International Naval News & Discussion

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 26 Jul 2013 19:02

Japan military 'needs marines and drones'

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 27 Jul 2013 01:13

Japanese Minister Proposes More Active Military Presence in Region

The minister, Itsunori Onodera, said Japan should consider such steps as acquiring weapons to strike bases in hostile countries and aerial drones to monitor Japan’s vast territorial waters in response to the growing capabilities of North Korea and China.

Those PLA articles, in people's daily, did not seemed to have worked.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 27 Jul 2013 17:15

Astute's sonar is touted as being able to "hear" a cruise ship as far as away as New York while she is still in harbour in the UK.Whatever the truth,her sonar is acknowledged to be perhaps the best around.Figures/details for the new Russian N-boats are not available.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 04 Aug 2013 23:13

www.theguardian.com/ukNews

MilitaryAgeing nuclear submarines could put sailors and public at risk, report warnsUK's five Trafalgar-class sub

Ageing nuclear submarines could put sailors and public at risk, report warns

UK's five Trafalgar-class submarines are suffering mounting technical problems, says Ministry of Defence

Rob Edwards
theguardian.com, Sunday 4 August 2013 12.30 BST

HMS Tireless, a Trafalgar-class nuclear submarine, at Devonport naval base. Photograph: David Levene

Britain's ageing hunter-killer nuclear submarines are suffering mounting technical problems that could endanger the safety of sailors and the public, a report from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has warned.

Five Trafalgar-class submarines, between 22 and 29 years old, are running into reliability issues with the reactors that power them, increasing the risk of cracks, pipe failures and radiation leaks. The oldest, HMS Tireless, leaked radioactive coolant from its reactor for eight days in February.

At the moment the problems are being effectively managed, says the report from the MoD's internal safety watchdog, the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator (DNSR). But it has issued a new amber warning that "attention is required to ensure maintenance of adequate safety performance".

The problems have arisen because the operational lives of Trafalgar submarines have had to be extended to cope with prolonged delays in bringing Astute-class submarines into service to replace them. After billion-pound budget overruns and repeated construction and teething difficulties, only two of seven proposed new submarines are currently in the water.

The Royal Navy's five Trafalgar boats, launched between 1984 and 1991, are now all expected to function for up to 33 years, with the last one not being mothballed until 2022. "As a result, the Trafalgar class are operating at the right hand end of their 'bathtub' reliability curves," says the DNSR report.

This means that the number of problems being encountered by the boats is increasing steeply as they reach the ends of graphs shaped like baths. "The effect has been seen in a number of emergent technical issues over the last few years" which "can be directly attributed to the effects of plant ageing", the report says.

The report, which covers 2012-13 and was put online by the MoD without any announcement, does not say what any of the technical issues are. But critics point out that they must include the reactor coolant leak sprung by HMS Tireless during operations off the west coast of Scotland on 4 February.

The MoD has since said that the leak lasted for 192 hours, including six days at the Devonport naval dockyard in Plymouth. Permission was also given for Tireless to vent radioactive air to the atmosphere, which the MoD said was "well within the normal permitted limits for discharges to the environment".

According to John Large, an independent expert on nuclear submarine safety, the main risk from ageing was the "catastrophic failure" of components in the pressurised reactor system, including circuit pipework and the reactor vessel. Steel becomes more brittle, particularly if it is irradiated, making it more likely to crack, he said.

The DNSR report says that the problems facing Trafalgar-class submarines are "analogous" to those experienced by Britain's first generation of Magnox nuclear power stations, all but one of which are now shut down. This "strongly suggests" that it was cracks in increasingly brittle metal that DNSR was concerned about, Large argued.

DNSR had admitted that the Trafalgar submarines posed an increased risk of nuclear accidents, he said. "It seems as if admirals in Whitehall have overruled nuclear safety by demanding that the remaining elderly boats are held in service as a string-and-sticky-tape stopgap measure."

