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A couple of points--what are the sensors like on this sub? I assume it has some sort of passive sonar as its primary detection, but how good are its operators? Does it have radar while on the surface? If it uses active radar at all, the US could detect it.

The nightmare scenario is that one of these shows up near one of our shorelines, and launches a missile attack against one of our cities. Still, that sub has to get close enough, which means its crew has to navigate the boat through large stretches of ocean, and then they have to successfully launch the attack. There's a lot of coordination, and a lot of logistics involved. We have other means of detecting them; e.g., satellites and aircraft; hopefully, that would be good enough to ward off an attack.

A couple of points--what are the sensors like on this sub? I assume it has some sort of passive sonar as its primary detection, but how good are its operators? Does it have radar while on the surface? If it uses active radar at all, the US could detect it.

Sweden has a modern high-tech navy staffed with highly trained personnel. Their quality is at least as good as our own.

The nightmare scenario is that one of these shows up near one of our shorelines, and launches a missile attack against one of our cities. Still, that sub has to get close enough, which means its crew has to navigate the boat through large stretches of ocean,

About 8-10 years ago the German Navy sent a couple of their then-more advanced U-Boats (Type 206As, which have since been succeed by the Type 212A) over to "play" with the US Atlantic Fleet. Along with their support ship they came up the Potomac for a port-call at Alexandria and they had the boats open for tours.

In talking to the crews, it was apparent that the multi-week trip across the pond was complete misery for them. Even WITH a support ship along. Definitely unhappy, and pretty bitter campers. I'd note that since that time, whenever one of our allies sends a Diesel/Electric over (like the Swedes do) they put it onto a heavy-lift ship and send the crew over on an airliner.

Now that's a highly-trained, experienced, disciplined and dedicated Western crew on a top-of-the-line (but still small and littoralish) submarine going not into combat but to a friendly nation where they'll get port calls and liberty ... still arriving in a pretty combat ineffective state.

Extrapolate that to a bunch of jihadis in a piece-of-cr*p Russian boat? They'll certainly be well motivated (72 Virgins probably equates to or even beats port calls/liberty), but they'll be inferior to that poor miserable German crew in every other respect.

The nightmare scenario is that one of these shows up near one of our shorelines, and launches a missile attack against one of our cities.

Why, they could sit offshore from our largest cities, listening to our "rock and roll" music while they conduct missile drills!

We have other means of detecting them; e.g., satellites and aircraft; hopefully, that would be good enough to ward off an attack.

True, but as I said before. In suicide missions this thing is very scary if it falls into the wrong hands. I am sure Obama would love to see our worst enemy's get one.

The nightmare scenario is that one of these shows up near one of our shorelines, and launches a missile attack against one of our cities. Still, that sub has to get close enough, which means its crew has to navigate the boat through large stretches of ocean, and then they have to successfully launch the attack. There’s a lot of coordination, and a lot of logistics involved. We have other means of detecting them; e.g., satellites and aircraft; hopefully, that would be good enough to ward off an attack.

Actually, the threat is worse than you think.

The German’s WWII “short-range” diesel-electric subs worked quite well inside the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico, somehow sinking many US ships in sight of US shores: despite being limited to binoculars and eyeballs from an open platform only a few feet above the sea surface. No radar, no satellites, no sub-mounted long-range sonars, no shore observers (er, spies), no radio, no ESM intercepts .... With straight-running torpedoes with no self-guiding sonar systems, no fire-and-forget technology and fire control.

These German subs were sinking “little” ships (today’s 100,000 ton ships carry 20 times the capacity) while having to shoot 3 to six torpedoes PER TARGET. Shot by eyeball and periscope from 1000 feet.

Today,you need only one torpedo, shot remotely (submerged all the time) from 22,000 to 26,000 yards range.

Worse, if you sink (disable permanently by blowing up the engineroom and propeller) ONE ship today with ONE torpedo, you have sunk the equal of an ENTIRE war’s production for an ENTIRE sub. Even the BEST WWII German and US skippers “only” sunk 110,000 tons. In their entire careers.