Manoj Ambat's Blog dealing with Defence, Foreign Affairs, Strategic Affairs and Politics

Image credits- USNI Source- Want China Times Thailand has decided to postpone the purchase of three S-20 submarines, the export version of the Chinese Type 039A Yuan-class diesel-electric submarine, due to China's asking price, according to the Moscow-based Sputnik News. The total of US$1 billion requested by China is far too expensive for the Royal Thai Navy to accept, according to its commander, Admiral Na Arreenich. "We fully realize how indispensable the submarine is to our national security," said Arreenich. "At the same time, our navy does not operate any submarines now." The government must first deal with more pressing matters, he added. "Under the current economic situation, our government must spend more resources to take care of the population," the admiral said. "This is why we must postpone the order of the Chinese submarines and review the entire acquisition plan." As a member of Japan's Greater East As

Credits- Internet image/ Author Source- The Diplomat Author- P.K Ghosh If media reports are to be believed, the alarm bells in the Indian Ministry of Defence have been ringing again – the ministry was once again taken aback when a modern Yuan-class 335 conventional submarine crossed the Arabian Sea and entered Karachi port on May 22 for a week. But such “surprises” had occurred earlier, when Chinese boats docked in Sri Lanka at the end of last year – upsetting India considerably – and yet again when the Chinese deployed a Shang-class nuclear submarine for anti-piracy patrols – a unique deployment unheard of in submarine operations. The unending saga of surprises never seems to cease, with little action on New Delhi’s part to respond to its growing concerns about the Chinese operating in an area perceived by many as India strategic backyard. Indeed, India’s responses have been woefully inadequate, on the equipment front with thirteen aging submarines in its fleet (

USS Charlotte (SSN-766) ( Source- Wikimedia Commons / Author- USN) Source- The National Interest Author- Graeme Dunk Much has been made of the recent release of the report by the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA) into the emerging era of undersea warfare. The wide coverage that the report received in Australia (see here, for example) focused largely on the assertion that “submersibles drones would make submarines obsolete.” The report’s author Bryan Clark posits that “technological advancements, many of them driven by rapid increases in computer processing power, will likely spur a new round of dramatic changes in undersea warfare.” Those changes are expected to be new capabilities to find submarines, improvements to submarines that will improve stealth and submerged endurance, and new underwater weapon, sensor and communication systems. Clark doesn’t advance a position as to whether these technological developments will fundamentally affect th

PLAN Type-93 SSN ( Image source- Wikimedia Commons / Author- Mike 1979 Russia) Source- The National Interest Author- Zachary Keck India is growing increasing concerned about China’s submarine deployments in the Indian Ocean, as Beijing ramps up talk of being able to blockade India with nuclear submarines. This week, the Indian-based news outlet, NDTV, cited unnamed Indian naval sources as saying that India’s Navy is worried by China’s increasingly frequent submarine deployments in the Indian Ocean. In September 2013, China confirmed for the first time that a nuclear attack submarine would transit the Indian Ocean on its way to carry out the international anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden. This was followed by submarines docking in the Chinese-funded Colombo port of Sri Lanka twice last year. The first docking, back in September 2014, was a Song-class diesel-electric attack submarine. However, seven weeks later a Type 091 Han-class nuclear-powered submari

Image credits- Wikimedia Commons/ Vlsergey Source- The National interest Author- Zachary Keck Russia may help India build nuclear submarines and stealth warships, according to Indian media reports. Last week India’s Economic Times reported that the Indian conglomerate Reliance Infrastructure—which owns stakes in numerous Indian defense companies—is seeking Russian assistance for programs to locally produce nuclear submarines and other stealth warships. According to the report, top Reliance executives were in Moscow last week to meet with Russian defense officials about finding a partner for a joint venture between a Russian defense company and Pipavav Defence & Offshore Engineering, India’s largest defense shipyard, which Reliance has an 18 percent stake in. Specifically, Reliance is looking for a Russian partner with the “requisite technology expertise for manufacturing warships in India.” As the Economic Times points out, the meetings come on the heels o

