August 3, 2017

August 2017 Donor Report: Chinese UUVs – More Than Just Gliders

Hi Donors

I've just emailed Submarine Matters August 2017 Donor Report: 
Chinese UUVs – More Than Just Gliders out to you, as a WORD attachment. Please check your spam bin if you don't see it in your IN box.

Leadin to report:

"Multi-talented submarine guru Bryan Clark has long preached the US Navy should keep its qualitative lead by heavily developing and deploying unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs). One problem is the USN's main opponent, the Chinese Navy (PLA-N), has listened to Clark and is also developing a formidable UUV force..."


Possibly a Zhishui I (?) same as Qianlong-1 (?) deepwater UUV developed by the Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Those who can read Chinese please confirm.
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Regards

Pete
Director
Submarine Matters International 

2 comments:

GhalibKabir said...

Had a chance to the read the report Pete. neat work !

The PLAN has certainly taken on-board the lessons put out in US research papers from the late 1990s. Enhanced torpedoes (the original UUVs), other mini-sub type UUVs (armed/underwater ISR) will give PLAN the underwater equivalent of an air defense bubble around a CBG. (they might even act as sort of a cheaper moving SOSUS substitute)

China's C4ISR thinking is so comprehensive from the level of satellite constellations all the way down underwater to UUVs (complementing SSPs and SSNs.)

Simply put, soon, from the shores of Darwin all the way to Djibouti the PLAN might be a far bigger nuisance than it is at present. I hope to god India's naval Design Institute puts a timeline to the manufacture of AUV-150 (very similar to the Zhishui) and hurries up with its SSN, SSP program...

PS: it is the most nuisance prone who are the most motivated aren't they? sigh!

Pete said...

Hi Ghalib

Yes China seems to be making steady progress in all weapon systems (subs, UUVs included)

then deploying them on a steadily expanding global scale, while

building more bases (including Djibouti).

Maybe a recession in the Chinese economy is the only hope of slowing its military growth.

Interesting about the AUV-150. I hadn't heard of it http://auvac.org/configurations/view/102 At 4.8m long it seems very light at 490kg.

Cheers

Pete