Posted on 03/02/2012 1:18:39 AM PST by U-238
They can if they have certain equipment on the satellite.Lasers, infrared and other detectors and synthetic aperture radar (SAR). Satellites might see subtle undersea disturbances caused by submarines, watch wave patterns on or beneath the sea surface, or detect subtle variations in ocean temperature.
National Reconnaissance Office operator of the US spy satellite fleet - is planning multiple satellite launches, and China must assume that one or more of these new US surveillance satellites will help support US Navy efforts to locate and track PLAN submarines
Don’t the nuclear reactors give off a heat signature that leaves a “heat wake” as the sub moves through the icey waters?
Detecting thermal radiation directly from the submarine at a
depth greater than a few meters would be very difficult if not impossible and submarines usually travel at much greater depths.You could detect it on the surface
http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/2005-05/1115410201.Ph.r.html
maybe. I always remember how confident Rommel was that his communications with Germany were secure. Unfortunately for him, he put a little too much faith in his native technology and it cost him Africa. America puts too much faith in her technology and takes too much for granted with regards to enemy technology. We are notorious for underestimating enemy capabilitiers and over estimating our own and we never seem to learn. Do we know that out subs can’t be detected? Do we know that our communication is secure? Do we know that the F22 is truly stealthy?
There is one way to test our communications are secure is to change frequencies.Set up special “war time” frequencies,monitor the frequencies,monitor the satellite codes,check time intervals or set up a cryptographic system.
We have frequency hopping sincgars radios of course and we presume that they are secure. Maybe they are, maybe they aren’t. I think the system is old enough now that russian and/or Chinese intelligence agents have had time to thoroughly investigate the technology. Russia and China both have plenty of money and competent computer programmers these days.
Fortune Favors the Prepared Mind.
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