Peter Burt, from the Nuclear Information Service in Reading, warned that the longer the submarines remained in service, the greater the risk of mishaps. "The MoD should not be putting its operational requirements before the safety of submarine crews and members of the public," he said.

The DNSR report also predicts that the four newer Vanguard-class submarines that carry Trident nuclear warheads are "likely to exhibit plant ageing effects" because their lives have been extended to the late 2020s and early 2030s. It repeats earlier concerns about shortage of skilled nuclear staff and the impact of increased privatisation.

The MoD stressed that safety was paramount in its activities. "We would not operate any submarine unless it was safe to do so," said an MoD spokesman. "The report acknowledges that we are taking the necessary action to effectively manage the technical issues raised by the regulator."

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 05 Aug 2013 07:47

Philip wrote:Astute's sonar is touted as being able to "hear" a cruise ship as far as away as New York while she is still in harbour in the UK.Whatever the truth,her sonar is acknowledged to be perhaps the best around.Figures/details for the new Russian N-boats are not available.

I would call it the usual british bs. when space is not a constraint (yasen, virginia, seawolf) people have gone for huge spherical bow sonars on a no-expenses spared basis. even if it mean inclining the TT and moving torpedo room backwards. the astute class has a cylindrical bow sonar system made by thales uk iirc.

brits usually make something half the size at twice the cost of a khan system and claim its somehow better

when its time to unleash the hounds I would rather be depending on a virginia or yasen.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 05 Aug 2013 13:29

What the Brits mean and what the sub officer of Astute mentioned that it was the best sonar that has ever been seen on British Submarine.

Best and Worst are always relative to the environment the sonar works in and most sonar are optimised to work well within their area of operation generally a host country own backyard. So an Astute sonar would perform better then a Virgina in their area of regular patrol while some where around American waters the American one would have the edge since the operators of sonars are well versed in their environment of operation and they have huge data banks of wide acoustic conditions of different day month years of their area that feed into sonar programs.

Sonar operation are far more complex then just having the best sonar on your ship a bad environmental condition at sea can spoil the capability of best sonar money can buy.

svinayak · Post by **svinayak** » 07 Aug 2013 04:50

Published on May 23, 2013
Look at engineering leaps that have helped different types of structures go from big to bigger to biggest.
Get a passive income now! Video proof: http://www.online-income-automated.com
The race is on to become the world's biggest. Crowned the biggest in their fields, structures like the 600-metre Burj Dubai skyscraper and the 99,000-ton USS Nimitz represent the most cutting-edge advances in architecture and engineering today. But these mind-blowing 21st century constructions would not be possible without the historical breakthroughs that propelled these fields to new heights.

Big, Bigger, Biggest examines the various engineering leaps that helped these structures become historical giants. How did bridges evolve in size from simple bamboo walkways to modern marvels such as Japan's Akashi Bridge? And what advances have allowed buildings to grow from a few storeys in size to the modern skyscraper?

This episode reveals the engineering breakthroughs behind the US Navy's biggest submarine.

At 171 meters long, the USS Pennsylvania (USS Pennsylvania (SSBN-735) is a United States Navy Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine which has been in commission since 1989. She is the fourth ship of the United States Navy to be named for Pennsylvania, the second state.) is as long as one and a half football fields. She can dive deeper than a thousand feet, sail for 20 years without refueling, and remain submerged for up to 6 months. She carries a crew of 155 men and a deadly nuclear arsenal.

But the USS Pennsylvania wasn't built in a day.

It stands on the shoulders of historic engineering achievements that have allowed it to grow so big. This episode charts the stories of six historic inventions, embodied by landmark machines - giants of the submarine world. One by one, this episode reveals the incredible stories behind these machines and the inventions that drove them ever bigger. Six ingenious leaps forward that enabled Submarines to evolve...from BIG to BIGGER into the US Navy's BIGGEST.

