical and technical characteristics. Nevertheless, it played an important role in the formation of China's naval nuclear forces, being a "school" for training and a "floating stand" for technology development.
The next step was the class 094 Jin SSBNs developed in China to replace the outdated and relatively unreliable strategic submarine 092 Xia class. Outwardly, it resembles Soviet missile carriers of Project 667BDRM "Dolphin".
Type 094 submarines each carry 12 Juilan-2 (JL-2) ballistic missiles with a range of 8,000 km.
SSBN 094 "Jin"
The first submarine formally entered service in 2004. It is assumed that there are at least three more Jin-class SSBNs. According to Chinese media reports, the 6th submarine of this type was launched in March 2010. According to some reports, the commissioning of all 094 Jin SSBNs is delayed due to the unavailability of the weapons complex.
Currently, the PRC is developing SSBN pr. 096 "Teng". It must be armed with 24 SLBMs with a range of at least 11,000 km.
Given the economic growth of China, it can be assumed that by 2020 the country's naval forces will have at least 6 SSBNs of pr. 094 and 096, with 80 intercontinental-range SLBMs (250-300 warheads). Which roughly corresponds to the current indicators of Russia.
In the PRC, there are three main facilities for servicing and basing SSBNs.
These are Qingdao, Sanya near the port cities of Dalian and Yulin (Hainan Island, South China Sea).
The first Chinese base designed specifically for the basing and maintenance of nuclear submarines was a complex built northeast of Qingdao.
Satellite image of Google Earth: Chinese nuclear submarines in the Qingdao area, in the dry dock SSBN 092 "Xia"
The Sanya naval base is equipped with capital shelters for submarines, which allows them to survive even in the event of a nuclear strike.
Satellite image of Google Earth: SSBN 094 "Jin" at base Yulin
Satellite image of Google Earth: SSBN 094 "Jin" at the base of Sanya
INDIA
At present, India has embarked on a course to create its own NSNF. This fact can be considered accomplished after information was received about the launch of the first Indian SSBN "Arihant" ("Fighter of enemies") in Visakhapatnam in July 2009. In total, it is planned to build four boats of this type. The design of the Indian nuclear-powered submarine in many respects repeats the Soviet nuclear submarine of project 670. A boat of this type was leased to India in the late 1980s.
SSBN "Arihant"
Currently "Arihant" is undergoing tests, the lead ship is planned to be commissioned in 2013. All ships are being built at the Vishakapatnam shipyard on the shores of the Bay of Bengal. A parking lot for new boats is not yet ready there, the Indian nuclear-powered ship is being temporarily based. For this, not far from the shipyard, light shelters were built close to the pier, hiding the boat from prying eyes, including from space reconnaissance means.
Satellite image of Google Earth: Vishakapatnam shipyard, shelters for nuclear submarines were built near the piers
The main armament of Indian submarines is 12 K-15 Sagarika ballistic missiles, which have a range of 700 km and are classified as medium-range missiles. In the future, it is planned to re-equip Indian SSBNs with longer-range ballistic missiles.
Test launch of the Indian K-15 missile
According to the plan of the Indian leadership, the new nuclear submarines, equipped with ballistic missiles with a nuclear warhead, should become one of the factors of deterring a potential adversary. After adopting the Arihant SSBN, India will achieve its long-established goal - to possess a triad of ground, air and submarine-based nuclear weapons.
In addition to creating a missile submarine fleet, the Indians are building a basing point for SSBNs. The new base will have special means to ensure the safety of the nuclear submarine and technical personnel serving the boat.
The base will be located at a distance of about 200 km from Visakhapatnam (its exact location is classified) and in its type will resemble the base of the Chinese nuclear submarines on the island of Hainan. Capital shelters, housing and other facilities will be built on the base.
By creating its own missile submarine fleet, India is passing the category of countries whose opinion cannot be ignored, since this country has the potential to deliver a nuclear strike anywhere in the world. The possession of strategic nuclear forces is necessary for India, above all for confronting its strategic adversaries: China and Pakistan.
Despite the fact that over the past 20 years, the number of SSBNs in the world has greatly decreased (due to the collapse of the USSR), their role in nuclear deterrence has only increased. Moreover, new countries have been added with these weapons.
