{
  "id": 19677,
  "title": "Why China’s JL-3 made waves with first submarine-based missile test in over 40 years",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/01/why-chinas-jl-3-made-waves-with-first-submarine-based-missile-test-in",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-01T12:00:09.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Reuters Business via SCMP",
    "slug": "reuters-business-via-scmp",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3362640/why-chinas-jl-3-made-waves-first-submarine-based-missile-test-over-40-years"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In July, China conducted a submarine-based missile test that was its first since 1982. The test, which sent a dummy warhead 8,000 kilometers, may have been a JL-3 missile, according to a report in the Global Times. The JL-3 is an intercontinental-range ballistic missile, expected to become a crucial component of China's nuclear arsenal. It was first shown publicly at a military parade in Beijing in September. Developed as part of the Julang or Great Wave program, the first JL-1 missiles were deployed on nuclear-powered submarines in 1986, but their range of 1,770 kilometers was too limited. The JL-2, introduced around 2015, increased range to 7,200 kilometers, still not enough for targeting targets in the continental United States from Chinese waters. The JL-3 extends this range to 10,000 kilometers, enabling missiles launched from near Chinese coast to hit the US. Testing began in November 2018, with a Type 032 submarine, before a JL-3 test involving a nuclear-powered Type 094 submarine in December 2019. The JL-3 is believed to have entered service in 2022. The missile is a three-stage, solid-fuelled missile, like its predecessor, the JL-2. It can carry multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles, each with at least three nuclear warheads, each with a yield of 250 to 1,000 kilotons. China currently has six Type 094 submarines in service, each with 12 launch tubes. The JL-3 is expected to be deployed on the Type 096, due to be completed by the end of the decade, which will be able to carry 16 to 24 long-range missiles. The JL-3 is a key part of China's nuclear triad, a structure enabling strategic nuclear weapons to be launched by land, sea, or air, enhancing deterrence capabilities.",
  "summary": "The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) carried out a missile test in the Pacific last month. The July 6 launch – in which a dummy warhead travelled 8,000km (5,000 miles) – was China’s first confirmed submarine-based missile test since 1982, and the first known firing from a nuclear-powered submarine. The type of missile used has not been officially confirmed, but a report in the Global Times – a…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Reuters Business via SCMP",
        "title": "China signals buildout of nuclear missile silos for ‘strategic trump cards’",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/07/31/china-signals-buildout-of-nuclear-missile-silos-for-strategic-trump",
        "published": "2026-07-31T12:00:07.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}