Investigate how the crew of one of the world's earliest submarines - the Turtle - could breathe underwater. See how novel fins were developed to control the direction of the HL Hunley submarine, and how a revolutionary torpedo was designed for the U66 U-Boat. Learn about a groundbreaking nuclear power system that propelled the USS Nautilus through the water, and how innovative techniques enabled the USS George Washington to launch missiles underwater.

This is the ultimate explanation of how ingenious technology enabled the submarine to evolve into the ultimate weapon - the USS Pennsylvania.

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 07 Aug 2013 07:06

Japan launches largest warship since World War II

Hahahahaha. Take that China.

The ship, named the Izumo, is classified as a helicopter destroyer, though its flattop design makes it look like an aircraft carrier.

But the Japanese Defense Ministry says the ship is not intended to be used as an aircraft carrier and will not be used to launch fighter jets, state broadcaster NHK reported.

The launch of the $1.2 billion warship at a Yokohama dockyard comes at a time of increased military tensions between Japan and China over disputed islands in the East China Sea.

member_26622 · Post by **member_26622** » 07 Aug 2013 07:07

The Brits have not gotten over their colonial heydays and want to keep touting their mastery all the time!

Still remember how their MP's debated over exporting basic Hawk trainers and ensuring that it was toothless as a newborn baby...treating India as a banana republic under their boots.

And we paid and keep paying top dollars (pounds) for their outdated goodies. Evidently, they are adept at corrupting Indians from the core, did it 400 years back and continuing even today (sarcastic).

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 07 Aug 2013 07:11

I think India should donate the Viraat to V'Nam.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 07 Aug 2013 15:26

Loads of IMDS 2013 Pictures , Brahmos and Sub launched model are shown ( Warning High Res )

http://bastion-karpenko.ru/mvms-2013_01/
http://bastion-karpenko.ru/mvms-2013_02/
http://bastion-karpenko.ru/mvns-2013_3/

Aditya G · Post by **Aditya G** » 07 Aug 2013 18:39

Austin wrote:Loads of IMDS 2013 Pictures , Brahmos and Sub launched model are shown ( Warning High Res )

http://bastion-karpenko.ru/mvms-2013_01/
http://bastion-karpenko.ru/mvms-2013_02/
http://bastion-karpenko.ru/mvns-2013_3/

ID please:

http://bastion-karpenko.ru/MVMS-2013/MVMS-2013_029.JPG

JTull · Post by **JTull** » 07 Aug 2013 18:39

NRao wrote:I think India should donate the Viraat to V'Nam.

...to be a floating casino.

JTull · Post by **JTull** » 07 Aug 2013 18:48

Image: Izumo (DDH-183) with DDH-181.

19,500 ton Izumo (DDH-183) is the biggest of the Hyuga class destroyers. Add a ski jump and it could be bigger than INS Viraat. 248 meters flight deck is already longer than Viraat. Construction started in 2009 so fairly quick turnaround.

Even without a ski-jump something like this could be a formidable addition to IN and nicely complement the 2/3 aircraft carrier theory. Heli operations + potential for fixed wing aircraft like F-35B is attractive.

If India wants to build relations with strong nations in Asia like Japan and Australia, synergies like these should be explored.

Lisa · Post by **Lisa** » 07 Aug 2013 19:15

Another perspective. 1st photo is of DDH-183

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picture ... me=2637513

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 07 Aug 2013 19:24

absolutely both Soko and Japan are investing strongly in LPHD ships and churn them out like parathas from a tawa. must be cheaper than spain, french & italian route and builds synergy.

Avid · Post by **Avid** » 07 Aug 2013 19:30

JTull wrote:
19,500 ton Izumo (DDH-183) is the biggest of the Hyuga class destroyers. Add a ski jump and it could be bigger than INS Viraat. 248 meters flight deck is already longer than Viraat. Construction started in 2009 so fairly quick turnaround.

According to Telegraph link above: the Izumo is quoted as being 27,000t displacement

Yes, it could be longer than Viraat. For bigger, would it not require significant redesign? I am looking at the pic and if converted to carry jets, it would only have one runway.

