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India's indigenously designed and built nuclear submarine, INS Arihant, will assume an operational profile after two years, according to Indian Navy chief, Admiral Nirmal Verma. "Arihant, of course, will take about two years of trials before she is inducted in the navy," Adm Nirmal Verma has said in an interview for the forthcoming issue of defence journal Indian Defence Review. Verma said the Navy and the DRDO were looking into the challenges such as "proving of new technology, getting the submarine fully operational, developing doctrines and procedures" for the induction of Arihant. "We are actively working on all these issues,...

Defense officials on the island that has fallen behind in the military balance of power with China had agreed with Washington in 2008 to a study on upgrading Taiwan's aging submarine fleet but will stop pushing the item to keep peace with Beijing, said a source close to the Defense ministry in Taipei. "Taiwan isn't asking for the submarines anymore," the source told Reuters. "The biggest consideration was the warming of relations with mainland China." China has blasted the United States over a planned $6.4-billion arms package for Taiwan, saying it would place sanctions on U.S. firms that sell weapons...

Russia has started the construction of the fourth Borey-class strategic nuclear-powered submarine designed to carry the Bulava missile, a shipyard spokesman said on Monday. "The work on the sub construction effectively started last year," he said. It was previously reported that construction of the Project 955 Svyatitel Nikolai (St. Nicholas) submarine at the Sevmash shipyard in the northern Russian city of Severodvinsk was delayed from December 2009 until the first quarter of 2010. Russia's newest Borey-class strategic nuclear submarine, the Yury Dolgoruky, which is expected to be armed with the new Bulava sea-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM), is currently undergoing sea...

China, S.Korea Flex Naval Muscle as U.S. Wanes China and South Korea are expanding their submarine fleets as the U.S. Navy shrinks its own. The conservative Heritage Foundation in a report last Tuesday said that by 2025 the number of U.S. submarines in the Pacific Ocean will fall from 30 to 27 while China will have 78 submarines and South Korea 26. Mackenzie Eaglen and Jon Rodeback, who prepared the report titled "Submarine Arms Race in the Pacific" among a flurry of such papers issuing from the think tank, said the military strength of the U.S. and Russia is waning...

In a time of shrinking budgets, the U.S. Navy is making a big investment in intelligence. While plans to buy over a hundred P-8A maritime reconnaissance aircraft, and nearly as many EA-18G electronic warfare aircraft are obvious intel efforts, less obvious are the big buys of LCS (Littoral Combat Ship) class vessels and Virginia class attack subs (SSNs). These ships and subs are expected to do a lot of intel work. The LCS, mainly because it is optimized for coastal work, and quick changes in its mission equipment. Since the end of the Cold War, it's become more widely known...

A wing kit that adds satellite guidance to torpedoes dropped from aircraft is among the latest technologies that Tucson-based Raytheon Missile Systems is marketing to international customers. Raytheon's Fish Hawk wing kit - which the company is showing off this week at the Singapore Airshow - is designed to fit on Raytheon's MK-54 lightweight torpedo, which is dropped from anti-submarine warfare aircraft. The kit guides the torpedo to a target area with a GPS satellite and inertial navigation system and targeting information from an aircraft controller. Once the system descends to a specific location at lower altitude and speed, the...

Recently, the Taiwanese Navy detected an unidentified submarine outside one of its major naval bases. Ships and helicopters pursued the contact, but the suspected submarine left the area. A Chinese boat was suspected, mainly because for the last decade, Chinese subs have increasingly been showing up close to Japan and South Korea as well. Two years ago, Japan increased anti-submarine patrols in international waters, just outside Japanese territorial waters. Chinese submarines were apparently exercising there more frequently, looking for Japanese, South Korean and American warships to play tag with. The U.S. has also redirected more of its space based naval...

Chinese submarine crossed into territorial waters close to Taiwan’s largest naval base last week, reports said Sunday. The unidentified vessel was moving just 24 nautical miles southwest from the Tsoying base in Kaohsiung last Wednesday morning as Taiwan’s navy was holding maneuvers close by, the Chinese-language United Evening News reported. A Navy spokesman denied the newspaper story later Sunday. The submarine first appeared on the sonar of a Taiwanese S-70C anti-submarine helicopter. The Taiwanese frigates on a drill nearby were put on full alert and joined the search. The submarine never responded to requests and left the area shortly later,...

