Should the U.S. Navy Abandon Conventional Submarine Technology?

[rangerrebew]

 
 September 24, 2021

Should the U.S. Navy Abandon Conventional Submarine Technology?

The technology, which allows conventionally powered submarines to operate without access to outside air, has the potential to shift the balance away from the big nuclear attack submarines (SSNs) that have dominated undersea warfare since the 1950s, and back towards small conventional boats.
by Robert Farley Follow drfarls on Twitter L

Here’s What You Need to Remember: Perhaps the U.S. Navy should not invest in conventional submarines.

<p>Several navies&nbsp;<a href="http://www.public.navy.mil/subfor/underseawarfaremagazine/Issues/Archive..." rel=" noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">experimented[/url]&nbsp;with AIP during the twentieth century. The earliest work began in World War II in the German and Soviet navies, although none of the experiments produced operationally suitable boats. After the war Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union took advantage of German research to produce their own experimental boats, but nuclear propulsion seemed to offer a more fruitful direction for submarine development.</p>


 https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/should-us-navy-abandon-conventional-submarine-technology-194181

[PeteS in CA]

Nuclear-based submarines require refueling every couple of decades (or whatever the lifecycle is). Sounds like these boats would require refueling every few months (if actually out on patrol instead of sitting idle). How is this not a huge step backward in capability.

Several decades the line was, "The USN should return to diesel propulsion submarines," now it's "The USN should switch to AIP submarines". Armchair pundits like these may find it amazing, even unthinkable, but the USN has thought long and hard about submarine propulsion, for well over a century. IMO, the armchair pundits should find a clue in the fact that diesel boats and AIP boats are exported to less capable navies, but I guess armchair pundits have hobby seahorses to ride.