Taiwan's Planned Submarine Fleet

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Brad Lendon, Taiwan's Planned Submarine Fleet Could Forestall a Potential Chinese Invasion for Decades. CNN, Dec 20, 2020.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/19/a ... l-hnk-ml/index.html

Quote:

(a) "Choosing the diesel-electric subs over nuclear-powered ones like the one the United States Navy -- and increasingly China -- field was an easy choice for Taipei. Diesel-electric subs are easier and cheaper to build. And when submerged the electric motors produce less noise than nuclear reactors.

(b) " 'Chinese ASW 'anti-submarine warfare] capabilities are weak and the acoustic conditions in these very shallow [Taiwan Strait is 60 meters at the deepest], noisy waters are very difficult even for advanced ASW capabilities like those deployed by Japan and the US,' said Owen Cote, associate director of the Security Studies Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an expert on submarine warfare.

(c) "Though it remains unclear precisely what technology the subs will be fitted with, earlier this year, Washington gave Taipei approval to acquire Mark 48 torpedoes.

" 'Every (large troop carrier) hit by a torpedo, particularly a modern one like the US Mark 48, removes a battalion of troops from the invasion force. So, no one is going to send those amphibious assault ships into the Strait until they are confident it is clear of submarines,' said Carl Schuster, a former US Navy captain who is now an analyst at Hawaii Pacific University [1965- ; private].

(d) "The analysts said over the long term, Beijing still holds the clear upper hand militarily. It can bring dozens of submarines, surface ships, ground-launched missiles, air force bombers and strike aircraft to any conflict.

(e) "This is Taiwan's first foray into building large submarines [attack submarines, to be specific -- ie, not missile submarines] -- they are expected to have a displacement of 2,500 to 3,000 metric tons -- and analysts say it remains to be seen if the island's shipbuilding industry is up to the task.

Note:
(a) "when submerged the electric motors produce less noise than nuclear reactors"

EV Miasnikov, The Future of Russia's Strategic Nuclear Forces: Discussions and Arguments. Center For Arms Control, Energy And Environmental Studies Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, 1995 (revised in 1998)
https://fas.org/spp/eprint/snf0322.htm

had Appendix 1 What is known about the character of noise created by submarines?
https://fas.org/spp/eprint/snf03221.htm
("Quantitative data on the actual noise levels of combat submarines is highly classified. * * * Information on the noise level of nuclear submarines is practically non-existent in the open literature. However, specialists have repeatedly said that the noise level of a nuclear submarine is higher than that of a diesel submarine running on batteries [footnote omitted].  This fact may be explained by several reasons. First, like a diesel submarine, a nuclear submarine may work at a minimal speed, running off the [electric] storage cells (batteries). However, the submarine's nuclear reactor continues working and this is an additional source of noise. Second, the displacement for nuclear submarines usually exceeds, by several times, the displacement of diesel, and this requires a greater power to weight ratio")

(b) About quotation (c).

battalion
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battalion  
(The use of the term "battalion" varies by nationality and branch of service. / section 9 United States, section 9.1 United States Army: "a total of 300 to 1,000 (but typically 500 to 600) soldiers," section 9.2 United States Marine Corps: "a total of 500 to 1,200 Marines in the battalion")

(c) Regarding quotation (d).

For strike aircraft, see attack aircraft
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_aircraft
(or strike aircraft; "is a tactical military aircraft that has a primary role of carrying out airstrikes with greater precision than bombers, and is prepared to encounter strong low-level air defenses while pressing the attack. * * * The dedicated attack aircraft as a separate class existed primarily during and after World War II")

(d) Regarding the last quotation -- quotation (e).

Ohio-class submarine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohio-class_submarine
(includes the United States Navy's 14 ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) and its four cruise missile submarines (SSGNs); table: Displacement: 16,764 tonnes surfaced,  18,750 tonnes submerged)

By contrast, Virginia-class submarine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia-class_submarine
(attack submarine; table: Displacement: Submerged: 7,900 metric tons [or tonnes])