The U.S. Navy has retired the USS Los Angeles (SSN 688). This was the lead ship of the Los Angeles class nuclear attack submarine (SSN). The Los Angeles entered service in 1976. It is one of three classes of SSNs in American service, and was the backbone of the American SSN force during the last years of the Cold War. The mainstay of the American submarine force is still the Los Angeles class. Sixty-two of these submarines were built, 44 of which remain in front-line service, making it probably the largest class of nuclear submarines that will ever be built....

 EXCLUSIVESubmergin' Atlantic  Plane sailing ... Branson's submersible 'plane'   ADVENTURER Sir Richard Branson has unveiled his new toy - an underwater "plane" for a voyage to the bottom of the sea. The Virgin Atlantic boss hopes the submarine with fighter jet technology will explore unchartered depths at 35,000ft Deep pockets ... Branson's sub is set to explore at the very bottom of the sea The £415,000 carbon fibre prototype Necker Nymph will swoop 130ft under the surface but Sir Richard, 59, is building a stronger version to go deeper than any sub has ever been.   Branson ... plans sea...

Indian Navy's Foxtrot submarines to be history soon New Delhi, Jan 24 : They have been of valuable service to the Indian Navy for more than 35 years. The Soviet-built Foxtrot submarines, with which the navy's submarine arm came into existence, will be history soon with the two remaining submarines of this class being retired by 2011 - bringing an era to an end. The Russian Navy had retired its last Foxtrots between 1995 and 2001. However, the Indian Navy is still operating two of them - INS Vela, commissioned in 1973, and INS Vagli, commissioned in 1974. "One of...

The nuclear-powered attack submarine Los Angeles had been in the fleet for a dozen years, mostly patrolling the Pacific to keep a close watch on Russian subs, when Caleb Schrum was born. On Saturday, Schrum, now 21 and a Navy petty officer second class, gently lowered the American flag on the aft of the Los Angeles at the conclusion of a tradition-rich ceremony in San Pedro in which the submarine was decommissioned from the active fleet. The vessel that entered service in 1976 as the Navy's most innovative underwater warship is headed for retirement as its oldest submarine. Soon the...

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Israel is discussing the purchase of a sixth Dolphin submarine from Germany, fueling concerns that the Jewish state is gearing up for a protracted conflict with Iran, officials say. The Israeli navy has three Dolphins operational, and all are purported to be capable of launching nuclear-armed Harpoon cruise missiles. Two other Dolphins are being built for Israel at the Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft shipyard in Kiel and are due for delivery in 2012. The new purchase is high on the agenda of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who arrived in Berlin Monday with a team of senior ministers for a historic joint cabinet...

Navy's SOS: Sub force depleting New Delhi January 18, 2010 A security nightmare stares the nation in the face with the Indian Navy's submarine arm in danger of losing its strength and ability to keep enemies off the country's backyard. Headlines Today has access to an internal note sent by the navy to the government, which warns of unthinkable scenarios for national security if corrective action is not taken quickly. The navy admits in the document that it's almost at its lowest ebb in terms of submarine force levels in history. And this when the Chinese seem bent upon undermining...

Russia's Nerpa nuclear attack submarine, which entered service with the Navy in late 2009, will undergo additional adjustments in February, the Defense Ministry said on Tuesday. The submarine was put into service despite a fatal accident during its sea trials in November 2008. Earlier reports said it had passed final tests successfully. "Additional adjustments are planned for the Nerpa in February 2010 to rectify the flaws revealed during the latest tests," a ministry official said. On November 8, 2008, while the Nerpa was undergoing sea trials, its onboard fire suppression system activated, releasing a deadly gas into the sleeping quarters....

