On June 2, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army-Navy (PLAN) test fired the JL-3 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) in Bohai Bay. The June launch is the second known test of the weapon since its first firing in November 2018. The missile is expected to enter service alongside China’s new class of ballistic missile submarines, the Type...
On May 23, Huntington Ingalls Industries began construction on the first Columbia-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) in a steel-cutting ceremony at its Newport News shipyard in Virginia. The Columbia-class, set to enter service in 2031, will replace the 14 Ohio-class SSBNs currently operated by the U.S. Navy. The lead boat is scheduled for delivery...
On November 24, China’s Navy conducted its first flight test of the JL-3 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). The test took place in the Bohai Sea and, according to one report, “likely verified the system’s proper cold ejection from the submarine-based launch tube.” The test has not yet been acknowledged by Chinese authorities. The JL-3, also...
