As an attack-minded submarine, the Type 092 was outfitted with 12 x JL-1 (later JL-1A) Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missiles (SLBMs) in vertical launch tubes located aft of the sail. Designed by Huang Weilu and produced out of Factory 307, the JL-1 series was fitted with a 200-300 kiloton nuclear warhead atop a 35-foot body and propelled by a solid fuel booster out to 1,700 kilometers (the improved JL-1A followed with a range out to 2,500 kilometers). Production of these missiles began in the 1980s to coincide with their use in the operational Type 092. For a more conventional anti-ship/anti-submarine approach, the Type 092 was further outfitted with 6 x 533mm (21") bow-mounted torpedo tubes.
The Type 092 saw basic patrol service in the years following her inception and, expectedly, entered a period of refit and upgrade within time. Her original sonar suite was upgraded with a more modern type (of French origin) while stealth features are believed to have been installed throughout the vessel. The original JL-1 ballistic missiles were replaced with the improved-range JL-1A series. Despite these attempts to keep the boat effective in modern times, thought eventually shifted to developing an all-new indigenous attack submarine system - the "Type 094" of the Jin-class - which has since (2010) replaced the Type 092 in PLAN service. Despite the arrival of the Type 094, it is believed that the Type 092 is still active in the PLAN. Six boats of the Jin-class will eventually be fielded which has caused issue with Washington and China's lack of transparency.
The Type 092 is the only recognized boat of the Xia-class. There is believed to have been a second hull constructed sometime in the early 1980s and probably launched but later lost to accident, perhaps in 1985. However, this detail has not been confirmed.
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