Advertisement

SSKs Are Humble No More

While its nuclear-powered cousins continue to enjoy marquee status, it is the conventional diesel-electric submarine that is witnessing a renaissance and benefitting the most from advances in technologies which are shaping undersea warfare, writes Commodore Anil Jai Singh

Modern surveillance technologies have rendered the surface of the sea transparent; large surface forces can be easily tracked thus limiting their deployability. However, the relative opacity of the undersea domain and the inherent stealth of platforms operating below the surface has therefore greatly enhanced its importance in the contemporary battlespace.

Submarines, which represent the cutting edge of a navy’s offensive capability remain the single most important element of undersea warfare but are by no mean the only ones. Unmanned platforms are being increasingly deployed to perform a variety of roles and missions; from small ROVs being used to detect and detonate mines to Extra Large Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (XLUUV) being deployed for many roles which were hitherto considered the preserve of manned platforms. However, these are at various stages of development and in the foreseeable future will be effective force multipliers in assisting manned platforms rather than being able to replace them.

While nuclear armed strategic submarines (SSBN) continue to evolve with larger payloads and longer-range ICBMs and nuclear attack submarines (SSN) become increasingly capable of shaping the maritime battlespace with a combination of speed, stealth and firepower, it is the humbler conventional diesel-electric submarine (SSK) which is benefiting the most from modern technological breakthroughs. These are being developed to obviate many of the earlier limitations thus making SSKs even more effective in the littoral battlespace.
The advent of Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) has been amongst the most significant developments as it has alleviated the inherent limitations of SSKs related to their stealth, speed and endurance. AIP fitted SSKs are much less vulnerable to detection as they are not required to ‘snort’ and expose their ‘snorkel’ mast to recharge their batteries as frequently.

AIP has increased a submarine’s dived endurance up to 14 days depending on the speed profile. Complementing AIP to enhance high-speed endurance are Lithium-ion batteries which are replacing the traditional lead-acid batteries. SSKs are now better armed than ever before with highspeed ‘smart’ wire-guided torpedoes being able to deliver devastating effect at considerable ranges. In addition, these AIP-fitted, longer-endurance, faster and stealthier submarines are also being equipped with tube launched anti-ship missiles with additional land attack capability to not only engage surface targets at stand-off ranges but also targets deep inland with precision guidance technologies.

Another transformational change in future SSK operations will be the use of quantum technologies for navigation and secure communication. In a networked battlespace with active data links and multi-static sensors on board, submarines will be able to transmit and receive real time targeting information to prosecute enemy platforms from stand-off ranges without compromising their position.

These are just some of the technologies shaping the undersea warfare domain which is vast and its potential yet to be fully exploited. Submarines, as the most important element in the underwater battlespace will continue to shape the environment with technology being a critical force multiplier for retaining the combat edge.

(Commodore Anil Jai Singh is a submarine veteran and is presently the Vice-President of the Indian Maritime Foundation. The views expressed in this article are personal)


Tags assigned to this article:
nuclear power

Advertisement

Around The World