India suspicious as Chinese submarine docks in Sri Lanka

[LETHALFORCE]

India suspicious as Chinese submarine docks in Sri Lanka - The Times of India



NEW DELHI: The docking of a Chinese submarine in Colombo on a long-range deployment patrol earlier this month is yet another indicator of the ever-increasing forays of the People's Liberation Army-Navy (PLA-N) in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

The PLA-N is fast transforming from a "green-water" force used to operating close to its own shores into a potent "blue-water" force, one with "long legs". Though the Indian Navy has been tracking the increased activity of Chinese warships in the IOR, including submarines quietly on the prowl in the Bay of Bengal, this is a rare instance of a PLA-N submarine openly berthing in the region that India considers its "own strategic backyard".

The diesel-electric Type 039 "Song-class" was at the Colombo International Container Terminal, which has been funded by China, from September 7 to 14. This was just ahead of Chinese President Xi Jingping's visit to Sri Lanka, which along with Maldives has shown enthusiasm for China's new Maritime Silk Route plan in the IOR.

The Chinese government, on its part, said the submarine had only made a replenishment stopover in Sri Lanka on way to the Gulf of Aden for escort and anti-piracy operations, as was the "common practice" for navies around the world.


But China is also testing the new Modi government's resolve both on the land boundaries, which clearly came through during the 16-day troop faceoff at Chumar in eastern Ladakh coinciding with Xi's visit here, as well as in the IOR, as earlier reported by TOI.

China's forging of extensive maritime links with eastern Africa, Seychelles, Mauritius, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Cambodia, among others, is primarily related to its need to protect its sea lanes for critical energy needs. But it's equally true that it's slowly but steadily amounting to a "strategic encirclement" of India.

Acknowledging that the presence of Chinese warships is on the increase in the IOR, Navy chief Admiral Robin Dhowan this week said, "We continuously monitor them, see what are their deployments, and what challenges they can pose for us...IOR is our area of operations...Our warships, submarines and aircraft are always ready to face any challenge."

That may well be true but insiders fear India's already stark military asymmetry with China only seems to be expanding all the time. India, for instance, has just 13 ageing diesel-electric submarines, only half of them operational at any given time, and a single nuclear-powered submarine, without any strategic missiles, on lease from Russia.

China, in sharp contrast, has 51 conventional and five nuclear submarines. It is also going to soon induct another five advanced JIN-class nuclear submarines equipped with the new 7,400-km JL-2 missiles.

The lack of strategic planning in India, however, ensures that even though force-levels at the Eastern Naval Command at Vizag have shown some upgrade, the crucially-located Andaman and Nicobar Command continues to suffer from neglect. Strengthening of India's last military outpost at the 572-island archipelago would be an effective counter to China's strategic moves in the IOR.

 

[Ray]

This is an interesting article to read about submarines and the future

Submarines and Their Future

The more we know about the sea, the more a submarine commander can take advantage of its quirks. At least as important, it seems that it is difficult or impossible to sense remotely local details of the sea – such as the precise way in which temperature changes with depth – with enough precision.

Apparently you have to be in the sea to sense what is happening around you, and even then you cannot know what is happening nearby, where a submarine may be. We can probably reliably detect a submarine within a few miles – but that is very different from rapidly searching a wide area in which a submarine may be. And even that is a very expensive proposition available to very few countries.
Submarines and Their Future | Defense Media Network

Here is an example of issues about inability to detect.

Sub collides with sonar array towed by U.S. Navy ship

In what a U.S. military official calls an "inadvertent encounter," a Chinese submarine hit an underwater sonar array being towed by the destroyer USS John McCain on Thursday.

The array was damaged, but the sub and the ship did not collide, the official said. A sonar array is a device towed behind a ship that listens and locates underwater sounds.

The incident occurred near Subic Bay off the coast of the Philippines.

The official, who declined to be named because the incident had not been made public, would not say whether the U.S. ship knew the submarine was that close to it.
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/US/06/12/china.submarine/

Therefore, though the Communist Chinese Navy is a 'green water' Navy, yet with its large number of submarines to include nuclear submarines, it proves a serious threat to free navigation. One can state that many of the submarines are nearing obsolescence, it nevertheless is a threat.

The strategy to contain the Chinese Navy is to ratchet up the presence of foreign navies near the Chinese coastline so that the Chinese military attention is concentrated to negate the activities or block them in the SCS.

In the interim, use the time to build one's own Navy and its submarine fleet.

Its foray in the Indian Ocean should be a matter of serious concern for India.

 

[SADAKHUSH]

This is an interesting article to read about submarines and the future



Here is an example of issues about inability to detect.
Therefore, though the Communist Chinese Navy is a 'green water' Navy, yet with its large number of submarines to include nuclear submarines, it proves a serious threat to free navigation. One can state that many of the submarines are nearing obsolescence, it nevertheless is a threat.

The strategy to contain the Chinese Navy is to ratchet up the presence of foreign navies near the Chinese coastline so that the Chinese military attention is concentrated to negate the activities or block them in the SCS.

In the interim, use the time to build one's own Navy and its submarine fleet.

Its foray in the Indian Ocean should be a matter of serious concern for India.

I agree with your counter measure needed to give it back to them in kind. It should also be practiced on land borders as well. I think it is time that a defense treaty should be the next step for countries who have dispute with this arrogant neighbouring CCP thugs.

 

[CCP]

I think it is time that a defense treaty should be the next step for countries who have dispute with this arrogant neighbouring CCP thugs.

The fact is all your neighbours are CCP's friend.

 

[bhramos]