China is becoming a military superpower in the Pacific.

The emergence of nuclear weapons changed the world drastically. In the mid-1960s, U.S. Secretary of Defense McNamara proposed a strategy of mutually assured destruction; that is, both major powers were confident that they could ensure that the weapons in their hands were sufficient to destroy 25% of the enemy’s population and 50% of the industry, and cause “unacceptable disruption.” The relationship between the two countries can remain stable.

 This indicates that an exponential advance in a country’s weaponry will result in a breach in the balance of bilateral deterrence, and the side that is breached will be uneasy. The layout will then be inactive for an extended period of time. The recent launch of a long-range nuclear-powered torpedo program in China played such a role and drew significant attention from the U.S.

According to the “South China Morning Post,” China’s official “Unmanned Undersea System” magazine published a concept plan for designing the weapon system, which has attracted widespread attention in the West. 

A nuclear-powered long-range strike torpedo has been designed, according to Guo Jian, a scientist at the China Institute of Atomic Energy. 

Low-Cost Design

It is reported that this torpedo has high flexibility, low cost, and can carry conventional and nuclear warheads. In this torpedo, Guo and his team propose to build a low-cost, one-time-use nuclear reactor powerplant that replaces the rare-earth coating with graphene and uses 8.8 pounds of low-concentration uranium fuel to generate more than 1.4 megawatts of heat.

This can operate at speeds of 37 mph hours, operating time of up to 400 hours, and cruising more than 6,200 miles (over 9,900 kilometers), which allows the torpedo to “direct” from Shanghai to San Francisco, USA.

The “War Zone” channel of the U.S. “power” website said that the Chinese submarine force could launch long-range torpedoes anytime, anywhere.

It is almost impossible to let the torpedo belt pop up without monitoring, and it is nearly impossible to intercept it. It will play an unimaginable role in future naval battles.

Flexible Than Russian Poseidon?

The South China Morning Post has compared the system to Russia’s Poseidon nuclear-powered unmanned underwater vehicle, one of six superweapons that Putin highlighted in a fiery 2019 speech that could carry a nuclear warhead that could be Launched from kilometers away. It can be expected to live on the seabed long before receiving a mission order.

Although the long-range nuclear-powered torpedo designed by China is not the same weapon as Poseidon, it is conceivable that the deterrent effect played is similar.

As a developed power, China is facing more and more problems in this time of great power competition. Under these conditions, the country needs to improve its strategic deterrence capabilities.

 After all, China has always pursued active defense China’s policy of not using nuclear weapons first, nor attacking other countries for no reason, but as China integrates more deeply with the world, China needs to protect its overseas interests protection system is also increasing, if the strategic deterrence capability remains the same as before, will be unable to reconcile the interests of China’s development and security.

But the United States sucked in a breath of cold air. China’s breakthrough in ocean-going nuclear-powered torpedoes means that the door of the United States is no longer safe. 

The U.S. practice has always been that after I find out that you are my threat, I will block you at the door of my house so that you have no chance to threaten me.

 Therefore, the United States proposed the so-called Indo-Pacific strategy, and military aircraft and ships are at the door of China every day. Dangling, but if China achieves a breakthrough in new strategic weapons, it means that China can suddenly launch an attack from a long distance, which is unacceptable to the United States.