What are your credentials, JV, to enable you to make such cavalier statements? I doubt you have any background or real knowledge of either submarine or anti-submarine operations, based on your statements so far.
I am a US Navy submarine vet, and keep up on developments in both areas. Trust me, the USN wouldn't have spent the money to bring the Swedish boat over to San Diego if they felt we were so damn invincible. Facts are that diesel-electric and AIP (air-independent propulsion) boats are harder to detect than other nuke boats and carry a weapons suite just as deadly. Yeah, they don't have the top speed and legs that our boats have ... but if they're around where and when we go into harm's way, it could be dicey for our side indeed.
I still do not believe that a submarine is going to penetrate a carrier group and sink any vessel in the grouo and certainly not the carrier and not even cripple the carrier, don’t we have submarines that escort each carrier group?
I respect jveritas and the things he has done well for the FR community, but I don’t know his base of knowledge on this...:)
That said, I am willing to bet money that our people are wringing a lot of tactics and experimentation out of their experiences with that sub. They have probably been trying out all kinds of new sensors or software.
I hope!