Lisa · Post by **Lisa** » 07 Aug 2013 23:23

JTull wrote:
19,500 ton Izumo (DDH-183) is the biggest of the Hyuga class destroyers. Add a ski jump and it could be bigger than INS Viraat. 248 meters flight deck is already longer than Viraat. Construction started in 2009 so fairly quick turnaround.

Even without a ski-jump something like this could be a formidable addition to IN and nicely complement the 2/3 aircraft carrier theory. Heli operations + potential for fixed wing aircraft like F-35B is attractive.

If India wants to build relations with strong nations in Asia like Japan and Australia, synergies like these should be explored.

JTull,

Where did you get this image from. Is it Photoshopped/Altered?

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 07 Aug 2013 23:51

JTull wrote:
NRao wrote:I think India should donate the Viraat to V'Nam.
...to be a floating casino.

Park it near one of them contested islands and place a few nice armed helos on it.

Sure, if China then decides that peace and tranquility is better, then, yes, built a hotel on too.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 08 Aug 2013 03:03

The Izumo is almost exactly what the IN needs,as I've been saying for aeons,an amphib flat top like the Spanish Juan Carlos,better than the Mistral,which can perform the "swing role",amphib ops,ASW and limited flet air defence and CAS for amphib ops,leaving aside disaster relief. Now we have the Izumo.It can carry 16 ASW/multi-role helos,ideal to deal with the PLAN subs and when the JSF USMC version arrives,operate it from the vessel-Japan can easily afford a few sqds. of the JSF even at a price of $150m a pop.The speed with which it has been launched/unveiled indicates that several more ships will be built to counter the PLANs plans for at least 3-5 large 65t carriers. We will surely see Japan build even larger "aircraft and helicopter destroyers" of even gretaer size than the Izumo in the near future.The IN should take a good hard look at the Izumo for its planned acquisition of 4 amphib vessels as Indo-Nippon naval cooperation is on the high road,with the possible acquisition of amphibians/flying boats too.

Jethro,great idea for Vietnam's need for a floating casino! The VC could operate heli-tours in the Indo-China Sea from its deck for "Beijing Duck" shoots for tourists too! US Big Game hunters who tour Africa to take pot shots at African elephants will certainly enjoy picking off Chinese marine life,above and below water.Viet Vets could have a field day reliving their past,the smell of napalm for breakfast what?!

vishvak · Post by **vishvak** » 08 Aug 2013 07:11

JTull wrote:
NRao wrote:I think India should donate the Viraat to V'Nam.
...to be a floating casino.

Or build one.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 08 Aug 2013 07:40

imo we need 5 such ships primarily as ASW hunters mounting large fleets of ASW helis to sanitize our operating areas against PLAN and Paki subs. in concert with P8, these would represent a formidable threat to any hostile subs.

secondary role of island defence using embarked marine contingent and LST/LCAC, VBSS , relief etc are nice to have but not priority1. same goes for JSF...JSF has no ability to detect or target submarines.

PLAN subs will be lurking under our chair long before PLAN SAGs make their appearance in IOR. SAGs are best targeted by sub launched ASMs / P8/ MKI rather than wasting resources on VSTOL JSF.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 08 Aug 2013 07:57

Aditya G wrote:ID please:

http://bastion-karpenko.ru/MVMS-2013/MVMS-2013_029.JPG

Ship version of land based Grad Surface to Surface Artillery.

JTull · Post by **JTull** » 08 Aug 2013 11:25

Lisa, just search for Izumo Hyuga class in google images.

JTull · Post by **JTull** » 08 Aug 2013 11:41

Avid, 19,500 ton is standard weight, I think the higher number is fully loaded.

First two ships of the class, Hyuga and Ise were at 13,950 ton and two are planned at 19500 ton. If they can make such a transition in design then perhaps a ski jump with two runways is possible too. I see the bow section has already been altered quite a bit in Izumo.

