China tests news sub-launched nuclear missile that could obliterate American cities from its own waters – The Sun

CHINA has tested a new submarine-launched nuclear missile capable of travelling across the Pacific ocean and destroying San Francisco.

The terrifying JL-3 ballistic rocket was unveiled in Bohai Bay, east of Beijing, in the Yellow Sea last month, sources said.

 

The city-destroying weapon, which can carry nuclear warheads, has a range of 5,600 miles – which is longer than its JL-2 predecessor which had a range of only 4,350 miles.

This boost in range means the Communist Party, led by President Xi Jinping, can unleash a nuclear attack on the US West Coast from the security of its own waters.

However, while this shows China’s commitment to further developing its own China’s own nuke “deterrent” – Beijing still has someway to go to match Washington’s arsenal.

The US Trident II, which is also deployed by the UK, has a far superior range beating the JL-3 by around 2,000 miles.

But experts believe China will continue to boost its nuclear capabilities.

The JL-3 missiles can be launched by the country’s Jin Class submarine which can already be armed with a firefighting 24 JL-2 rockets.

It is believed there are currently four of these vessels in China's submarine fleet which is the same number as Britain’s Trident-armed Vanguard Class.


But according to a recent Pentagon report, China plans to build up the fleet and that their next generation of sub will be able to carry 24 JL-3s.

If the Asian superpower were to develop missiles that matched Trident II then it would be capable of striking anywhere in the US – including New York and Washington DC on the East Coast.

A source told the South China Morning Post that the new missile's shorter range was the result of China failing to make “any significant technology breakthroughs in developing nuclear-powered submarines.”

The Communist Party has recently insisted it will not engage in an arms race with the US which would plunge the world into a second Cold War.

Military expert Song Zhongping told the Post that Beijing wants to have “the most effective and powerful second-strike counter-attack capability in the event that the country is hit by nuclear weapons.”

Last month, China unvelied its new land-based hypersonic ballistic nuclear missile – Dong Feng 17, or DF-17.

The weapon, which cannot be launched from a submarine, is believed to be capable of breaching all existing anti-missile shields deployed by America and its allies.

China last offered a glimpse of the "blindingly fast and unstoppable" missile in a four-minute video in July.

Its footage showed the so-called “flying death sentence” along with a range of other deadly weapons — some of which were also revealed at today's Communist Party's celebration of its 70 anniversary in power.

The mysterious DF-17 is a ballistic missile which contains a hypersonic glide vehicle.

This weapon can be fitted with a nuclear warhead and is said to be capable of achieving speeds of up to 7,680mph — or ten times the speed of sound.

Foreign analysts say it's designed to move at high speed to evade anti-missile defences.

The DF-17 hypersonic missile can theoretically manoeuvre sharply at many times the speed of sound, making it extremely difficult to counter.



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