Yuan Class AIP & Kilo Submarine Thread

[Maikeru]

I think the PLAN wants to do incremental advance rather than going straight to a X rudder nuclear sub. Incremental advance allows them to test the system to see if it is good..

The next sub is probably a X rudder nuclear sub design.

what he meant by control jam? getting jammed by your opponent?

No just a regular mechanical fault, i.e. the control vanes get stuck in one position.

 

[taxiya]

What are the contamination risks involved in building nuclear submarines? Given China's caution over building even Gen III nuclear reactors inland I'd be surprised if Wuchang builds nuclear subs. Unless it's some super safe Gen IV reactor.

The SSK-N uses low pressure, low temparature, natural circlulation reactor. It's operation parameters are in the same class as nuclear heating power plant. This kind of reactors have been built and operated close to dense residential area for decades. So it isn't something scary as regular nuclear reactor.

 

[taxiya]

If this is indeed a brand new type of mini SSN, being constructed for the 1st time by Wuchang, then it would seem to warrant extra degrees of handling/confidentiality.

These anecdotal evidents point to it being a new SSK and not a new mini-SSN.

It isn't the kind SSN that you think of. See #1353.

 

[pkj]

It isn't the kind SSN that you think of. See #1353.

Whether it's scary nuclear or non-scary nuclear, if it is nuclear, it should have all the controls/protections/secrecy that come with it.

Also, most of the circumstantial evidence (in this thread and in others) that we can see, still seem to suggest that this particular x-rudder sub being non-nuclear.

(e.g Rumoured "mini-nuke/diesel" Submarine SSK-N(?) thread)

 

[tphuang]

I honestly don’t see that much value in putting VLS in a new conventional sub. That space would be much better utilized for additional battery storage and propulsion system. Endurance is the issue with conventional subs. China has so much missile launching platforms. You don’t get a lot of additional usage cases with VLS.

 

[gelgoog]

It might help with exporting the submarines. Other countries won't be operating SSNs in conjunction with SSKs. The Russians were offering versions of the Lada with VLS for export for much the same reason.

 

[snake65]

This could well be another test submarine like 032 and the extension may be required for a lot of purposes, not just VLS. After all, it is the first PLAN sub with X-tail.

 

[BoraTas]

I honestly don’t see that much value in putting VLS in a new conventional sub. That space would be much better utilized for additional battery storage and propulsion system. Endurance is the issue with conventional subs. China has so much missile launching platforms. You don’t get a lot of additional usage cases with VLS.

Me neither. With SSNs you get the capability to strike distant locations in new ways. With an SSK you would not get much. PLA has so many ways to strike things that are within 1500 km of China.

 

[Andy1974]

I honestly don’t see that much value in putting VLS in a new conventional sub. That space would be much better utilized for additional battery storage and propulsion system. Endurance is the issue with conventional subs. China has so much missile launching platforms. You don’t get a lot of additional usage cases with VLS.

It might help with exporting the submarines. Other countries won't be operating SSNs in conjunction with SSKs. The Russians were offering versions of the Lada with VLS for export for much the same reason.

It might not add much value for China but it would make a lot of sense for someone like Pakistan, Algeria or Venezuela who are geographically quire close to their potential adversaries. It would be an incredible upgrade to Cambodia or Bangladesh.

 

[pipaster]

Me neither. With SSNs you get the capability to strike distant locations in new ways. With an SSK you would not get much. PLA has so many ways to strike things that are within 1500 km of China.

Adding different launch vectors is important in overwhelming a adversary's defences. Having a relatively inexpensive submarines able to launch such a strike could be useful. Especially in the first island chain. Numbers and sortie rates are important.