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Cheonan Sinking Stirs New Interest in Coastal Submarines 09:44 GMT, January 25, 2011 NEWTOWN, Conn. | According to Forecast International’s "The Market for Submarines" analysis, the torpedoing and sinking of the South Korean corvette Cheonan in March 2010 by a North Korean coastal submarine will prompt a surge of interest in small, low-cost submarines. The corvette was specifically designed for operations in littoral waters and built with full knowledge of the threat spectrum she would face. Yet, she was blown in half by a torpedo she never saw coming. The force multiplier effect was clearly evident here. "The Cheonan was...

Defense Focus: Diesel sub wonder weapons Published: Aug. 31, 2007 at 11:10 AM By MARTIN SIEFF UPI Senior News Analyst WASHINGTON, Aug. 31 (UPI) -- The diesel submarine may be the leading "Cinderella weapon" of the 21st century. It gets no respect in the United States or Russia. But China, India, France, Germany and Israel are all betting on it big time. The diesel submarine is certainly not a sexy new technology like anti-ballistic missiles, global positioning satellites or lasers. It has been around as long as the submarine itself (British Adm. Lord John "Jackie" Fisher's bizarre experiment in giant...