iMav
10-07-2007, 08:50 PM
The Chinese military may likely become the latest enemy of Google Earth
Google Maps and Google Earth users now have the ability to see a new high-tech Chinese nuclear ballistic missile submarine which can reportedly fire intercontinental ballistic missiles, according to Hans Kristensen, a nuclear weapons analyst for the Federation of American Scientists.
Kristensen found the Jin-class, or Type 094, nuclear submarine's image after it was taken by the Quickbird commercial satellite late last year. The Jin-class is the successor to the Xia-class submarine, "the unsuccessful Xia-class (Type 092) of a single boat (http://www.fas.org/blog/ssp/2007/07/new_chinese_ballistic_missile.php) built in the early 1980s," Kristensen wrote.
The Google Earth Jin-class submarine was photographed while moored at the Xiaopingdao Submarine Base.
Using an image of the Xia-class submarine -- taken in 2005 -- Kristensen was able to point out some of the differences between the Xia- and Jin-class submarines. The Jin-class submarine is at least 35 feet longer than the Xia-class, mainly because of an "extended mid-section" responsible for housing missile launch tubes. The images do not conclusively determine whether the Jin-class mid-section has 12 or 16 tubes.
China expects to build as many as five Jin-class submarines in the next few years. China currently relies on land-based nuclear missile technology, but the new submarines add an additional tool to the military's arsenal.
http://images.dailytech.com/nimage/5313_ssbn.jpg (http://images.dailytech.com/nimage/5313_large_ssbn.jpg)
Images and technical information about the submarine can be found on Kristensen's Strategic Security Blog (http://www.fas.org/blog/ssp/hans_kristensen/).
This may cause the Chinese military to become the latest organization to show concerns over what Google Earth can reveal to users. The U.S. government (http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=7802) and Indian military (http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=1565) are both worried about the high-level quality of satellite imagery which is available to users. A spy chief also predicted (http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=7212) curbs on satellite photos may be needed for programs like Google Earth.
Source (http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=7970)
Google Maps and Google Earth users now have the ability to see a new high-tech Chinese nuclear ballistic missile submarine which can reportedly fire intercontinental ballistic missiles, according to Hans Kristensen, a nuclear weapons analyst for the Federation of American Scientists.
Kristensen found the Jin-class, or Type 094, nuclear submarine's image after it was taken by the Quickbird commercial satellite late last year. The Jin-class is the successor to the Xia-class submarine, "the unsuccessful Xia-class (Type 092) of a single boat (http://www.fas.org/blog/ssp/2007/07/new_chinese_ballistic_missile.php) built in the early 1980s," Kristensen wrote.
The Google Earth Jin-class submarine was photographed while moored at the Xiaopingdao Submarine Base.
Using an image of the Xia-class submarine -- taken in 2005 -- Kristensen was able to point out some of the differences between the Xia- and Jin-class submarines. The Jin-class submarine is at least 35 feet longer than the Xia-class, mainly because of an "extended mid-section" responsible for housing missile launch tubes. The images do not conclusively determine whether the Jin-class mid-section has 12 or 16 tubes.
China expects to build as many as five Jin-class submarines in the next few years. China currently relies on land-based nuclear missile technology, but the new submarines add an additional tool to the military's arsenal.
http://images.dailytech.com/nimage/5313_ssbn.jpg (http://images.dailytech.com/nimage/5313_large_ssbn.jpg)
Images and technical information about the submarine can be found on Kristensen's Strategic Security Blog (http://www.fas.org/blog/ssp/hans_kristensen/).
This may cause the Chinese military to become the latest organization to show concerns over what Google Earth can reveal to users. The U.S. government (http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=7802) and Indian military (http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=1565) are both worried about the high-level quality of satellite imagery which is available to users. A spy chief also predicted (http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=7212) curbs on satellite photos may be needed for programs like Google Earth.
Source (http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=7970)