Top 6 Countries With Nuclear Powered Submarines

The strength of the army of countries across the globe has expanded drastically from only having small ships to nuclear-powered submarines with overwhelming powers compared to the regular submarines which are capable of staying underwater for weeks or even months.

When we talk about nuclear-powered submarines in contrast with diesel-powered submarines, they are much more powerful due to their nuclear reactor. The nuclear reactor can power the submarines all year long without the need of filling its tank with fuel as you can see in a diesel-powered submarine.

ADVERT

The development in the nuclear sector has enabled many countries to build their very own nuclear-powered submarine as a means of protection for their country. Here we would like to share with you some of the countries in the world with the most advanced nuclear-powered submarine.

1. The United States of America

The enlistment of this country on this list is not surprising, especially since it is the country with the biggest budget for military spending. The US has several nuclear-powered submarines and is divided into three different categories which are missiles, attack submarines, and ballistic submarines.

Each one of them will have a specific purpose. The ballistic submarine is used to carry ballistic missiles on board. The attack submarine on the other hand is responsible for tactical missions that involve gathering intel, launching missiles, and keeping track of any movements of ships or submarines nearby.

From the first submarine owned by the US called Turtle, the development of technology has allowed them to build better submarines. As of writing, the US currently own 72 nuclear-powered submarines overall that are split into different class/size like Los Angeles, Ohio, Virginia and Seawolf.

2. Russia

The strength of the Russian army is without a question one of the greatest in the world. Ever since the Soviet Union era, Russia has been one step forward in the development of weaponry and war equipment. The Russian navy possesses several nuclear-powered submarines in which some of which were from Soviet times.

Overall, the Russian navy has 45 nuclear-powered submarines in three different categories which are attack, ballistic missiles, and missiles submarines. The attack submarine Russia is capable of carrying nuclear missiles from land.

3. China

China will be the next on this list since it is clearly obvious that China is a country with high ambition towards becoming the most powerful nation in the world. The navy of the People's Republic of China handles three submarines armada in the North, South, and Eastern Seas.

The armada itself comprises nuclear-powered submarines and conventional submarines of which 14 of them are nuclear-powered. They are further categorized into two different categories namely ballistic and attack.

ADVERT

The submarines are put into different classes like 091 Han class, 092 Xia class, 093 Shang, 094 Jin, 095, 96 Tang class, and 098. The submarines in China are of active status and is operational in the sea protecting its citizen.

4. The United Kingdom

The Royal Navy of the UK handles the three nuclear-powered submarines which are the attack submarine Trafalgar class, the ballistic missiles submarine Vanguard class, and the attack submarine Astute class. Aside from this, they are also in the progress of building another missile class submarine, Dreadnought.

Aside from the three nuclear-powered submarines stated, the UK once owned several nuclear-powered submarines that have now stopped operating. Those ships will be the HMS Dreadnought (S101), the valiant class submarine, the ballistic missile submarine Resolution class, the attack submarine Churchill class as well as the attack submarine Swiftsure class.

5. France

France owned many types of submarines including a nuclear attack submarine and a nuclear ballistic submarine of various classes that are handled by the French navy.

ADVERT

The nuclear attack submarine that is still active includes Suffren (Q284), Rubis (S601), Casabianca (S603), Émeraude (S604), Améthyste (S605), Perle (S606) and Suffren (Q284). There are four ballistic nuclear submarines that remain active which are Le Triomphant (S616), Le Téméraire (S617), Le Vigilant (S618), and Le Terrible (S619).

6. India

As of writing, the Indian navy currently is in possession of two nuclear-powered submarines with other conventional submarines. Both of them are ballistic missile submarines and attack submarines respectively. The last submarine was leased to Russia in 2012 and it has been under the Indian navy for 10 years.

The attack submarines will be the 11 Akula class named Chakra. Other submarines will be under the Arihant class and have been assigned in 2016. Both nuclear-powered submarines are active in the sea and aside from these two submarines, another one will be on the way to operation soon.

Source: