The depth of 200m is much deeper than current submarine-launched missiles, thereby opening up new prospects for deep-sea weapon systems.
According to SCMP on March 25, submarine-launched ballistic missiles play a central role in the deterrence strategy of nuclear powers.
When carrying these strategic weapons, submarines can secretly move under the deep ocean and launch attacks from almost anywhere.
However, the current physical limit usually only allows submarines to launch missiles at a depth of about 30m. Therefore, success at a depth of 200m is considered by experts to be a huge challenge against the enormous water pressure.
At a depth of 30m, the water pressure on the missile shell is equivalent to about 4 kg/cm2. When going down to a depth of 200m, this pressure immediately increases more than 5 times, equivalent to 21 kg/cm2.
To put the engine into testing at greater depths, a research group in Zhengzhou city (China) has developed a system called "deep water environment simulation experimental platform". This platform accurately recreates the thrust and flow of solid fuel engines at a depth of 200m.
High-speed sensors and cameras are also installed to measure pressure, thrust and jet flow in detail.
The published results show that at a depth of 200m, the combustion pressure of the engine is completely equivalent to ground tests and does not show large fluctuations. This proves that the device works reliably under the pressure of deep sea.
When compared with ground tests, the thrust of the engine decreased by about 32.7% when operating at a depth of 200m. This finding is completely consistent with the digital simulation report conducted by the Beijing Institute of Technology (China) in July 2025.
The research team affirmed that the experiment helps them understand how the engine operates under high pressure, cramped space and complex interaction mechanisms between gas and water.
The success of the test not only improved weapons for submarines, but also laid the foundation for the idea of "seabed launchers".
The deployment of weapon systems lying still at the bottom of the ocean helps them avoid enemy sonar systems, and at the same time be ready to activate deterrent attacks. Observers believe that this could be a turning point in defense technology, directly impacting the global military balance.
