Nuclear Submarines + Russia Buying West Mil Tech

choi

(1) 60 Years Of Stuff We Can't Talk About. Strategy Page, June 25, 2012.
http://strategypage.com/htmw/htsub/articles/20120625.aspx

Quote:

"Not only did Russian subs wear out quickly, but they were not able to get to sea as often as their Western counterparts.

"This year marks the 60th anniversary of the construction of the first nuclear powered sub, the USS Nautilus. Completed in 1955, the Nautilus served until 1980

"Chinese built nuclear boats have, so far, been of lower quality than three decade old Russian designs.

"While nuclear subs are a much feared weapon, they have gone sixty years with only one instance of combat. That was in 1982, when a British SSN [HMS Conqueror] sunk an Argentinian cruiser (the former World War II era USS Phoenix).

Note: Argentine light cruiser ARA General Belgrano, name after Argentina's founding father Manuel Belgrano (1770-1820; Argentina declared independence from Spain on July 9, 1816), sank on May 2, 1982. For ARA, see Argentine Navy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argentine_Navy
(The Navy of the Argentine Republic or Armada of the Argentine Republic (Spanish: Armada de la República Argentina — ARA)

(2) Russia Buys A Tech Edge. Strategy Page, June 23, 2012
http://strategypage.com/htmw/htproc/articles/20120623.aspx
("Five years ago Russia ended a 70 year old tradition of not buying foreign (or at least Western) weapons")