The US submarine force said the missions were mounted in support of the Pentagon’s “free
and open Indo- Pacific” policy.
The exercise is aimed at countering China’s operations in the South China Sea.
Reports indicate that at least 7 submarines — including all 4 Guam- based attack submarines,
the San Diego-based USS Alexandria and multiple Hawaii-based vessels were part of this.
Rear Admiral Blake Converse, Pacific sub force commander who is based at Pearl Harbor, said:
“Our operations are a demonstration of our willingness to defend our interests and freedoms
under international law.”
Viewers may note that the US Navy has maintained a flotilla of warships in the Western Pacific
as a show of force in the region amid raging tensions with China in the South China Sea.
US Defence Secretary Mark Esper put the situation in context,
“Many countries have turned inward to recover from the pandemic, and in the meantime, our
strategic competitors are attempting to exploit this crisis to their benefit at the expense
of others.”
In this video Defense Updates analyzes why Chinese submarine fleet has no chance as it
faces US Navy attack Submarines?
Let’s get started.
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People's Liberation Army Navy has a fleet of conventionally powered as well as nuclear
powered submarines.
There are about 3 Nuclear-powered attack submarines of Type 091 Han class and 6 of Type 093 Shang-class
in active service.
Type 091 is a first-generation nuclear attack submarine produced by the People's Republic
of China.
They were the first nuclear-powered submarine employed by the People's Liberation Army Navy
Submarine Force, and the first indigenously produced nuclear attack submarines in Asia.
The displace 5,500 tonnes when submerged and have a length of 98 m.
The Type 091 is extremely noisy and has poor radiation shielding, a result of being based
on 1950s technology.
It cannot launch missiles while submerged.
These are mainly operated in local waters.
Overall, the submarine's tactical utility is limited against modern combatants
Type 093 class is a second generation of nuclear-powered attack submarines deployed by the Chinese
People's Liberation Army Navy Submarine Force.
Type 093 is estimated to have roughly 7,000-ton displacement when submerged and 110 m long.
Type 093 has a G variant that is longer and has a vertical launching system (VLS) for
YJ-18 supersonic anti-ship missiles, and anti-ship variants of the CJ-10 cruise missile.
In 2009, USN ONI listed the Type 093 as being noisier than Soviet-built Project 671RTM Victor
III subs which entered service in 1979.
The conventionally powered submarines consist of Yuan-Class, Kilo-class, Song-Class & Ming-Class
China has 17 Type 039A Yuan-class diesel-electric attack submarines (SSKs).
These submarines are 77.6 m long with an 8.4-meter-wide beam and can travel up to 20 knots when submerged.
Their weapons systems include torpedoes and anti-ship missiles.
China possesses 12 Russian-origin Kilo-class submarines: two Project 877 vessels, two Project
636 vessels, and eight Project 636M vessels.
Kilo-class vessels are about 73 meters long, have a displacement of 3,000 to 3,950 tons
when submerged and can travel 20 knots when submerged.
The Kilo-class has seen upgrades from the original Project 877 boats.
These can be armed with torpedoes as well as land-attack and anti-ship cruise missiles.
China has 13 Type 039 Song-class diesel-electric attack submarines (SSKs).
These submarines are 74.9 meters long, has a displacement of 2,250 tonnes and can travel
up to 22 knots when submerged.
Their weapons systems include torpedoes and anti-ship missiles.
China possesses 15 Type 035 Ming-class diesel-electric attack submarines.
Type 035 is a heavily improved redesign of the older Type 033 Romeo-class submarines,
which were built in China from 1962 to 1984.
These submarines are 76 meters long, have a displacement of around 2,110 tonnes, and
can travel up to 18 knots when submerged.
Many variants of Type 035 class submarines have been developed such as Type 035G and
Type 035B.
Ming-class submarines possess 533mm torpedo tubes and Type 035B are capable of firing
cruise missiles from its torpedo tubes.
US Navy deploys only nuclear powered submarines because of which they have practically unlimited
range and endurance.
The U.S brings a lot to the table.
It has 28 Los Angeles-class submarine, 3 Sea Seawolf class & 19 Virginia class attack subs
in active service.
Los Angeles-class submarine has a length of around displacement of around 7000 tonnes
According to the U.S. Department of Defense, the top speed of the submarines of the Los
Angeles class is over 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph), although the actual maximum is classified.
The U.S. Navy gives the maximum operating depth of the Los Angeles class as 650 ft or
200 m These can deploy Mk 48 torpedo, Tomahawk land
attack missile, Harpoon anti-ship missile.
The Seawolf class submarine was intended to combat the threat of advanced Soviet ballistic
missile submarines such as the Typhoon class, and attack submarines such as the Akula class
in a deep-ocean environment.
Seawolf-class submarines have a length 108 m and displacement of around 9,100 tons.
These can move at speeds of 35 knots (40 mph; 65 km/h) and can move to a depth of more than
1,600 ft (490 m) Seawolf is considered to be the most stealthy
submarine in the world.
Virginia class submarine has a length 115 m and displacement of around 7900 tonnes
These are acknowledged to be able to move to depths of 240m (800 feet) but allegedly
capable of going down to 490 m (1,600 feet).
Virginia class is designed to replace older Los Angeles-class submarines, many of which
have already been decommissioned.
The Virginia class was intended in part as a less expensive alternative to the Seawolf-class
submarines.
The submarines of the Virginia class are designed for a broad spectrum of open-ocean and littoral
missions.
These submarines can fire Tomahawk cruise missile, launch Mk-48 torpedo, lay MK-60 CAPTOR
Encapsulated Torpedo mines and has an integral lock-out/lock-in chamber is incorporated into
the hull for special operations.
China does possess an impressive undersea fleet.
Over the last decade, it has improved on the hardware as well as the training of its personnel.
But there are still a lot of issues.
China’s largest submarine of Jin-class suddenly surfaced among Vietnamese fishing boats in
the South China Sea last year.
Nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine such as the Jin Class is primarily intended
to remain undetected by staying underwater for long periods of time and act as a second
strike option against a surprise attack by an enemy nation.
There is no reason to sacrifice the location.
Speculations indicate that something went wrong and the vessel was forced to surface
unwillingly.
US submarine force is much more matured.
The hardware is far superior when it comes to quality.
For instance, the sensors have a much better range and are way more quieter.
This basically means the US submarines will be able to detect the Chinese once and get
the first shot which is the critical factor.
The US Navy is also better trained and the tactics employed by it are expected to be
better than those of Chinese as they have more experience and have been part of many
real-life encounters dating back to Cold War standoff.
Overall it can be said the U.S has a sharp edge against China when it comes to submarine fleet.