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THE navy has been forced to offer an unprecedented $80,000 bonus to engineers on its submarines and Anzac-class frigates to stop them being poached by cashed-up mining companies. The move will lead to some non-officer submariners being paid up to $177,000 a year, almost as much as an experienced submarine commander, in a move the navy privately concedes could cause tension in the ranks. The bonuses of between $40,000 and $80,000 will be paid over two years to 200 selected non-officer marine technicians "who possess key operator qualifications" in return for two years' service. The Australian understands the drastic step...

Navy's $80,000 bonus to keep sailors Cameron Stewart From:The Australian September 22, 2011 THE navy has been forced to offer an unprecedented $80,000 bonus to engineers on its submarines and Anzac-class frigates to stop them being poached by cashed-up mining companies. The move will lead to some non-officer submariners being paid up to $177,000 a year, almost as much as an experienced submarine commander, in a move the navy privately concedes could cause tension in the ranks. The bonuses of between $40,000 and $80,000 will be paid over two years to 200 selected non-officer marine technicians "who possess key operator...

Talk of the Day -- Taiwan mulling to build submarines 2011/09/19 21:58:20 Taiwan is studying the feasibility of building diesel-electric submarines itself after the United States shelved its procurement request for many years, a local newspaper reported Monday. The United Daily News cited unidentified military sources as saying that research on submarine building has been launched and that the military is trying to acquire production know-how from abroad. The following are excerpts from the local media coverage of the issue: United Daily News: The military has commissioned a local shipbuilder to contact a non-U.S. country capable of building submarines for...

2011/09/19 08:47 KST N. Korean submarine exercises in Yellow Sea becoming more frequent: lawmaker SEOUL, Sept. 19 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has stepped up its submarine drills this year, but the South Korean Navy hasn't been able to detect the vessels, an opposition lawmaker claimed Monday. Shin Hak-yong, a member of the main opposition Democratic Party who serves on the parliamentary committee on national defense, said there were 50 North Korean submarine drills in the Yellow Sea through the end of August this year, up from 28 drills over the first eight months of 2010. Shin said there were only...

How Israel’s doomsday fleet responded to 9/11 9 September 2011 Rare glimpse into Israel’s doomsday weapon – the submarine fleet By Alex Fishman YNetNews.com The day the Twin Towers collapsed in Manhattan, September 11, 2001, Israeli submarine “Leviathan” of the advanced Dolphin model was on a training sail somewhere at sea – the exact location of Israel’s submarines will always remain classified, even dozens of years after the fact. At one point, the submarine rose to the surface to take a break. The sub’s commander, then-Lt. Colonel Oded, looked through the periscope and saw a calm, blue sea. However, one...

"Almost Like a Nuclear Submarine" A security official discusses the capabilities the navy’s sixth submarine The new submarines have a dramatically different capability from the existing ones in terms of their propulsion systems,” a security official tells IsraelDefense. This comes on the heels of recent publications about Israel and Germany agreeing to the construction of a sixth submarine for the Israeli navy’s fleet of three active submarines. The reports say the deal was almost closed, during German Defense Minister Thomas de Maizière’s last visit to Israel. A previous contract, following the Second Lebanon War, was between Israel and two German...

All Canadian submarines now out of commission By David Pugliese, Postmedia News September 4, 2011 The navy’s last operational submarine is now sidelined until 2016, leaving the service without an underwater capability and potentially throwing into question the future of the submarine fleet. The submarine program, which has already cost around $900 million, has been plagued with various maintenance issues that have prevented the boats from being available for operations on a regular basis. A media report in July noted that one of the subs, HMCS Windsor, arrived in Canada in the fall of 2001 but since then it has...

Chilean Stealth Sub Visiting San Diego By Matt Potter | Posted September 2, 2011, 3:56 p.m. The Chilean navy's Carrera, a diesel-electric submarine, has arrived for a training mission with the 3rd Fleet in San Diego, Navy Times reports. The latest generation of diesel-electric subs, with their unusual stealthiness and relatively low price have become troublesome for U.S. defense planners. As smaller countries acquire more of them, safe access for U.S. ships to world coastal areas and the high seas could be jeopardized, the Pentagon argues. "Once they have powered up their batteries, the submarines can sail to the bottom...

RSS Archer submarine arrives in Singapore RSS Archer, the most advanced submarine in the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), arrived here for the first time on Wednesday morning. Chief of Navy Rear-Admiral Ng Chee Peng and other senior naval officers were at Changi Naval Base to witness its arrival from Karlskrona, Sweden. The Archer-class boat is one of two former Royal Swedish Navy Vaastergotland-class submarines acquired second-hand by the RSN in 2005. It was launched in Karlskrona for sea trials two years ago, after undergoing upgrading to operate in tropical water conditions. Submarine crew members from the RSN have been...

China `unaware` of reported radioactive leak from nuke sub AUGUST 05, 2011 08:21 China is known to have told Korea that it does not know about a reported leak of radioactive materials to the Yellow Sea from a Chinese nuclear submarine moored in the Chinese port of Dalian in Liaoning Province. The Korean Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry told a regular news briefing Thursday that it has asked Beijing to confirm reports about the rumored leak. “We`re waiting for China’s answer,” said a ministry official. Another ministry official said, however, that the ministry asked China through a diplomatic channel Tuesday...

