Analysis & Opinions - International Panel on Fissile Materials

Chinese Naval Reactors

| May 10, 2017

On April 25, 2017 China put on public display the Changzheng-1, its first Type 091 Han-class nuclear powered attack submarine. It entered service in 1974 and was decommissioned in 2013.

China launched its nuclear-powered submarine program in 1958, soon after starting its nuclear weapon program. To avoid the nuclear submarine program competing with the nuclear-weapon program for scarce HEU, according The Secret Course, an authoritative book on China's nuclear history, the decision was made to use LEU fuel for naval reactors.

A land-based prototype naval reactor began tests in May 1970, becoming fully operational in July 1970. The test of this reactor core ended in December 1979 and the spent fuel was discharged in 1981. China's first nuclear-powered strategic ballistic missile submarine (Type 092 Xia-class) was launched in 1982.

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For Academic Citation: Zhang, Hui.“Chinese Naval Reactors.” International Panel on Fissile Materials, May 10, 2017.

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