schlieffen
New Member
Re: PLAN submarines Thread II
The signiture level of 094 is between Delta II and Delta III according to US intel, I don't think this could guarantee a hostile SSN detect them at long range, especially if the boomers are running at low speed. If they are kept close to chinese shore there is no need to go faster than, let's say 10 knots throughout the voyage.
Concerning that annual report, I think acoustic surveillance is not the sole source of intelligence. When they said 'patrol', it's operational deployment by US standards and most likely excluded training, ferry and test etc. Or does anyone seriously believed the 50+ sub fleet only set sail (everything acounted) for less than 20 times a year? That's not even enough to keep the crew operational. It was even much less just a few years ago. I myself have eyewitnessed multiple Chinese diesel submarines at sea within a month. So how does SOSUS or other acoustic sensors tell the nature of the target's mission every time a Chineses submarine come out of habour? Either they have some sort of criterion that only count it as a potential patrol when certain conditions are met, i.e., go beyond a certain distance offshore or leave/enter certain areas, or there are other sources to supplement the passive sonars. Electronic intel, satellite imagery even human intel, I believe they have access to all of them.
The signiture level of 094 is between Delta II and Delta III according to US intel, I don't think this could guarantee a hostile SSN detect them at long range, especially if the boomers are running at low speed. If they are kept close to chinese shore there is no need to go faster than, let's say 10 knots throughout the voyage.
Concerning that annual report, I think acoustic surveillance is not the sole source of intelligence. When they said 'patrol', it's operational deployment by US standards and most likely excluded training, ferry and test etc. Or does anyone seriously believed the 50+ sub fleet only set sail (everything acounted) for less than 20 times a year? That's not even enough to keep the crew operational. It was even much less just a few years ago. I myself have eyewitnessed multiple Chinese diesel submarines at sea within a month. So how does SOSUS or other acoustic sensors tell the nature of the target's mission every time a Chineses submarine come out of habour? Either they have some sort of criterion that only count it as a potential patrol when certain conditions are met, i.e., go beyond a certain distance offshore or leave/enter certain areas, or there are other sources to supplement the passive sonars. Electronic intel, satellite imagery even human intel, I believe they have access to all of them.
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