Zhang Jinlin

Zhang Jinlin was a Chinese engineer, and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. He was born in Luan County (now Luanzhou), Hebei, on 16 October 1936. He graduated from Harbin Institute of Technology in 1960, where he majored in turbine. He joined the Chinese Communist Party in March 1974. He worked at the No. 9 Research Office of the Naval Scientific Research Department and then at the 719 Research Institute of China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, where he became the director in 1992. In 1996, he was appointed as the chief designer of China's nuclear submarine project. He was the third chief designer of China's nuclear submarine project, after Peng Shilu and Huang Xuhua. He made great contributions to develop and build the Type 094 ballistic missile submarine, which is the second generation of China's nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines. He once said that he was deeply influenced by Peng Shilu, the first chief designer. He received many honors and awards for his achievements, such as the State Science and Technology Progress Award (Special) in 1996, the membership of the Chinese Academy of Engineering in 2007, and the State Science and Technology Progress Award (First Class) in 2016. He died in Wuhan, Hubei, on 9 January 2023, at the age of 86. He was widely respected and admired as a leading figure in China's naval engineering field.