Sub Hunters Are In Demand

The rise in the number of submarines being operated in Indo-Pacific waters has naturally led to a corresponding need for platforms, particularly maritime multi-mission rotorcraft, to deal with them.

- Andrew Drwiega

Since 2014, China has launched more submarines, warships, principal amphibious vessels and auxiliaries than the total number of ships currently serving in the navies of Germany, India, Spain, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom,” stated Nick Childs, senior fellow for Naval Forces and Maritime Security, International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), on 1 May 2018 in a blog entitled: “China’s naval shipbuilding: delivering on its ambition in a big way.”

According to a briefing held at the Asia Society in Hong Kong by David Shear, the former US assistant defence secretary for Asian and Pacific security affairs on 21 March, 2019, the South China Morning Post reported that “an estimated 228 full-sized submarines [were] operating in the East and South China Seas – a number that is expected to rise to 300 within a decade.”

While many nations are ensuring that they have a “me too” submarine capability, Henry Boyd, a research fellow for Defence and Military Analysis, also at the IISS, suggested in an October 2017 blog that the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) will “focus on improving quality rather than expanding quantity” and would retain a total number of submarines around 58. This total was likely to comprise: four nuclear powered ballistic submarines (SSBNs); six attack submarines (SSN/SSGN); and around 48 diesel-electric powered submarines (SSK). However, more recent reports suggest that there is an ambition to have double the number of SSBNs to allow two to be at sea at any one time (working on the recognized principle that a total of four are required to ensure one is constantly deployed).

Republic of Korea Navy

There has been a reaction throughout the Indo-Pacific region to the increased focus on submarines activity with a corresponding need to find, fix and if necessary attack them.