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Personal experience in various Sub Command simulations has proven to me that the Kilo can be a quite formidable threat in litoral waters. I had a very hard time detecting Iranian Kilo's in the Straights of Hormuz. In a couple exercises we collided. I guess those AIR boats are something to recon with (as is any boat running on electric). FYI: Sub Command was put out by Sonalysts, and Sonalysts are the people who make sub-sims for the U.S.N. Sub Command is about as authentic of a submarine experience a civilian is going to get. There's an entry in the Congressional Register with respect to Sonalyst's U.S.N. simulations programs.

NTI: Submarine proliferation - Sweden - current capabilities

Concerned that the threat from nuclear weapons had fallen off most people's radar screens after the end of the Cold War, CNN founder Ted Turner asked former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn in the spring of 2000 to help assess whether a private organization could make a difference. After months of discussions and consultations with some of the world's most respected security experts, Mr. Turner and Senator Nunn founded the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) in January 2001. Initially supported by a pledge from Mr. Turner and other private contributions, NTI is now classified as a 501 (c) 3 public charity.
NTI's mission is to strengthen global security by reducing the risk of use and preventing the spread of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. NTI seeks to raise public awareness, serve as a catalyst for new thinking and take direct action to reduce these threats. In addition to Mr. Turner and Senator Nunn, NTI is guided by an experienced, international Board of Directors who share a common goal of taking action to reduce the gap between the global threats and the global response. The foundation's activities are directed by Senator Nunn and managed by President Charles B. Curtis.

In May 2005, the Gotland was leased to the U.S. Navy for one year, complete with a Swedish crew. The Gotland will initially be based in San Diego, where the U.S. Navy will practice joint maneuvers with the stealthy AIP-equipped diesel submarine.¹ According to the Swedish newspaper Blekinge Läns Tidning, U.S. interest in the Gotland class was aroused during joint naval exercises when the U.S. Navy was unable to track the Swedish submarine²

During its first year in the United States, the Gotland is scheduled to conduct up to 160 training days at sea, supporting strike groups, individual ships and rescue submarines, as well as participate in testing and development of new equipment.³ The Gotland regularly uses its diesel engines only when entering or exiting port, going on two-week-plus "silent" patrols using its Stirling AIP engines exclusively.⁴ As of March 2006, the U.S. Navy was reportedly in talks with Sweden on extending the lease for one to two more years.^4,6 Reportedly, during a Joint Task Force Exercise on December 6-16, 2005, with the USS Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group off the coast of Southern California, the Gotland managed to take several pictures of the Ronald Reagan from close quarters, indicating a "strike" on the aircraft carrier.⁵ As Gotland's Lieutenant Commander Jan Westas says, the U.S. ASW forces "have had a very difficult time finding us." To date, the exercises have been carried out in deep water. It is expected that exercises with the Gotland in coastal waters will prove even more challenging to U.S. ASW.⁴

Notes:
[1] "RSwN submarine HMS Gotland on lease to US Navy for twelve months," May 31, 2005, Kockums Website, http://www.kockums.se.
[2] "USA to lease Gotland-class sub," November 5, 2004, Kockums Website, http://www.kockums.se.
[3] "Swedish Submarine Continues to Play Important Role in Joint Training," December 20, 2005, Navy Newsstand Website, http://www.news.navy.mil.
[4]Norman Polmar, "Back to the Future," United States Naval Institute Proceedings (Annapolis: March 2006), pp. 20-26; in ProQuest Information and Learning Company, http://proquest.umi.com.
[5] "Svensk Ubåt 'sänkte' USA:s hangarfartyg," Allehanda, January 16, 2006, http://www.allehanda.se/lokalt/7956".
[6] "USA vill fortsätta jaga svensk ubåt," Svenska Dagbladet, April 18, 2006, http://www.svd.se/dynamiskt/inrikes/did_12393415.asp.