I've long association with Japan and have admired its capabilities. This is not an offensive platform for them, so a sale is possible. Definitely more likely than that submarine we all dream of.

JTull · Post by **JTull** » 08 Aug 2013 20:37

HMS Illustrious

This image with 4 helicopters on the flight line looks so similar to Hyuga class, but at 22,000 tons and 209 meter length compares quite unfavourably to Izumo. There was a time when some forum members were advocating we take it's sister ship HMS Invincible. A modern ship like Izumo is a better proposition.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 10 Aug 2013 14:07

Give a view inside Royal Navy most modern SSN , HMS Ambush

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 14 Aug 2013 21:27

MurthyG · Post by **MurthyG** » 15 Aug 2013 10:29

News Flash: Iran seizes Indian Oil tanker carrying oil from Iraq in International waters of Persian Gulf as per TOI.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 836778.cms

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 17 Aug 2013 18:26

U.S. Navy Aims For Carrier-Based UCAV in 2018

“I’m not buying aircraft; I’m buying systems,” Winter said. “My requirement from the CNO [Chief of Naval Operations] is to provide a varying spectrum of 24/7-capable orbits from an aircraft carrier…What we’re going forward with in budget documents is the number of orbits we will procure.” Added Charlie Nava, UClass program manager with the Naval Air Systems Command: “The PDRs are intended to inform the Navy of technical risk, cost and design maturity of the air segment, and allow the industry teams to better understand the program’s requirements across the entire UClass system,”

Knowledge gained from developing the command and control and “carrier digitization” components of the Northrop Grumman X-47B demonstration will be applied to the UClass program, Winter said. The Navy accomplished the first carrier launch of the X-47B from the USS George H.W. Bush on May 14, and the first arrested landing on July 10. The tailless, fighter-sized aircraft performed two arrested landings on the carrier; on its third attempt, the aircraft was diverted to the NASA space launch facility at Wallops Island, Virginia, when a navigation error was detected.

“On the third attempt, we were four miles out,” Winter said. “Our system identified a degrading navigation computer, one of three [navigation computers]. The voting algorithm said, ‘We now have a degraded navigation solution’ and notified the mission operator…There was no physics-based reason why we couldn’t have continued with that air vehicle and do that third trap. But we’re in an ‘X’ test environment, and so we took it back to the beach.”

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 22 Aug 2013 23:53

Hundreds of sunbathers have their day at the seaside interrupted by a 60-metre hovercraft when it lands unexpectedly on a beach

http://news.sky.com/story/1131602/russi ... busy-beach

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 25 Aug 2013 19:18

A Greek tragedy indeed!

EADS, ThyssenKrupp venture raided over suspected bribes in Greek order
http://news.gnom.es/business/eads-thyss ... reek-order

FRANKFURT (NEWS.GNOM.ES) – A joint venture of EADS and ThyssenKrupp and offices of Rheinmetall were raided this week in Germany on suspicion of paying bribes related to an order of submarine equipment from Greece, a spokesman for the state prosecutor in Bremen said on Saturday.

The Atlas Elektronik joint venture and Rheinmetall Defence Electronics were searched as they are suspected of paying 18 million euros ($24 million) in bribes and of avoiding taxes, the prosecutor’s spokesman said.

He was confirming a report in German paper Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

EADS and ThyssenKrupp both confirmed the raid on their unit, which they bought from BAE Systems . Rheinmetall was not available to comment, but Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported, citing a spokesman for the company, that it rejected the accusations.

ThyssenKrupp said it had discovered the matter itself “as part of a compliance investigation” and notified the authorities in 2010 about it.

Iran's new naval ambitions.
http://www.tehrantimes.com/politics/110 ... -missiles-

EHRAN – Iran plans to equip its naval vessels with domestically designed air defense missile systems which have a longer range compared to previous systems, the deputy commander of the Navy announced in an interview with the Fars News Agency published on Saturday.

A naval unit which operates on the sea must be able to defend itself against missile and air attacks because if it cannot defend itself it will be destroyed easily, Rear Admiral Gholam Reza Khadem-Bigham said.