Development of strategic nuclear forces remains the top priority for the Russian military. Within the nuclear triad, the military has a big stake in reinforcing naval strategic forces, although the other two elements, ground-based missiles and strategic bombers, are also being modernized. The navy accounts for approximately 40% of the defense ministry’s budget, according to Vice Premier Sergey Ivanov, who discussed spending in mid-2009. “It’s much more than is spent on strategic missile forces, space forces and the air force put together. It’s hundreds of billions of rubles,” he said, adding that the navy’s money will be mainly spent for...

Russia's Nerpa nuclear attack submarine, damaged in a fatal accident during tests in November last year, has successfully passed final trials, a Pacific Fleet spokesman said on Monday. On November 8, 2008, while the Nerpa was undergoing sea trials, its onboard fire suppression system activated, releasing a deadly gas into the sleeping quarters. Three crewmembers and 17 shipyard workers were killed. There were 208 people, 81 of them submariners, onboard the vessel at the time. Following repairs, which cost an estimated 1.9 billion rubles ($65 million), the submarine has been cleared for final sea trials. "A state commission has concluded...

AMAZING pictures taken more than 2km below the surface show the torpedoed hospital ship Centaur resting on the sea floor. The incredibly sharp images show the Centaur sitting on the sandy ocean bottom just over 2km down, the vessel listing at an angle of about 25 degrees. Its red cross denoting its hospital ship status is clearly visible, as is the green band painted around the ship. The photos were taken shortly before 3am today after shipwreck hunters sent down a remote controlled submarine to take the first ever footage of the wreck of an Australian hospital ship that was...

In early 2009, as the Sri Lankan Army moved into territory held, for years, by the rebel LTTE (Tamil separatists), they found some surprises. One, on the northeast coast, was a submarine shipyard. Well, not exactly submarines, but close. These semi-submersible boats run mostly submerged, and are excellent at evading detection. This design was first developed by Colombian drug gangs a decade ago, and these craft are carrying most of the cocaine being moved north to the United States. Several years of effort by the U.S. Navy to improve detection methods, have not had much success. Thus the semi-submersibles are...

Russian Navy takes delivery of a new submarine for lease to India MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti military commentator Ilya Kramnik) - The nuclear submarine K-152 Nerpa has joined the Russian Navy. The new Project 971U boat is planned to be leased to India, to which it will sail next summer. An Indian crew will undergo training aboard it before the hand-over ceremony. Its trials, which began in 2008, were interrupted by a tragic accident on September 8, 2008, when an unauthorized release of a fire-fighting gas killed 20 men and injured more than 20 others. The accident caused a delay in...

Russia has delayed, for at least a few months, starting construction of their fourth Borei class SSBN (ballistic missile nuclear subs, or "boomers"). Russia wants to have the new Borei class boats replace the current Delta IV class SSBNs. The first Borei is already in the service, but not yet commissioned, and two others are under construction. The problem, and unofficial reason for the delay, is the inability to make the new Bulava SLBM (Sea Launched Ballistic Missile) work. The latest Bulava test was a spectacular failure (which lit up the pre-dawn sky of northern Norway, for all to see)....

Vietnam aims to counter China with sub deal: analysts By Ian Timberlake (AFP) – 2 hours ago HANOI — Vietnam's major arms deal with Russia, reported to involve the purchase of six submarines, aims to bolster claims against China over potentially resource-rich islands in the South China Sea, analysts say. While much of Vietnam's military hardware is antiquated, it has decided to devote substantial resources to developing an underwater fleet as concerns mount over tensions with its giant neighbour over the Paracel and Spratly archipelagos, they say. "I think their primary rationale is to counteract the military build-up that the...

/begin my excerpts China: Classified Documents on Submarine Leaked... Intel Authorities on Alert (regarding) China's newest nuclear-powered submarine development Classified information at China's Weapon's Industry Research Institute leaked by hacking (Beijing=Yonhap News) Kwon Young-suk = Classified information on Chinese navy's submarine was leaked to foreign intelligence, and the Chinese intelligence authorities are on heightened alert. China's Globe Daily reported on Dec. 14 that classified materials were stolen at China Weapon’s Industry Research Institute which does PLAN's submarine projects. The authorities said, "Foreign intelligence stole via Internet hacking all of top secret information and files on materials used for building China's...

