New photos of China's latest nuclear ballistic missile submarine, the "Jin" Type 094A, hints at a much-improved vessel—one that is larger, with a more pronounced "hump" rear of the sail that lets it carry 12 submarine-launched ballistic missiles.

First seen in late November 2016, the Type 094A differs from the previous four Type 094 SSBNs, what with its curved conning tower and front base that's blended into the submarine hull, possibly to reduce hydrodynamic drag. The Type 094A's conning tower has also removed its windows. Additionally, the Type 094A has a retractable towed array sonar (TAS) mounted on the top of its upper tailfin, which would make it easier for the craft to "listen" for threats and avoid them.

Covert Shores

Old and New

The newer Type 094A (top) has a bigger missile payload bay and stealthier features. While an improvement over the Type 094 SSBN, it's still a stopgap feature until the next generation Type 096 comes online.

While the original Type 094 is considered to be nosier (and thus less survivable) than its American counterpart (known, by the way, as the Ohio SSBN), the Type 094A is likely to include acoustic quieting technologies found on the Type 093A. More importantly, the Type 094A carries a new submarine-launched ballistic missile (speculated to be the JL-2A), which has a 11,200-kilometer range—a significant improvement from its predecessor missiles.

Provided the JL-2A has this kind of range, the new missile could reach virtually the entire United States without leaving the heavily defended Yulin Naval Base (itself complete with underground shelters and docks for submarines) in Hainan Island.