Domestically manufactured medium-range missiles, such as the Mehrab missile, which have been successfully tested during the previous war games of the Navy have been installed on the country’s naval vessels, he said, adding that the Iranian Defense Ministry also plans to design longer-range air defense missile systems for naval vessels in order to help them protect themselves against enemy attacks more efficiently.

The Mehrab (altar) missile is a surface-to-air medium-range smart missile.

The Mehrab missile is equipped with anti-radar and anti-jamming systems, and if the enemy tries to jam the guidance system of the missile, it immediately identifies the source of the interference and changes its course toward the source and destroys the jammer.

AM/PA

kit · Post by **kit** » 28 Aug 2013 02:04

naval warfare simulator

http://www.smartwar.org/2012/05/global- ... mment-2000

In the entry for the Lockheed Martin AAQ-33 Sniper-XR Advanced Targeting Pod, for example, the developers note that the value given for the ATP’s maximum range is a wild guess. A player with knowledge of the Sniper pod can easily change the value for greater accuracy without an ounce of programming knowledge. Values can also be tweaked for experimentation, such as seeing how a weapons system would perform under a different set of specifications.

DOWNLOAD here
http://www.gcblue.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=864

kit · Post by **kit** » 28 Aug 2013 02:08

Austin wrote:Hundreds of sunbathers have their day at the seaside interrupted by a 60-metre hovercraft when it lands unexpectedly on a beach

http://news.sky.com/story/1131602/russi ... busy-beach

they dont look too concerned though

pushkar.bhat · Post by **pushkar.bhat** » 28 Aug 2013 22:50

It seems the mess in Syria just got a lot more complicated for the US and its allies with the Russian Pacific Fleet sailing into the Mediterranean.

http://en.rian.ru/military_news/2013051 ... anean.html

It seems that the Ruski's have deployed in force for the first time since 1992. Additional ships are expected to beef-up the deployment from the Black sea fleet.

This is getting really messy. Putin wants to make sure that the Khan gets a bloody nose if he chooses to flight.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 30 Aug 2013 16:27

looks like they expected the festivities to begin back in march itself when setting sail. must have several moles in the rebel and american circles.

good opportunity to spy on NATO ships and electronic procedures to gain intel if a attack is done .

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 14 Sep 2013 16:00

Admiral: U.S. submarine forces decline as forces of China, Russia, Iran advance undersea warfare capabilities
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/09 ... latestnews

China, Russia, and Iran pose regional and strategic submarine threats and are building up undersea warfare capabilities as the Navy is cutting its submarine force by 30 percent, the admiral in charge of Pentagon submarine programs told Congress on Thursday.

Rear Adm. Richard Breckenridge, director of Navy undersea warfare programs, said the decline of U.S. submarines is placing a key U.S. military advantage at risk.

“Our adversaries are not standing still, and so even though we have an advantage and we have a lead, we can’t sit on our lead,” Breckenridge told a hearing of the House Armed Services seapower subcommittee.

“We have to continue to move or we do have the potential within 20 years of losing this crown jewel, this advantage that we have in the undersea domain,” he said.

Breckenridge then outlined advances in the submarine warfare programs of China, Russia, and Iran.

China’s submarine warfare power is advancing in both numbers of submarines and growing sophistication and missile capability.

Beijing’s submarines currently are “predominantly a maritime, regional undersea force,” he said.

“They predominantly use their undersea forces to threaten the presence of our surface ships, to be able to shoulder off the positive, stabilizing influence of our naval forces in an anti-surface warfare dimension,” Breckenridge said.

However, he warned that China’s submarine programs are “growing towards more of a global strategic undersea force.”

China’s new Jin-class missile submarines are equipped with JL-2 missiles that “will put them into the stage of using the undersea for more than just maritime regional control,” he said.

China’s navy is also building conventionally armed, guided-missile submarines, he said.

