At first glance, the picture below of a Type "09 4A" or Type "09 IV A" SSBN from a South China Sea naval base is not a sign you see everyday. But after a closer look, the real draw may be the group of senior NCOs marching in front of it. These are middle‑aged NCO technical specialists, the long‑serving professionals who keep one of China’s most sensitive strategic assets operational.
In the PLA Navy, especially within the submarine force, senior NCOs are the institutional memory and the technical backbone. They’re the ones who master the arcane systems, train successive generations of sailors, and ensure that a platform as complex as an SSBN can actually perform its deterrence mission. Their presence in a formal group portrait signals something deeper: a deliberate effort to highlight the human infrastructure behind China’s sea‑based nuclear capability.
Wednesday, September 11, 2024
High Res Photos Of The Day: Type 094/"09 4" SSBN Ballistic Missile Submarine
Actually in Chinese, this class of SSBN enjoys the designation of "Type9, Fourth Variant", not "Type Ninety-four" as commonly known by NATO members.
Wednesday, February 05, 2014
Photos of the day: SSBN convention at Hainan
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