The most terrifying sound a submariner can hear is not the active “ping” of a sonar. It is the high-pitched “whine” of a torpedo going active. Modern heavyweight torpedoes, like the US Mk 48 ADCAP or the Russian Futlyar, are smart, fast (50+ knots), and relentless. They have onboard computers that map the target’s hull, […]
In the world of diesel-electric submarines, there has always been a trade-off: Power vs. Endurance. Lead-Acid Batteries: Have been used since WWII. They give you high power (speed) but run out quickly. AIP (Air Independent Propulsion): Gives you endurance (weeks underwater) but very low power (you have to crawl at 3 knots). Japan, a nation
It is arguably the most important machine ever to be built by the United States. It is also the most expensive. The Columbia-Class Ballistic Missile Submarine (SSBN-826) is designed with a single, terrifying purpose: to survive a nuclear apocalypse and retaliate. It is the “Sea-Based Strategic Deterrent,” the unfindable leg of the US Nuclear Triad.
For fifty years, the image of “Submarine Hunting” from the air was the P-3 Orion—a four-engine turboprop flying dangerously low over the waves, its crew visibly scanning the ocean for periscopes. But in the 21st century, the game has changed. The turboprops are gone, replaced by the screaming jet engines of a Boeing 737. The
For over a century, the limiting factor in submarine warfare has been the human element. Submarines need life support, food, sleeping quarters, and escape trunks. They are limited by how long the crew can mentally endure the cramped darkness. But what if you removed the human? Enter the Orca XLUUV (Extra Large Unmanned Underwater Vehicle).
When the Royal Navy describes a vessel as “more complex than the Space Shuttle,” it isn’t just marketing hyperbole. The Astute Class nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN) is a marvel of British engineering—a machine comprising over a million components, 100 kilometers of cabling, and a nuclear reactor that will never need refueling in its life. Replacing
In 2005, a small, cheap Swedish submarine, the HSwMS Gotland, slipped past the multi-billion dollar anti-submarine defenses of the US Navy. It approached the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, snapped several periscope photos of the carrier’s hull (marking a virtual torpedo hits), and slipped away undetected. The US Navy was shocked. How could a diesel
For decades, China’s nuclear submarine force was considered the “noisy neighbor” of the undersea world. American sonar operators jokingly referred to them as “underwater drum kits”—easy to find, easy to track, and easy to kill. But those jokes are no longer funny. The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is nearing the completion of its next-generation
For the past thirty years, the North Atlantic was arguably a “NATO Lake.” The Soviet Union’s collapse left the Russian Navy rusting in port. But that era of complacency is over. A new predator has entered the Atlantic, one that has caused top US Navy admirals to admit they can no longer track Russian submarines
In the silent, high-pressure world of undersea warfare, dominance is defined by two factors: stealth and firepower. For decades, the United States Navy held an undisputed lead in both. However, with the emergence of Russia’s quiet Yasen-M class and China’s rapid naval expansion, that gap has narrowed. The US Navy’s response is a massive, technological