“I think that the capability, the quality of their submarines will improve as we march forward a couple of decades,” Breckenridge said. “But right now, there is a capacity challenge that’s unique to what the Chinese navy has.”

Defense officials revealed to the Free Beacon in July that the first sea patrols of China’s new strategic missile submarines will begin next year, the first time Beijing will send strategic missile submarines far from its shores.

Currently, China has three Jin-class submarines each equipped with 12 JL-2 missiles. China calls the Jin-class the Type-094.

The National Air and Space Intelligence Center reported in July that the JL-2 will give China for the first time the capability to target portions of the United States from locations near China’s coasts.

After deploying at least five Jin-class subs, China currently is working on a more modern version missile submarine called the Type-096.

The Pentagon’s annual report to Congress said China has placed a high priority on building up its submarine force and currently has more than 55 submarines, including two new Shang-class attack submarines and four improved variants of that sub. It is building a new Type-095 guided missile attack submarine in the next decade, the report said.

The Chinese also have 12 Russian-made Kilo-class submarines, some armed with SS-N-27 anti-ship cruise missiles, 13 Song-class and eight Yuan-class attack submarines. Up to 20 Yuan-class subs will be deployed in the future.

Breckenridge said Russia is building two new classes of advanced submarines called the Borei-class nuclear missile submarine and a conventional, guided-missile class called Severodvinsk. He said the Russian submarine program is at the “global strategic level of power.”

“It is more than just a region,” he said. “It is the ability to control the seas, it is the ability to do land attack from covert positions. It has a much larger utility than just a maritime sea-control, sea-denial perspective alone, and the Russians have always maintained a very capable submarine force.”

While the U.S. Navy currently has the advantage over Russia in submarine warfare capabilities, “they are a close second with regard to their capability and with regard to their shipbuilding industry and the capabilities they’re putting into their new classes of submarines,” he said.

Three Borei-class submarines are now deployed and at least five more could be built, he said.

“There’s been talk of a higher number of SSBNs [strategic missile submarines] within their force,” Breckenridge added. “But that machine is running. Those very good quality ballistic missile submarines are being produced in Russia.”

The Severodvinsk class of guided missile submarines will have an “eight-pack” of missile tubes, twice the number on U.S. Virginia-class attack submarines.

“So they see the importance of the concealment of the undersea to bring potency with that, that can be threatening at a strategic level,” Breckenridge said. “And again, we are mindful of that and we are prepared to be able to counter that.”

Tehran’s submarine force of three Russian Kilo-class submarines, one indigenous Nahang-class submarine and an estimated 12 Ghadir-class midget submarines, poses a regional threat.

“If you look at Iran, they, like many other countries, use the undersea domain from a purely maritime, sea-denial local region type of influence, much like we did in World War II in the Pacific,” Breckenridge said, “to hold at risk predominantly surface warships.”

“It is a disruptive force, a challenging force and one that we deal with regard to our ability to project stabilizing influence around the globe,” the admiral said.

Rick Fisher, a China military affairs analyst with the International Assessment and Strategy Center, said the “capacity” challenge mentioned by Breckenridge is real.

“The Chinese Navy may have up to 53 somewhat older to quite modern non-nuclear propelled attack submarines plus five more nuclear powered attack submarines for a total of 58,” Fisher said, adding that the force could be much larger.

“A possible force of 92 Chinese submarines means that U.S. Navy today is facing a very formidable challenge that requires that U.S. submarine levels remain well above 50 ships in order to prevent rapid combat attrition,” he said.

Breckenridge said the submarine programs of the three potential adversaries are advancing and “we have to be mindful of to make sure that we as a nation preserve this unique advantage that we have in the undersea domain.”

By contrast, the U.S. submarine force will decline by 25 percent over the next 15 years as a result of a “gradual consequence of a long list of choices made over many years,” he said.

The total number of submarines will drop from 75 to 52, a 30 percent decline, he said.