12/13/2009 German-made submarines in latest US arms package The United States is preparing to sell German-made submarines to Taiwan as part of its latest arms package. That's according to the US-based Foreign Policy magazine, which was quoted on the website of Hong-Kong newspaper Singtao on Sunday. Foreign Policy reported that the United States may make an announcement on its latest arms deal to Taiwan before next Friday, when President Barack Obama will attend the UN Climate Change summit in Copenhagen. The package is not expected to include F-16C/D fighter jets but should include 60 Black Hawk helicopters. News agency Reuters...

Vietnam could become key importer of Russian weaponry Vietnam could become a key importer of Russian weaponry if several contracts on the purchase of diesel submarines and aircraft are signed in the near future, a Russian newspaper said. According to the Vedomosti business daily, Moscow and Hanoi are close to sign deals on the purchase of six Kilo class diesel-electric submarines and 12 Su-30MK2 Flanker-C multirole fighters. The submarine contract, worth an estimated $1.8 billion, includes the construction of on-shore infrastructure and training of submarine crews and will be the second largest submarine contract concluded by Russia since the Soviet...

A question for history buffs: who was the German officer who said there were no atheists in his submarine when they were being depth-charged? Thanks

After 60 years in a watery Hawaiian grave, two World War II-era Japanese attack submarines have been discovered near Pearl Harbor, marine archaeologists announced today. Specifically designed for a stealth attack on the U.S. East Coast--perhaps targeting Washington, D.C., and New York City--the "samurai subs" were fast, far-ranging, and in some cases carried folding-wing aircraft, according to Dik Daso, curator of modern military aircraft at the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum, speaking in the new National Geographic documentary Hunt for the Samurai Subs. When World War II ended in 1945, the U.S. Navy seized the Japanese fleet in the Pacific,...

Report: Pakistani president suspected of graft in submarine sale South Asia News Nov 10, 2009, 10:56 GMT Paris - Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari is suspected of having received millions of dollars in kickbacks from the 1994 sale of three French submarines to the Pakistani Navy, the daily Liberation reported Tuesday. In addition, investigators believe that the non-payment of the full amount of the agreed kickbacks may have led to the deaths of 11 French nationals in a 2002 terror attack in the city of Karachi. In the report, Liberation says it acquired documents that allegedly show that Zardari received...

Russian defense officials announced that the failed Bulava ballistic missile test last July, was due to a defect in the first stage steering system. This was fixed, and another test will take place before the end of the month. So far, the Bulava has been test fired eleven times. Only one of those tests was an unqualified success, and six were absolute failures. But the Russian government insists that development will continue, and succeed. The inept development of the new Bulava SLBM (Sea Launched Ballistic Missile) for the new Boeri class SSBN (nuclear submarine carrying SLBMs) has become a growing...

Yet another example of the folly of assigning liberals to guard duty. Joining Rachel Maddow on her MSNBC show Thursday to vent about that pesky wabbit Joe Lieberman was Fire Dog Lake blogger Jane Hamsher. Democrats wield considerable leverage over Lieberman, Hamsher opined, to keep him from joining a GOP filibuster of ObamaCare or punish him if he does -- MADDOW: ... I think you’re right to point out that other senators sort of gently expressing their disapproval of his proverbial toplessness at this point is a bigger deal than it would be in the real world, that their words...

New subs come with a $36bn price IAN MCPHEDRAN October 30, 2009 12:01am The project will be a boon for South Australia, with the Federal Government saying the 12 next-generation submarines will be built at Osborne regardless of who wins the contract. But a report out today warns that trying to build the new subs in Australia would be fraught with danger and the purchase of smaller, short-range "off-the-shelf" overseas submarines should not be ruled out. The report, from the Government-funded Australian Strategic Policy Institute, predicts the Australian-made subs would cost a "staggering" $3 billion each - three times the...

