The Type 094's chief designer was
Zhang Jinlin. This type is likely based on the
Type 093 nuclear-powered attack submarine. each missile had one warhead and a range capable of reaching parts of
Alaska launched from near China. By late 2022, they may have been rearmed with
JL-3 SLBMs able to reach the
continental United States from the
South China Sea; ranges of over have been reported. Starting with the third boat, the sail was streamlined with a small cusp or fillet at the bottom of leading edge and a slight round down at the top of the sail. This was similar to the streamlining refitted to one of the first Type 093 submarines and likely did little to reduce overall drag. The fifth and sixth boats reduced the number of
limber holes to reduce noise at high speeds. Popular reporting sometimes uses the designation "Type 094A" for boats starting with the third one; the designation appears not to be officially used by the PLAN.
Noise The Type 094 is noisier than contemporary submarines. In 2004, a Chinese researcher reported that the Type 094 had an acoustic signature of 120
decibels, comparable to the . In 2009, the
Office of Naval Intelligence of the
United States Navy listed the Type 094 as noisier than Soviet/Russian SSBNs from the late 1970s. == Operational history ==