Posted on 10/19/2004 6:45:09 PM PDT by Anduril1
CHINA: Breaking the Submarine Blockade
October 19, 2004: The Taiwanese defense minister announced that China could shut down Taiwan's ports with only 13 submarines, and that China currently has a force of 86 subs (although 46 are quite old.) Taiwan is buying 12 P-3 submarine hunting aircraft, and eight modern subs, to be used for hunting down and destroying Chinese subs. However, anti-submarine warfare technology is changing, with sensors and lightweight torpedoes carried by helicopters and UAVs, seen as the sub killers of the future. But Taiwan still wants eight subs, equipped with superior American underwater sensors, to hunt down the rather noisy Chinese subs. The American technology was well proven during the Cold War against the Russian type subs that currently equip the Chinese navy.
October 17, 2004: Taiwan fears that China is using the flow of visitors between China and Taiwan to plant more spies. Taiwan has detected at least 3,000 Chinese visitors who arrived in Taiwan, but left no record of ever leaving, or applying for a longer stay. China is a much more restrictive environment, and more difficult for Taiwanese to "get lost."
October 15, 2004: Taiwan has decided to reduce it's armed forces to 300,000 (from about 350,000 now) by 2009, instead of 2012, as was the previous plan. Conscription is unpopular, and fewer troops will mean more money for new equipment. Defending the island against Chinese attack is seen more a matter of technology than masses of troops.
October 14, 2004: It was discovered, during inspections and testing conducted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), that Taiwan had been working on creating weapons grade nuclear materials as far back as the 1980s. The Taiwanese government agreed to voluntary extra controls on the country's peaceful nuclear program in order to reassure the world that it was not building nuclear weapons. But the IAEA inspections have proved that Taiwan has been laying the ground work.
In full at the link
_________________________Anduril
I have no special knowledge, but I bet a lot of those Chinese subs are decrepit (sp?) old buses that would awaken the deaf during a rock concert. We'd hear them coming 100 miles away.
China itself can be blockaded with only a bit more effort than Taiwan.
China ping.
A couple of P3s and some ex pat American pilots. 72 hrs and all Chinese subs in Davy Jones locker.
If warfare broke out between the Chicoms and the Nationalists in exile on Taiwan, the Chicom's submarine fleet would be in existence for about 48 hours. We have a presence in the Taiwan Strait 24/7/365.
Do you know how many submarines the US Navy has on deployment worldwide? Eleven. Another 9 are away from home port. http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/news/.www/status.html
>>I have no special knowledge, but I bet a lot of those Chinese subs are decrepit (sp?) old buses that would awaken the deaf during a rock concert. We'd hear them coming 100 miles away.
True ten years ago, completely false now. China has a number of Russian Kilo 636 diesel submarines, one of the quietest in the world, and their newest indigenous subs almost match the Kilos.
Didn't know that. Thanks!
Well,not only are Chinese subs getting better,Taiwan doesn't have anything to counter them with.It only has 2 Dutch built boats of 1980s vintage capable of combat,which the PLAN's Kilo class boats can beat with their hands tied behind.While the US has given a blanket agreement to sell 8 D/E subs to Taiwan,no specifics have been finalised(Which sub class?systems) as all the European nations(which are the main builders of subs ,along with Russia) have said no to any dealings with Taiwan-so there is a chance that Taiwan will never get new subs,while China is getting 6 newer Kilos(equipped with AIP & anti-ship/land attack capabile missiles) ,in addition to new SSNs & SSBNs.Hence even,if the entire PLAN subfleet was old,it would be of little comfort to Taipei.
BTW -D/E subs are more difficult to detect than N-subs given that they run on batteries-so the 100 mile claim is too far off ,even if your talking of a 1960s era D/E.
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