In Russia, the fifty man crew for the first Yasen (Graney) class SSGN (nuclear powered cruise missile sub) arrived at the Sevmash shipyards where their boat is being built. The crew was put together four years ago, and has been training ever since. The crew will continue training, increasingly on the first boat of the class (the Severodvinsk), which will be launched in a few months and enter service within two years. Last July, construction began on a second Yasen class SSGN. Russia plans to complete six boats of this class within the next six years. Construction of the first...

The U.S. Navy conducted successful test flights Sept. 3 and 4 of two Trident II D5 Fleet Ballistic Missiles (FBMs) built by Lockheed Martin. The Navy launched the unarmed missiles from the submerged submarine USS West Virginia (SSBN 736) in the Atlantic Ocean. The Trident II D5 missile now has achieved 129 consecutive successful test flights since 1989 - a record unmatched by any other large ballistic missile or space launch vehicle. "These successful missile tests again demonstrate the readiness and reliability of the entire Trident II D5 Strategic Weapon System," said Melanie A. Sloane, vice president of Fleet Ballistic...

BERLIN, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- Germany has been asked to help fund yet another submarine for the Israeli navy. Jerusalem plans to order another submarine of the Dolphin class from German Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft AG and has asked the German government to subsidize the order, German news magazine Der Spiegel reports. Berlin has helped Israel pay for five previously ordered submarines. The first two (named Dolphin and Leviathan) were a gift by Germany after it surfaced that German companies were involved with Iraq's chemical weapons program. To save the orders and jobs for the German shipyards, Chancellor Helmut Kohl decided to...

Defence has admitted the Collins submarines are again a major concern, with the most recent mishap requiring a vessel to limp home after a catastrophic engine breakdown. Head of the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) Dr Stephen Gumley said the Collins submarines had now gone to the top of the list of troublesome projects - a position once occupied by the now cancelled Seasprite helicopter project. Once labelled "dud subs" after a series of problems, the Collins had undergone a protracted remediation program over the past decade which seemed to have overcome all defects. Following the recent engine breakdown, just one...

Engine problems cripple Collins-class submarines THE navy's $6 billion Collins-class submarines face serious operational restrictions after being hit by a run of crippling mechanical problems and troubling maintenance issues. Some senior engineering experts now contend that the Swedish-supplied Hedemora diesel engines may have to be replaced - a major design and engineering job that could cost hundreds of millions of dollars and take years to complete. So serious are the problems that the Defence Materiel Organisation has put the Collins boats at the top of its list of "projects of concern" - the key equipment issues troubling Australia's Defence leaders....

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said on Thursday that women would soon serve on submarines reversing a long time ban by the Navy. The Department of Defense : Appearing on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” Mabus signaled that the Navy is moving closer to allowing coed personnel on submarines.

Sub order: Israel to ask for German cash Published: Oct. 8, 2009 at 11:48 AM BERLIN, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- Germany has been asked to help fund yet another submarine for the Israeli navy. Jerusalem plans to order another submarine of the Dolphin class from German Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft AG and has asked the German government to subsidize the order, German news magazine Der Spiegel reports. Berlin has helped Israel pay for five previously ordered submarines. The first two (named Dolphin and Leviathan) were a gift by Germany after it surfaced that German companies were involved with Iraq's chemical weapons program....

Russia, with financial and technical assistance from America, Britain, Canada, Japan, Italy and Norway, has been dismantling about 20 retired nuclear submarines a year, and plans to have 191 dismantled by next year. Up through the early 1990s, Russia had built nearly 260 nuclear ships (nearly all submarines). The end of the Cold War in 1991, left the Russians unable to keep most of those subs in service. Russian nukes were expensive to maintain, and many were not worth keeping in service (too noisy, too old, too many other flaws). Most of the submarine dismantling was paid for by the...

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Pakistan Navy acquires ASW helicopters from China KARACHI: Pakistan Navy has acquired Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW) helicopters Z9EC from China. The induction ceremony was held here on Wednesday at Naval Aviation Base. Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Noman Bashir was the chief guest on the occasion. This is the first batch of the series of six helicopters to be procured as per the contract signed with M/s China National Aero Technology Import and Export Corporation (CATIC). The Z9EC helicopters have been built according to the specific requirements of Pakistan Navy and are capable to detect and destroy submarines. The...