The missile-firing strike payload volume from submarines will decline by over 60 percent as the result of retiring guided-missile and attack submarines, he said.

The forward-deployed submarines around the world will decline by over 40 percent, despite building two Virginia-class attack submarines per year, he said.

To address the growing need for submarine power with the declining force, Breckenridge said the Navy has four priorities for its submarine strategy.

They include sustaining the sea-based nuclear deterrent with a new missile submarine to replace Ohio-class submarines. The follow-on has been delayed for 20 years and “it is now time to make the necessary investments to support procurement of the first Ohio replacement in 2021,” Breckenridge said. “There is no allowance for any further delay.”

To prevent the worsening decline in attack submarines, the Navy must continue the two-per-year pace of Virginia-class submarines, add a new more efficient missile launch payload module to Virginia submarine, and restart production of torpedoes.

Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Randy Forbes (R., Va.) said during the hearing that defense spending cuts are harming the Navy.

“It’s apparent to me that the largest threat to the United States Navy is of our own making,” Forbes said of the defense spending crisis.

“I continue to believe that the undersea warfare capabilities provided by our United States Navy provide a preeminent role in the control of the global commons,” Forbes said. “These capabilities provide the United States with the key asymmetric advantage over any potential aggressor. Even in a time of declining resources, it’s crucial that our nation continue to retain our strategic advantage in undersea warfare.”

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 16 Sep 2013 09:27

Russian Naval Force Start of Permanent Presence in East Arctic - Official

With the arrival of Russian military ships in the eastern part of the Arctic Laptev Sea off Russia’s northern coast in recent days the Ministry of Defense said Saturday that Russia now had a permanent military presence in the Arctic region.

“Two days ago a naval task force from the Northern Fleet began major exercises around the Novossibirsk Islands. We arrived there or – more accurately – we have returned there forever,” said Deputy Defense Minister Arkady Bakhin following a meeting chaired by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

Under international law the Arctic belongs to no single country, but the huge area is strategically important for northern hemisphere countries, and is believed to contain huge quantities of hydrocarbons and other minerals.

It is the first part of tasks set by the Russian president and the Defense Minister for the development and perfection of all sea lanes of the Northern Sea Route,” said Bakhin. The Northern Sea Route is a transport corridor following Russia’s northern coast linking Europe and Asia that is increasingly open to commercial traffic as the climate warms and Arctic sea ice retreats.

Pictures of Arctic Deployment: http://dmitry-v-ch-l.livejournal.com/95074.html

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 16 Sep 2013 10:00

impressive show of force there. esp sending Peter the great flagship with the TF.

probably naval & aviation fwd bases on novosibirsk and wrangel islands are next.

RKumar · Post by **RKumar** » 16 Sep 2013 13:38

Fire on Nuclear Submarine in Russia’s Far East extinguished

VLADIVOSTOK, September 16 (RIA Novosti) – A fire that broke out Monday morning on the K-150 Tomsk nuclear-powered submarine, which was undergoing maintenance operations at a dock in Russia’s far eastern Primorye Territory, has been extinguished.

No one was injured in the fire, and ten fire brigades are continuing to tend to the area where the fire broke out to avoid re-ignition, the United Shipbuilding Corporation said in a press release.

A spokesman for the Zvezda plant, where the submarine was undergoing maintenance operations, told RIA Novosti that several firefighters suffered slight carbon monoxide poisoning, but received first aid and allowed to go home.

The fire erupted early Monday morning during welding operations on the submarine, when rubber insulation and old paint inside the sub’s main ballast tanks started burning and filled part of the inside compartments with smoke.

13 firefighting units from the Pacific Fleet and the Emergencies Ministry had come to the scene to put out the blaze, a spokesman for the local Emergencies Ministry’s department said.

The Zvezda spokesman said earlier that the fire was unlikely to cause an explosion on the vessel and that there was no danger to nearby residential areas.

The K-150 Tomsk cruise missile submarine was docked in 2010 due to problems with the cooling engine of its nuclear reactor.