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ISLAMABAD: China will build in Karachi four of eight submarines that it is selling to Pakistan. Minister for Defence Production Rana Tanveer Hussain told at the inauguration of the Defence Export Promotion Organisation (DEPO) Display Centre in the federal capital that the deal for the acquisition of submarines from China had been finalised and four of them would be built here. He further said that construction of the submarines would simultaneously begin in Pakistan and China. China, he said, would transfer the technology to Pakistan for submarine construction. The implementation of the agreement would augment the existing submarine related capacity....

NEW DELHI: For the first time India has options when it comes to finding a partner to build a military nuclear asset. Besides Russia, ship builders from France and the US have started initial conversations with the defence ministry on participating in an Indian effort to build a new class of nuclear-powered attack submarines. Russia has been the traditional ally of India when it comes to sensitive technology and strategic systems. But a Navy plan for constructing six new nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs) to patrol the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and beyond has prompted 'discussions' with the two western nations,...

America's most advanced nuclear submarine was slicing through the water off Hawaii last month, 400 feet under the surface, when a sonar operator suddenly detected an ominous noise on his headphones. It was a faint thump … thump … thump — the distinctive sound of a spinning, seven-bladed propeller on a Chinese attack submarine called a Shang by the Pentagon and its allies. A neon green stripe on his sonar screen indicated that the Shang was only a few thousand yards off the U.S. sub's bow. "Sonar contact!" he yelled to 15 officers and crew in the dimly lighted control...

In 1995 and 1996, Taiwanese politicians signaled greater support for declaring their island country officially independent of China. Beijing’s response was swift, forceful … and ultimately an embarrassment to China. The Chinese army fired several missiles toward small, Taiwanese-held islands. That’s when the United States intervened in a big way, sending two entire aircraft carrier battle groups into the waters around Taiwan — and even sailing one carrier through the Taiwan Strait. The Chinese military was powerless against this show of force. Beijing couldn’t even reliably track the American warships, and had no forces of its own capable of threatening...

Pentagon deploys USS Wyoming amid tensions with Moscow nuclear-armed U.S. ballistic missile submarine arrived in Scotland this week amid growing tensions with Moscow over Ukraine and Russia’s strategic arms buildup. The submarine, the USS Wyoming, arrived at the British naval base at Faslane, Scotland, Wednesday morning for what the U.S. Strategic Command said is a routine visit. However, ballistic missile submarine movements and port visits normally are not announced by the Navy or the Strategic Command, an indication the Wyoming’s port call is intended as strategic messaging to Moscow. The submarine visit “demonstrates the closeness of the U.S./U.K. defense relationship...

Faced with China's growing anti-surface ship capacity, the United States should decrease its emphasis on large aircraft carriers in the Pacific and spend more on submarines, space capabilities and ways to make air bases and aircraft less vulnerable, according to a report released earlier this month by Rand Corp. In the 430-page report, the Santa Monica, Calif.-based think tank analyzed the relative military capabilities of the U.S. and China in certain scenarios based on open-source documents. The analysis makes comparisons using 10 "scorecards" covering air, maritime, space, cyber and nuclear domains. Capabilities were examined at seven-year intervals, beginning in 1996...

China is trying to sell two submarines to Egypt that are cheaper than vessels on offer from Germany, industry sources told Reuters, as Beijing looks to expand weapons exports beyond its traditional customer base in Asia. Beijing has sought to undercut Western submarine makers on price and by offering attractive export-credit terms for sales in Asia, the sources said. It has won deals with Pakistan and Bangladesh so far. China displaced Germany as the world's third-largest arms exporter, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said in March, though nearly 70 percent of those weapons went to Pakistan, Bangladesh and...

WARSAW: Poland may join forces with other NATO members such as Norway or the Netherlands to buy submarines in a bid to cut costs, instead of buying them alone, Deputy Defence Minister Czeslaw Mroczek said on Sunday. The ministry had planned to buy three submarines with delivery set for 2020-25 and at a cost of 7.5 billion zlotys (US$2 billion) in a tender due to be launched at the start of this year. This was postponed when Poland decided to change the contract specification to arm the fleet with manoeuvring missiles. "We are considering obtaining submarines, for instance together with...

High-tech spy vessel carries cable-cutting gear, mini-subs U.S. intelligence ships, aircraft, and satellites are closely watching a Russian military vessel in the Atlantic that has been sailing near a U.S. nuclear missile submarine base and underwater transit routes, according to Pentagon officials. The Russian research ship Yantar has been tracked from the northern Atlantic near Canada since late August as it makes its way south toward Cuba.

An Israeli submarine that sank 47 years ago probably went down due to a technical failure, according to a report released by the navy yesterday. The report was released at a gathering of the families of the 69 sailors killed when the Dakar went down. Exactly what happened in the critical moments before the submarine sank remains unknown. But yesterday the navy released all the reports drafted after the incident, which had hitherto been classified, as well as a document summarizing all the efforts to search for the sub and any other information the defense establishment has about it. According...