TEL AVIV, Israel, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- Israel has taken delivery of two German-made submarines capable of launching missiles with nuclear warheads. "We have received two Dolphin-class submarines built from Germany," Israel and Arab media reported quoting an anonymous Israeli military spokesman. Called U212s, the submarines were upgraded in Germany by Israeli technicians and engineers in order to enable them to carry nuclear warheads. Initially in 2006, when the sale was confirmed, the German government said the two vessels were not equipped to carry nuclear weapons. The submarines were ordered in 2005, and delivery was originally scheduled for 2010. With...

Israel gets two more German submarines (AFP) – 14 hours ago JERUSALEM — Israel has taken delivery of two German submarines ordered four years ago, a military spokesman said on Tuesday. "We have received two Dolphin-class submarines built in Germany," he said, on condition of anonymity. The submarines, called U212s, can launch cruise missiles carrying nuclear warheads, although when it confirmed the sale in 2006 the German government said the two vessels were not equipped to carry nuclear weapons. The subs were ordered in 2005 and delivery was initially expected in 2010. Including the two new ones, Israel has five...

Okay … I’m laying this out on the table right now – I want one of these things. Talk about cool, what could be better than having your own submersible that looks like a dolphin on steroids. With the Seabreacher you can jump, dive and roll through the water at speeds of up to 40mph, or 20mph underwater. There’s a few different models of this beauty from Innespace Productions who took ten years to develop. For the average person it apparently is no sweat in learning how to drive and maintain a Seabreacher however the sticker price for all...

Breaking with a tradition that spans more than half a century, the Navy is in the final planning stages to integrate female Sailors into its submarine fleet. Long considered one of the most elite communities in the U.S. Navy, the small, secretive force has been comprised entirely of male officers and crew in large part because of the small living spaces and long endurance missions. The service had examined assigning a small number of females on subs over the last ten years, but found the tight confines and lack of a well-defined career path for female submariners too daunting to...

Stealthy Italian submarine will train with U.S. Navy The ITS Scire is paying a visit to Mayport to take part in a Joint Task Force Exercise. By Timothy J. Gibbons From its high-tech fuel cell engine to its automated torpedo loading system, the ITS Scire proudly shows off the advanced technology crammed into its narrow body. But being on the crew of a cutting-edge fighting vessel doesn't mean one has to ignore the comforts of life - which perhaps is why cans of extra virgin olive oil manage to find a corner amid the fearsome torpedoes. From the espresso machine...

FORCE September 2009 A Step Before the Leap Putting India’s ATV project in perspective By Admiral Arun Prakash (retd) Following close in the wake of India’s nuclear submarine launch, former Navy Chief Sureesh Mehta’s observations about the yawning gap between the militaries of China and India created a minor flutter in the media. But his candid admission revealed no secrets. In fact, his remarks should serve to focus attention on the contrasting approaches of the two nations. We seem to have pinned all our hopes on high GDP growth triggering a Biblical ‘loaves and fish’ miracle in India. The Chinese,...

Brazil to build five submarines with French technology by 2021 www.chinaview.cn 2009-08-28 10:34:50 Print RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's Defense Minister Nelson Jobim said on Thursday that the country will build five submarines in a partnership with France by 2021. According to the minister, the construction of the submarines will be started in 2016, and is part of an agreement which foresees transfer of the French military technology. The agreement, which was reached in late 2008, will be signed by the Brazilian and French presidents at a ceremony on Sept. 7, Brazil's Independence Day. Out of the...

As millions of people watched Hurricane Bill batter the Dominican Republic via satellite last week, Drake sought a different view: from 3,000 feet beneath the pounding seas. Going where no man could, Drake, a 7-foot yellow robotic submarine from Rutgers University, proved there is yet another application for a fleet that university oceanographers hope will one day populate the globe. Already, Drake's sister ship, Scarlet, is two-thirds of the way toward completing the world's first trans-Atlantic crossing. Another Slocum glider, as oceanographers prefer to call the robo-subs, was launched off Sandy Hook Thursday on a ground-breaking mission to patrol the...