Russia to Deploy Its First Operational AIP-Powered Underwater Sea Ghost

 

Kronstadt, the fourth generation diesel-electric attack submarine (Project 677 or Lada class), is to be launched in 2018. It will become the first ever Russian Air-independent propulsion (AIP) boat. The AIP or anaerobic technology allows to operate without access to atmospheric oxygen (by surfacing or using a snorkel). Kronsdadt will be able to operate submerged for a few weeks without coming to surface. Russian shipbuilding industry has achieved a major technological breakthrough to produce the new sophisticated weapon of war.

U.S. Will Launch World’s Largest Underwater Battle Robot In 2018

The Sea Hunter will carry out three-month missions without any humans on board

The United States just got one step closer to ushering in the era of robotic naval warfare.

A 132-foot autonomous submarine known as the Sea Hunter successfully completed its first performance test this week off the coast of San Diego, keeping it on course to enter the Navy fleet by 2018. According to a statement from Leidos—the company developing the Sea Hunter—the vessel “surpassed all performance objectives for speed, maneuverability, stability, seakeeping, acceleration/deceleration, and fuel consumption.”

U.S. Navy’s new unmanned sub-hunter to hit the seas this month

The U.S. Navy’s newest sub-hunting maritime drone successfully completed preliminary speed and maneuverability testing in preparation for its christening into the fleet this month.

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Program officials from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and defense technology firm Leidos are spearheading development of the ACTUV. During the Portland tests, the ship was able to reach a top speed of 27 knots, or 31 miles per hour.

China Beefing Up Its Anti-Submarine Warfare Capabilities

Beijing is developing a maritime strategy aimed at protecting the first island chain which encircles the Yellow Sea, East China Sea and South China Sea.

However, according to Stratfor, the People’s Liberation Army still lacks the means to counter the threat posed by fast and evasive US nuclear submarines.

China fields new maritime patrol and anti-submarine Y-8/Y-9 variant

China fields new maritime patrol and anti-submarine Y-8/Y-9 variant

The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has introduced into service a new maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) variant of the Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation (SAC) Y-8/Y-9 medium transport aircraft, national media reported in late June.

An unspecified number of the four-engined Y-8GX6 (Y-8Q) turboprops have now been inducted into the North Sea Fleet, which is responsible for the maritime domain that stretches from the North Korean border to Lianyungang (Jiangsu Province), some three-and-a-half years after the type was first revealed in late 2011.

Japan unveils largest warship since World War II

YOKOHAMA, Japan (AP) — Japan on Tuesday unveiled its biggest warship since World War II, a huge flat-top destroyer that has raised eyebrows in China and elsewhere because it bears a strong resemblance to a conventional aircraft carrier.

The ship, which has a flight deck that is nearly 250 meters (820 feet) long, is designed to carry up to 14 helicopters. Japanese officials say it will be used in national defense – particularly in anti-submarine warfare and border-area surveillance missions – and to bolster the nation’s ability to transport personnel and supplies in response to large-scale natural disasters, like the devastating earthquake and tsunami in 2011.

Though the ship – dubbed “Izumo” – has been in the works since 2009, its unveiling comes as Japan and China are locked in a dispute over several small islands located between southern Japan and Taiwan. For months, ships from both countries have been conducting patrols around the isles, called the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyutai in China.

Brazil to get its first nuclear subs

AFP – Brazil is set to join the select group of countries that have nuclear-powered submarines, President Dilma Rousseff said Friday.

Rousseff stressed Brazil was committed to peace but also needed its defense deterrent, as she inaugurated a naval shipyard in Rio de Janeiro state where the country’s first nuclear-powered sub is set to be built in partnership with France.

“We can say that with these installations we are entering the select club of countries with nuclear submarines: The United States, Russia, France, Britain and China,” said Rousseff.

Known as the Metallic Structures Construction Unit, the factory in the city of Itaguai near Rio de Janeiro is part of the ambitious ProSub program launched in 2008.