PLAN Type-96 SSBN (Image source- Wikimedia Commons / Author- Midgetman433)  Source- The Diplomat Author- Franz Stefan-Gady China is fielding an impressive fleet of conventional and nuclear submarines. According to the Pentagon’s Office of Naval Intelligence, the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) underwater force consists of five nuclear attack submarines (SSN), four nuclear ballistic missile submarines (SSBN), and 53 diesel attack submarines (SS/SSP). The Pentagon in its annual report to the U.S. Congress on Chinese military developments estimated that by 2020 this force will likely grow to between 69 and 78 submarines. The bulk of China’s conventional sub armada consists of 13 Song-class (Type 039) diesel-attack subs and 13 Yuan-class (Type 039A) air independent-powered (AIP) attack submarines with an additional 20 Yuan-class vessels planned for production. The submarine force’s main mission remains anti-surface warfare (ASUW) along major sea lines of co

USS Virginia ( Image source- Wikimedia Commons / Source- General Dynamics Electric Boat shipyard) Source- The National Interest Author- Zachary Keck Thailand is the latest country in maritime Asia seeking to build up its submarine force. According to local media reports, the Thai Royal Navy has formally submitted a proposal to the cabinet asking it to fund a submarine program. Admiral Kraisorn Chansuvanich, the commander of the Thai Navy, explained the rationale behind his service’s desire to acquire submarines. "Neighboring countries like Vietnam, Malaydsia, Indonesia, and Singapore have had submarines in their arsenals for many years,” Kraisorn said, according to Khaosad, a local Thai newspaper. "Now that I am here, I think it is a part of the strategy to improve our armed forces. It's my duty to submit the request to the government for consideration. Whether the government will approve it or not is up to them." In the proposal, Krais

INS Chakra ( Image source- Wikimedia Commons / Credits- Ajai Shukla) Source- The National Interest Author- David Brewster While the world focuses on the dangers that a nuclear-armed Iran could present in the Middle East, a potentially more dangerous and unstable nuclear proliferation is occurring in the Indian Ocean. In the coming years India, Pakistan, and perhaps China will likely deploy a significant number of nuclear weapons at sea in the Indian Ocean. This could further destabilize already unstable nuclear relationships, creating a real risk of a sea-based exchange of nuclear weapons. Observers have long seen India-Pakistan nuclear rivalry as the most unstable in the world, and South Asia as the most likely location of nuclear conflict. This is not just academic speculation. Foreign diplomats have been evacuated from Islamabad on several occasions from fears of an impending nuclear exchange with India. India has a “no first use” (NFU) nuclear-weapons pol

Kilo Class Submarine ( Image source- Wikimedia Commons / Credits- United States navy) Source- The National Interest Author- Lyle J. Goldstein After a brief respite, the South China Sea cauldron is starting to boil once again. This time, the hub-bub concerns not a close call between aircraft, nor dueling flotillas of coast guard vessels surrounding a mysterious oil exploration rig, nor the precarious resupply of a rusted out hulk of a ship grounded purposefully on an obscure reef Rather, the current frenzy among journalists, strategists, and now legislators concerns a variety of new structures that Beijing has undertaken to build up in and around its occupied reefs in the Spratlys. These structures will likely include an airfield. While this recent construction makes for interesting satellite photos, the impact on the actual naval balance of power seems quite minimal: limited to perhaps somewhat improved Chinese surveillance in the southern part of the South China

Russian Akula Class Submarine Vepr  ( Image source- Wikimedia Commons / Credits- As seen in the web) Source- The Diplomat Author- Franz Stefan- Gady The Russian Navy will upgrade ten multi-purpose nuclear submarines by 2020, according to Russian Admiral Vladimir Chirkov, the navy’s commander-in-chief. Two Russian shipyards, Zvyozdochka in the northwest and Zvezda in Russia’s Far East, will upgrade ten project 971 SSN Akula-class and project 949A SSGN Oscar-class II nuclear-powered submarines in the coming years. Two Oscar-class II submarines are active with the Northern Fleet and five with the Pacific Fleet, whereas five Akula-class SSN’s serve in the Pacific and six in the Northern Fleet. Between 40 to 70 percent of  submarines in both fleets are estimated to not be operational. Up until last week, it was unclear whether the Oscar-class II subs stationed in the Pacific were also scheduled for the overhaul; this now appears to be the case. The upgrades are supposed