The Type 093 / 093A / 093B Shang-class is China's second-generation nuclear-powered attack-submarine family, built at Bohai Shipyard for the People's Liberation Army Navy. Open U.S. reporting separates the line into Shang I, Shang II, and Shang III variants, with the Type 093B described by DoD and USCC testimony as a guided-missile SSGN development while a CMSI technical study cautions that public imagery does not settle the separate-VLS question.
Open sources use Shang I, Shang II, and Shang III for the Type 093, Type 093A, and Type 093B sequence, but older reporting sometimes used Type 093B for boats that later specialist work treats as Type 093A. The record keeps the family together and notes source disagreement where the public record is unsettled.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
| Type 093 / Shang I | Baseline nuclear attack submarine | CMSI identifies the first two Shang I boats as the baseline Type 093 configuration; its table gives them 108.5 m length, 11 m beam, about 6,675 tons submerged displacement, and a 28-knot maximum speed. Sources: A Brief Technical History of PLAN Nuclear Submarines |
| Type 093A / Shang II | Refined attack-submarine variant | CMSI describes Type 093A boats with sail and casing refinements, a towed-array handling arrangement aft of the sail, and improved acoustic treatment; it argues the raised casing is not evidence of a VLS. Sources: A Brief Technical History of PLAN Nuclear Submarines, The Chinese Navy's Most Powerful Attack Submarine: The Type-093A |
| Type 093B / Shang III | Guided-missile attack-submarine variant in U.S. reporting | DoD's 2024 China report says four Shang III / Type 093B SSGNs were launched between May 2022 and January 2023 and could improve anti-surface and possible land-attack capability; CMSI separately cautions that visible length changes do not confirm a separate VLS. Sources: Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2024, A Brief Technical History of PLAN Nuclear Submarines, Andrew S. Erickson Statement for the Record |
Open references describe the Shang family as a torpedo- and cruise-missile submarine line, but only the existing C-802/YJ-82 record is linked here because YJ-18 does not yet have a public catalog record.
| Launched item | Item type | Launch evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | Submarine-launched anti-ship cruise missile family | Naval News identifies YJ-82 among the weapons associated with the Type 093A; the catalog's C-802/Noor record carries YJ-82 as an alias for that missile family. Sources: The Chinese Navy's Most Powerful Attack Submarine: The Type-093A, C-802 Noor / Nur - Anti-ship Cruise Missile |
The Shang family is useful as a single catalog entry because public reporting on individual hulls and designations is uneven. DoD and USCC testimony describe the Type 093B / Shang III as a guided-missile submarine development, while the CMSI technical study warns that visible hull dimensions do not prove a separate VLS. The Type 093A's raised casing is better treated as a towed-array handling feature unless a source specifically supports a missile-launch claim.
Treat the sail and aft-casing changes as hydrodynamic, sensor, and towed-array refinements. CMSI and Naval News both caution against reading the hump as VLS evidence.
DoD and USCC sources frame Shang III as an SSGN or guided-missile attack-submarine variant; CMSI accepts a likely pump-jet but questions whether public imagery shows enough added length for separate VLS cells.
CSIS describes a submarine-launched YJ-18B and lists Shang-class SSNs among reported YJ-18 platforms. This page records that fit in prose until a public YJ-18 support record exists.
CMSI traces renewed Chinese emphasis on Type 093 and Type 094 nuclear-submarine development to the mid-1990s after a long post-Cultural-Revolution lull.
Sources: A Brief Technical History of PLAN Nuclear Submarines
CMSI reports that the first two Shang I / Type 093 boats rolled out in 2002 and 2003 and were commissioned after several years of sea trials in 2006 and 2007.
Sources: A Brief Technical History of PLAN Nuclear Submarines
Naval News and CMSI describe the Type 093A / Shang II as an improved variant with visible sail and casing changes, while CMSI treats the casing aft of the sail as associated with towed-array handling rather than a VLS.
Sources: The Chinese Navy's Most Powerful Attack Submarine: The Type-093A, A Brief Technical History of PLAN Nuclear Submarines
CMSI assesses the January 2023 rollout as evidence for a Type 093B / Shang III boat with a likely pump-jet propulsor, while noting uncertainty in public imagery and hull-number interpretation.
Sources: A Brief Technical History of PLAN Nuclear Submarines
DoD's 2024 China report says the PRC launched four Shang III / Type 093B guided-missile nuclear-powered attack submarines between May 2022 and January 2023 and could have three operational by 2025.
Sources: Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2024
Andrew Erickson's statement to the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission describes Type 093B Shang III as China's first nuclear-powered guided-missile submarine class and links VLS-capable anti-ship and land-attack missiles to wider Indo-Pacific reach.
Sources: Andrew S. Erickson Statement for the Record