Vietnam to get sub fleet in six years: state media (AFP) – 6 hours ago HANOI — Vietnam will have a submarine fleet within six years, the defence minister reportedly announced on Thursday, in what analysts say is intended as a deterrent to China's increasing assertiveness at sea. Russian media reported in December 2009 that Vietnam had agreed to buy half a dozen diesel-electric submarines for about $2 billion. "In the coming five to six years, we will have a submarine brigade with six Kilo 636-Class subs," Defence Minister Phung Quang Thanh was quoted as saying by the state-controlled Tuoi...

Argentina eyes nuclear-powered sub project Published: Aug. 1, 2011 at 5:12 PM BUENOS AIRES, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Argentina says it is developing a nuclear-powered submarine for its navy but won't arm it with nuclear weapons, opting instead for a conventional arsenal. Despite frequent denials and mutual admonitions Latin America has responded to its commodities-fueled economic boom with military regeneration and rearmament of varying intensity. The more cash-endowed of the Latin Americans states have set out to spend more, even borrowing against future income, as in oil-exporting Venezuela. Argentina is neither cash-rich nor at risk of attack from its neighbors....

Rumors Circulate About Radiation Leak by Chinese Sub Rumors are spreading quickly that radioactive materials were accidentally leaked from a state-of-the-art Chinese nuclear submarine moored in Dalian Port in Liaoning Province in the northeastern part of China. The rumor was first reported on Saturday by Boxun.com, a website for overseas Chinese, before it was picked up by Sina Weibo, a Chinese microblogging site similar to Twitter. Citing People's Liberation Army sources in Dalian, Boxun.com reported that there was an accidental leakage of radiation when engineers from a Chinese electronics company were installing equipment on the submarine. Boxun reported that the...

Russian Black Sea Fleet to receive 6 new diesel subs Sevastopol © RIA Novosti. Sergey Petrosjan MOSCOW, July 29 (RIA Novosti) Russia's Black Sea Fleet will be strengthened with six Kilo class diesel-electric submarines in the next few years, Navy Commander Adm. Vladimir Vysotsky said on Friday. "Six diesel-electric submarines of Project 636 [Kilo class] will be built for the Black Sea Fleet in the next few years," Vysotsky said in an exclusive interview with RIA Novosti. The Black Sea Fleet, based in Sevastopol, has only one submarine, the Project 877 Alrosa, which is undergoing scheduled repairs in Kaliningrad. Vysotsky...

Security & Defense: Sailing on stormy seas By YAAKOV KATZ 29/07/2011 A battle is raging within the IDF over the force’s raison d’être and the role it is supposed to play both in times of war and in times of peace. By far the smallest branch in the IDF, the Israel Navy has made an impressive leap in its capabilities in recent years, turning into a major player in the country’s military operations. But at the same time, its future hangs in the balance as the IDF General Staff deliberates whether to approve an ambitious plan to purchase two new...

Southeast Asia’s underwater bazaar Ristian Atriandi Supriyanto, Singapore A scan of recent naval procurement by Southeast Asian navies points to the fact that submarines top their shopping lists. Thailand and the Philippines have been talking the talk to add submarines to their fleets. Thailand plans to buy six ex-German Navy Type-206 submarines. Despite facing domestic criticisms against the plan, Bangkok believes the US$257 million purchase will be money well-spent. The Thai Navy argues that the underwater warships are needed to patrol the Andaman Sea and Gulf of Thailand and catch up with neighboring navies’ modernization. The Philippines, too, has recently...

Smith seeking US help to build 12 subs Brendan Nicholson From:The Australian July 25, 201112:00AM DEFENCE Minister Stephen Smith will seek US help with Australia's plan to build 12 big conventional submarines to replace the navy's six troubled Collins-class boats. Mr Smith arrives in Washington today with Defence Department secretary Ian Watt, and the new chief of the Australian Defence Force, General David Hurley, for their first face-to-face talks with new US Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta and other senior officials. While the US Navy operates only nuclear-powered submarines and some defence analysts have suggested that Australia should buy or...

Franco-Brazilian Arms Deal Reflects Brazilian Aspirations by Amiel Ungar Brazil and France have inked a deal valued at $4.25 billion under which the French will supply Brazil with 4 regular submarines and one nuclear powered submarine. This submarine purchase continues Brazil's military shopping spree that includes Russian-made helicopters and air defense systems. Under Brazil's previous president, Lula da Silva, Brazilian defense spending increased by 50% in 2010. It was already $28 billion in 2008. Part of the purchase is facilitated by the rise of commodity prices as Brazil is the kingpin for soybeans. Brazil is also one of the BRIC...

A Rare Glimpse Aboard One Of France’s Silent But Deadly Nuclear Submarines For France, nuclear deterrence is very much an underwater affair. At all times, one of the country’s four ballistic missile submarines quietly patrols the ocean depths. Armed to the teeth, each vessel is equipped to carry more than a dozen nuclear missiles. A view from inside France's retired "Le Redoutable" sub By Nathalie Guibert LE MONDE/Worldcrunch It’s an abrupt shock to the ears, and it causes the eyes to widen, like a newborn who is hearing for the first time. The sound of shrimp resonates within the helmet,...

German government to subsidize sale of sixth submarine for Israel Berlin, July 17, IRNA -- German tax payers are to foot part of the bill for the highly controversial sale of a sixth submarine to Israel, the Hamburg-based news magazine Der Spiegel said in a report on Sunday. German government to subsidize sale of sixth submarine for Israel The German government is to allocate 135 million euros from next year's defense budget to pay for the Dolphin-class submarine, estimated to cost aroud 500 million euros. The deal was apparently sealed during the latest Israel visit of German Defense Minister Thomas...