Seoul refuses to back down and demands apology from Kim Jong-un for landmine blast it claims maimed two soldiers - North Korea's state media - Korean Central News Agency - has just issued another Shakespearean tirade against the South, accusing it of "false propaganda." Quote They [South Korea] claimed the DPRK "promulgated a decree on establishing a donation system" and "the society in the north has turned into the one where loyalty can be bought and sold." They asserted this was a "reliable source" from North Hamgyong Province. They even took issue with the newly built Pyongyang Home for the...

Military Sources, "About 50 N. Korean Submarines Left Their Bases...Can't be Located" 2015.08.23 15:23 /begin my translation Dozens of N. Korean submarines left their bases at both Eastern and Western coast, and can't be located. Military are increasing their surveillance capability to track them, it is confirmed. That accounts for 70% of (N. Korea's) submarine fleet, which totals 70 ships. This is the largest rate of deployment since the Korean War. Military sources said, "This is 10 times more than their normal deployment level. Dozens of them left their bases at both coasts, and we are unable to track them."...

Morocco and Russia are close to reaching a deal on the delivery of a Russian-made Amur-1650 (project 677E) submarine which would be the kingdom’s first submarine, World Tribune reported. The contract is expected to be signed during King Mohammed VI’s trip to Moscow later this year. The two countries have been in talks on the issue in several stages since 2013, according to the media outlet. The sum of the deal may be €300 million ($342 million), Afrik.com reported. During the DSA-2014 international arms forum in Malaysia, the Malaysian navy also expressed interest for the submarine. "Malaysian navy commander visited...

On Aug. 11 at the port of Severodvinsk in northern Russia, a huge and imposing black shape emerged from a dry-dock, observed by ranks of uniformed dignitaries. The Russian navy’s latest submarine is 574 feet long, displaces no fewer than 18,000 tons of water and packs two nuclear reactors. Named Moscow, she’s actually a refurbished, 1980s-vintage ballistic-missile sub that once prowled underneath the Arctic ice, cradling nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles, awaiting Armageddon. Today, as best as any outside observer can tell, the Moscow has a new mission. She appears to be part science vessel, part spy ship, part commando transport, and...

At risk: The new Royal Navy submarine HMS Astute The £10billion project to create a fleet of seven Royal Navy submarines is in yet more troubled waters, a watchdog has warned. Its report on the Astute-class attack boats reveals costs are still rocketing. The subs have been plagued by a string of technical hitches and delays since the first vessel was ordered 18 years ago. And the mammoth project was expected to cost another £87.5million more than planned last year - up from £558.1million to £645.6million. The watchdog, the Major Projects Authority, has issued an amber/red alert, meaning there are...

On August 4, 2015, the French Navy (Marine Nationale) took over full responsibility and the effective command of ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) Le Triomphant (S616). This transfer of responsibility is an important milestone following the refit period started in May 2013 for maintenance, repairs, modernization and adaptation to the M51 new generation submarine launched ballistic missile (SLMB). Le Triomphant will now start some trials at sea before returning in the operational cycle. An NH90 NFH Caiman transfers personnel on board French Navy Le Triomphant class SSBN. Picture: V.Guyoton © Marine Nationale Le Triomphant, head of the class commissioned in 1997,...

Fifteen years after one of the worst disasters in Russian naval history — the sinking of the Kursk submarine in the Barents Sea in which all 118 crew members died — the number of Russians who blame the authorities for not doing enough to rescue the sailors has dropped. The tragedy occurred on Aug. 12, 2000, making it one of the first serious challenges faced by Russia's new president Vladimir Putin. While at the time and in the immediate aftermath, the president's actions were criticized, a poll published Monday by the independent pollster Levada Center showed that 40 percent of...

A Navy sailor assigned to a nuclear-powered submarine has been accused of using his cellphone to snap revealing photos of the sub’s top-secret inner spaces. Prosecutors say Machinist Mate 1st Class Kristian Saucier took the photos aboard the attack submarine Alexandria, the Navy Times reported Saturday. He has been charged with unauthorized retention of defense information and destroying his laptop and a camera to thwart an FBI probe.

The Dragon is breathing fire under water. And, Pakistan is close on India’s heels. Over the years, India has lost ground on the submarine front. Hence, the need for more subs, and fast They do it every time. Before the Chinese send their president or prime minister to visit a neighbouring country, they send a few troops across the border—just to test the neighbour’s military and political will. Thus, ahead of Prime Minister Li Keqiang’s May 2013 visit, a few People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops forayed into western Ladakh and stayed there for close to a month. They moved back...

A wrecked mini-submarine was found last week in waters off of Sweden’s eastern coast, media in Sweden reported on July 27. Authorities believe it is a Russian model, primarily because of Cyrillic letters on the hull. They have not disclosed the exact location of the wreckage, but say it is around 1.5 nautical miles from the Swedish coast. “We are 110 percent sure that it is within Swedish waters” said Dennis Åsberg, a member of Ocean X Team which made the discovery. Reports say the sub is some 60 feet long and 10 feet wide, and holds a crew of...