A classified satellite intelligence report from the Cold War reveals that China was actively constructing Soviet-style ‘G’ class ballistic missile submarines at the Lu-ta Shipyard in Dairen.
This discovery, captured in surveillance photography and detailed technical analysis, marked a significant escalation in China’s naval weapons development-and raised alarms within the U.S. intelligence community.
🛰️ Spy Satellites Confirm Construction
The document, based on reconnaissance imagery, shows:
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Multiple ‘G’ class hull sections under active construction
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Work progressing on submarine missile compartments
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Detailed support infrastructure indicating an operational submarine assembly program
The design mirrored the Soviet Golf-class (Project 629) submarine-a diesel-electric platform modified to launch ballistic missiles.
That China had the technical capacity to begin constructing these on its own marked a milestone in naval proliferation.
U.S. analysts noted structural features "clearly consistent" with Soviet submarine schematics.
🌐 Soviet Technology Transfer or Reverse Engineering?
The presence of such a complex system at Lu-ta suggested one of two possibilities:
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Direct Soviet assistance-technical advisors, blueprints, or parts
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Reverse engineering of acquired Soviet submarine platforms
Both possibilities were concerning to U.S. planners. The former implied a deepening Sino-Soviet military alliance. The latter meant China had reached a point where it could independently replicate high-end strategic weapon systems.
🛡️ What the G-Class Meant
The G-class (Golf-class) submarine wasn’t just a standard naval asset. It was equipped to:
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Launch ballistic missiles from underwater
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Operate at significant distances from shore
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Serve as a strategic nuclear deterrent
If launched successfully by China, these platforms could dramatically shift the nuclear balance in Asia, offering Beijing a credible second-strike capability for the first time.
🏗️ The Lu-ta Facility
The Lu-ta Shipyard had long been watched by U.S. intelligence.
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Located in Dairen (Dalian), Liaoning Province
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Built to handle large hull construction and launch operations
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Upgraded to handle missile-capable submarine platforms
The discovery of G-class construction confirmed what had previously only been suspected: that the shipyard had become a core node in China’s nuclear naval ambitions.
🕵️ Intelligence in Action
The CIA report-classified and circulated to top military and strategic planners-served as a real-time warning.
At a time when China was still considered a secondary military power, the construction of such subs indicated a more rapid advance than previously estimated.
The tone of the report is direct, technical, and urgent. It does not speculate. It documents.
But what it documents is a moment when the Cold War quietly expanded beneath the waves of East Asia.
