Posted on 02/28/2014 8:40:40 PM PST by DeaconBenjamin
BEIJING: India's submarine crisis comes just around the time China has begun arming two other neighbors, Pakistan and Bangladesh, with submarines. China has also introduced new nuclear submarines that have caused a flutter in Washington.
Jane's weekly quoting a senior Pakistani official says China is set to sell up to six submarines to Pakistan by end of 2014. China has also signed an agreement with Pakistan to sell two Type 035G Ming-class diesel-electric submarines to Bangladesh, reports from Dhaka said recently. The New Age newspaper said the deal was valued $206 million. China has promised to deliver the submarines to Bangladesh Navy by 2019.
"Technical details are almost done. The present discussions are mainly about the financing details," a senior Pakistan official told Jane's. The journal said a second Pakistani government official confirmed that "the contract is at an advanced stage and discussions won't linger on for too long. Realistically, we should have a deal by end 2014."
Islamabad is expected to buy China's S20 or Yuan-class diesel-electric submarine (SSK). At present, the Pakistani Navy operates five French submarines; three Agosta 90B (Khalid-class) submarines purchased in the 1990s and two ageing Agosta 70 (Hashmat-class) boats dating from the late 1970s.
Pakistan's ambitious defence planners are also pushing China for selling submarine-launched nuclear ballistic missiles. But western diplomats say China may be reluctant to hand over such sophisticated equipment fearing harsh reactions from Washington.
Another of India's neighbours, Myanmar is using Chinese experts to train its submarine personnel. It also sent a contingent of navy personnel for submarine warfare training in Pakistan in mid-2013. Myanmar has announced plans to build its own fleet of submarines, and is expected to look towards Russia for supplies.
Question: Are we building any more nuclear subs?
However, while our fleet is the most capable in the world, our numbers are too low for all our coverage responsibilities.
We could use about 50 diesel boats, the advanced, new type, to augment our blue-water fleet.
Diesel boats? Really? Why would this help? I would love to hear your reasoning on this one. (not being snarky, just extremely curious).
They have good reason to hesitate but there's no way they're worried about a "harsh" reaction from Washington.
they are perfect to base in the South China Sea, Med, Persian Gulf etc.
TY
Also, DE boats are pretty quiet when running submerged.
Note that the most advanced D-E submarines are quieter than the most advanced nuclear boats. The main advantage nuke boats have is silent running submerged over VERY long distances, while a DE boat has limited range. However, modern AIP DE boats can stay underwater for two weeks without surfacing, have sonar systems that are very advanced, and are so quiet that passive detection simply cannot detect them. In coastal areas a modern AIP DE submarine is more survivable due to its stealth and maneuverability than the mighty Virginia class.
Isn’t it just great that we borrow money from china to give to pakistan in military aid so they can buy chinese subs....insanity
And that’s why we need at least 50 DE boats to patrol the littorals of the world. It would double the size of our sub fleet, and we would not be “settling”.
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