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My understanding is that the UK currently has 5 attack submarines. Is that enough to break a blockade? More are planned (the SSN-AUKUS), but it is probably sti
by gpderetta 1y ago
My understanding is that the UK currently has 5 attack submarines. Is that enough to break a blockade?
More are planned (the SSN-AUKUS), but it is probably still some time away.
- jack_tripper 1y agoThat's around 100 torpedoes loaded in the water. Is that enough to break a blockade?
- nradov 1y agoNo, it's not nearly enough. The exact number of weapons onboard is largely irrelevant. At any given time only about one third of a nation's attack submarines can be out on active patrol while the others are in transit, undergoing maintenance, or working up. During a crisis they can maybe surge two thirds of the force for a few months but that isn't sustainable. Each submarine can only be in one place at a time and they're likely to take some losses against a competent adversary.
- jack_tripper 1y agoThat's why my money(figuratively) is on Kraken Roboticss and Anduril's autonomous robot submarines. This will be the future of naval warfare.
- nradov 1y agoThat's so naive. Those robot submarines will be useful for local defense but they lack the range, speed, and staying power to project power and protect sea lines of communication over thousands of miles on a sustained basis. The notion of doing that with robots remains firmly in the realm of science fiction today. Maybe in 30 years.