For the Navy's Next Submarines, Think Small, Not Big

[rangerrebew]

 October 30, 2021

For the Navy's Next Submarines, Think Small, Not Big

The new class of attack submarines perhaps should be smaller.
by David Axe Follow 

Here's What You Need to Remember: Pair wolf packs of new, small subs with huge flotillas of underwater robots and the Navy could seriously complicate China’s ambitions in the western Pacific.

The U.S. Navy already is beginning to plan for its next class of attack submarine, a high-tech -- and potentially very expensive -- new vessel to succeed the Virginia-class boats that the sailing branch currently is buying.

The new SSN(X), which could begin production in the early 2030s, should be something radically new and not a mere upgrade of an existing submarine, James Holmes argued.

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/navys-next-submarines-think-small-not-big-195488

[Smokin Joe]

Drone swarms. A concept covered in many science fiction stories, but likely the wave of the future.

[rangerrebew]

Didn't Japan try this?

[Smokin Joe]

Didn't Japan try this?

THey had a few classes of Midget Subs, including The Type A Ko-hyoteki class and perhaps more famous, the Kaiten, which was essentially,a manned torpedo. The former class had two torpedoes and was used (or attempted  to be used) in the attack on Pearl Harbor, among other operations.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_A_K%C5%8D-hy%C5%8Dteki-class_submarine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaiten