Excellent Video: Arleigh Burke-class Destroyer

The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer is the, non-submarine, backbone of the USN. 

An excellent July 2, 2021 Youtube is here and below.

China develops underwater surveillance networks in Indian Ocean, South China Sea

Old but interesting - click here 

Chinese Submarines: Big Modelling Intelligence Gap

Hi everyone (particularly wispywood2344 and Anonymous)

China's dictator Xi Jinping, by his actions and statements, makes China increasingly the enemy of Japan, Australia and the US. Today Xi "hit...at unspecified “foreign forces” and said any external attempts to subjugate [China] would result in “heads bashed bloody against a Great Wall of steel.” Xi said this to the Chinese people and the free world during an hour-long address marking the ruling Communist Party's centenary of its founding.

Thank you for your views in the article Total Cost Table for Japanese Submarine Main Batteries of June 3, 2021 (to which I added the Oyashio-Soryu-Taigei Table) and thank you for your comments below the article. 

We've done good work over the years detailing Japan's submarines, especially their battery formulas, numbers of batteries and their battery arrangements.

As China wants to be increasingly our enemy I'm wondering if we could:

1. Increasingly research and describe China's submarine battery formulas, number of
    batteries and their arrangements

and

2. Build Chinese conventional and nuclear submarine tables (eg. like the Oyashio-Soryu-
    Taigei Table.) 

With America's vast secret and top secret intelligence resources I'm certain the CIA, DIA and NSA would have done 1. and 2. - but I've never seen it. With the open source intelligence available to us we could also do Chinese submarine batteries and submarine tables. These are many Chinese submarine details already available in Submarine Matters articles and the US DoD China Military Power Report 2020 (20MB .PDF) (next one out in September 2021)  which would have much information and pointers to more information. Also many other Chinese submarine details need constant compiling and discussion. 

Additional "intelligence requirements or targets" are Chinese pressure hull steel, electronics, weapons, crew efficiency (on Youtubes), impact of Covid on crews, command arrangements including CCP commissars, nuclear chain of command (re SSBNs), diesels, reactors, seafloor sensors, smart mines, UUVs and much more.

In future more information on the Chinese Yuan-class will leak out from Thailand and especially Pakistan as they will be receiving export variants of the Yuan and their security standards are more relaxed than China's.

There is fortunately much more detail on Russian subs that could be researched and tabulated in parallel.

-----------------------------

As one activity I wonder if calculations could be modelled on the likely battery numbers and arrangements for Yuans with (LABs + AIP) and also LIBs (on the latest Yuans).

Looking at the Table below. For the standard Chinese Yuan variant (with LABs + AIP) this could be based on the Soryu Mk.1's known 480 LABs by comparing submerged displacements of those Soryus and Yuans. This, of course, needs to assume Chinese LABs have the same weight as Japanese LABs.

Japan's Taigei only lists surfaced displacement - so I will not use it in calculations. Assuming LIBs only Soryu Mk.2s have the same submerged displacement as Mk.1s can be used in estimating LIB numbers in future all LIB (no AIP) Yuans. I assume strongly that the Chinese are trialling an all LIBs Yuan or Song class submarine as a technology testbed.

The following is the first attempt at:

Estimating Number of Yuan LABs by Looking At Soryu Mk.1s  

Submarine Type/Variant	Displacement (submerged)	Number of Batteries
Soryu Mk.1 with LABs + AIP	4,134 long tons/480 LABs = 8.61 long tons per LAB.	480 LABs
Yuan with LABs + AIP	3,500 long tons/8.61	406 LABs
Soryu Mk.2 with LIBs only	4,134 long tons/? LIBs = ?.?? long tons per LIB	??? LIBs
Yuan with LIBs only	3,500 long tons/?.??	??? LIBs

Much modelling with comparisons to Japanese submarines can be used in approximately estimating Chinese submarine characteristics.

Regards

Pete

Australian Money Useful for Long-Term Nuclear Alliances

What Australia lacks in facing China's massively larger conventional forces AND China's nuclear capability is nuclear armed allies besides the US. Under Trump the US taking its dependent allies for granted was convincingly displayed. After 4 years of Biden Trump could well return in 2024-25. Or perhaps some other US Presidential isolationist, even more alliance-threatening than Trump, could darken international relations.

In part consideration of this Australia has made its two largest naval purchases (France's Attack-class subs and UK Hunter class frigates) as long term alliance sweeteners with (non-US) nuclear allies.  

The France Navy has long sailed its ships into Australia's region (for more than 250 years) and less obviously its subs (since WWII). The medium-long term threat from China is not only to Australia. France sees China as a strategic and neo-colonial threat to France's Indian and Pacific Ocean interests. Hence France has perhaps raised the intensity of its ship and sub flotilla visits.

Australia in part chose the French Naval Group (Attack class) submarines to increase the chances French naval vessels, especially those with a nuclear content like the SSN Émeraude, would visit Australia's region. Within this region the most contested and critical strategic and trade zone is the South China Sea. 

The French Government, which owns Naval Group has its own Indian and Pacific Ocean French overseas island territories, SLOCs and great power status reasons to sail the waters in Australia's region. BUT A$100+ Billions to France over the 60 year life of the Naval Group Attack class Program is also a compelling bilateral economic argument for a closer bilateral strategic alliance with Australia. 

An even more impressive symbol of French naval power allying with Australia's (and broader de facto China Containment Quadrilateral) strategic interests is the visit of the French Mistral-class LHD Tonnerre. The La Fayette-class stealth frigate Surcouf is escorting Tonnerre for training "MISSION JEANNE D'ARC 2021" bilateral and multilateral naval exercises. The Tonnerre led flotilla has been active since early 2021 and will end when Tonnerre and Surcouf return to the French home naval base of Toulon on July 14, 2021 (appropriately Bastille Day).

When Australia chose the French Naval Group (was DCNS) Attack class sub in April 2016, France's nuclear alliance potential was one, unstated, selection factor. Of the others submarine contestants Japan was already locked into (due to its Northeast Asia geography) being a strategic and continuing trade ally of Australia. Germany, represented by TKMS, unlike France, had/has no nuclear weapons to impress China. Also Germany lost the Pacific Ocean island "colonies" in 1914-15 that would have presented an added (or sufficient) reason to visit Australia's region. 

So, to an extent, Australia one day (and perhaps) gaining a nuclear ally, France, was an additional reason for Australia to choose the French submarines in April 2016. Also there is the aspect of encouraging Australia's main nuclear protector, the US, not to take Australia for granted. The US has been the No.1 supplier of weapons to Australia since 1942. So even  US conventional and nuclear protection is underwritten by many Billions of Australian dollars for US arms each year.  

One could draw the bow longer and identify the Type 26 frigate as the basis of the equally huge 9 x 9,000 tonne Australian Hunter class naval order with another potential (UK this time) nuclear ally. This is around A$100+ Billions to Britain over 55 years - a major foreign exchange earner for UK's shaky post-Brexit economy.

The UK is also supporting Australia and the broader Quadrilateral with an UK Carrier Strike Group 21. It is as big as a fleet and led by the large carrier Queen Elizabeth, protected by a UK Astute-class SSN, as well as by surface warships and several supply ships from several nations.

In nuclear ally protection terms international brotherhood doesn't talk. Money talks.

H I Sutton's excellent Yuan Type-039C (or D) Article

Naval News, has republished an excellent article written by H I Sutton of Covert Shores:

"The NewMystery Submarine Seen In China: What We Know" of June 25, 2021 concerning the PLA-N's Yuan Type-039C (or D). That is the Yuan variant with the vaguely A-26 (aka Blekinge-class) like sail and other exterior differences from the preceding Yuans - also many Yuans are suspected of having Swedish srtyle Stirling-engione AIP.

The only statement I would alter siightly is:

"This [the Yuan] likely uses a closed-cycle Stirling engine, similar to that on the A-26 class, to power the submarine when submerged. This means that it doesn’t have to snorkel to run its diesel generators [while its using AIP] to recharge the batteries." [but doers need to use the snorkel to provide air for the  diesels (to recharge the batteries) when the AIP is not being used]. 

H I Sutton's combination of commentary, artwork and photos at Covert Shores and via Naval News is uniformily excellent. 

Here is another interesting H I Sutton article, via Naval News "First Sighting Of New Stealth Fighter For Chinese Navy’s Aircraft Carriers" of June 8, 2021.

Numbers of Submarines Way Overrated

The article "Could America's Submarine Fleet be Surpassed by China?" by ANKUR KUNDU , for the Maritime Executive, overrates sheer numbers until the last paragraph.

But even when Ankur at last points out "But numbers aren’t the whole story." Ankur underrates a whole range of factors, including geography and non-submarine based ASW platforms, that give the USN a huge advantage over all other countries (eg. China, Russia, North Korea, India and US allies) that have a substantial number of submarines.

I'll publish a couple of articles on Monday and Tuesday on this topic.
--------------------------------

After receiving many emails I’ve decided to keep Submarine Matters a public free-view site for all. But I’m encouraging a donation of just A$50 (currently equivalent to US$38) from readers who wish to receive 12 Special Reports over the next 12 months.

That is, once you have expressed interest in another email to me I'll email an invoice to you. Once paid and using your email address I'll email you a Special Report on the 15th of each month. The first Report will be sent on July 15, 2021 with the final Report sent on June 15, 2022.

Enough donations will keep Submarine Matters going. 

I would be grateful if you could donate.

Have a good weekend.

Pete