[CondorFlight]

And why isn’t any USA firm attempting to build submarines and sell them abroad?

[thackney]

In 2001, the Bush administration promised Taiwan eight U.S.-built SSKs but the boats never materialized for several reasons.

A MND spokesman told Jane’s in October, “that Taiwan would continue to lobby the United States for assistance with a submarine purchase, although the absence of any U.S. experience in conventionally powered submarines of the size and class that Taiwan is seeking suggests it is unlikely to get much in the way of support.”

SSKs serve best as a costal defense platform and the U.S. submarine force almost exclusively operates far from American shores.

With rare exception, the U.S. naval submarine industrial base has built only nuclear submarines (SSN) since the 1960s. USNI News also understands there are elements in the U.S. Navy reluctant to stray from the SSN model.

http://news.usni.org/2015/01/02/taiwan-kicks-off-domestic-attack-sub-program

[jjotto]

Good question.

Maybe because US submarines are nuclear and buyers prefer the new diesel-electrics?