China’s most powerful submarine is the Type 094 Jin-class ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) (Image: X)

Satellite images show a Chinese submarine docked at a naval base near underground facilities with its nuclear ballistic missile hatches visibly open. This base is located in the contested waters of the South China Sea.

The latest satellite image from Google Earth Pro, the enhanced desktop version of Google Earth, shows a submarine docked at one of the docks at Longpo Naval Base on the southern Chinese island of Hainan, with at least four of its missile hatches open.

Open source intelligence analyst @benreuter_IMINT, active on X, identified the submarine as one of them China’s six Type 094s nuclear powered ballistic missile Submarines. These submarines are capable of carrying up to 12 long-range nuclear strike missiles.

Longpo Naval Base, home to China’s Type 094 submarine fleet, has six 754-foot-long wharves capable of docking up to 12 submarines. According to a report by Newsweek, the base also includes an underground facility designed to protect submarines from attack and surveillance. Newsweek previously reported on the base’s activities after analyzing satellite images.

A 2023 Pentagon report said that the Chinese military, which has the largest navy in the world with over 370 ships and submarines, equipped its Type 094 submarines with JL submarine-launched ballistic missiles -2 or JL-3. These missiles form a key component of China’s sea-based nuclear deterrent.

The Pentagon estimates the ranges of the JL-2 and JL-3 missiles at 3,900 and 5,400 nautical miles, respectively. The JL-2 can reach the USA. East Coast from waters east of Hawaii, while the JL-3 has the capability to attack parts of the U.S. mainland directly from China’s coastal waters.

One report said China likely conducted “near-continuous maritime deterrence patrols” with its Type 094 submarines. Meanwhile, American nuclear submarines are constantly on patrol, making it difficult for adversaries to track them all, contributing to their survivability, according to a 2020 US Defense Department fact sheet.

According to a 2020 US Department of Defense fact sheet, American nuclear submarines are constantly on patrol, making it difficult for adversaries to detect them, a key factor in their survivability.