For several years China mapped ocean floors as it prepares for submarine warfare with US

Hopefully, civilian use of these maps will eventually be possible!

Officially, China used equipment from a New Zealand company for this purpose.

Caveat: I did not read the entire, very long article below.

"... In tracing this effort, Reuters examined Chinese government and university records, including journal articles and scientific studies, and analyzed more than five years of movement by 42 research vessels active in the Pacific, Indian or Arctic oceans using a ship-tracking platform built by New Zealand company Starboard Maritime Intelligence.

While the research has civilian purposes – some of the surveying covers fishing grounds or areas where China has mineral prospecting contracts – it also serves a military one, according to nine naval-warfare experts who reviewed Reuters’ findings. ..."

China maps ocean floor as it prepares for submarine warfare with US

With Sweden, Baltic Sea now a ‘lake full of NATO submarines’

Headline of the day! 

Putin the Terrible may not like it! However, Putin the Terrible and invader is responsible that Sweden and Finland became NATO members after being neutral countries throughout the Cold War and beyond.

With Sweden, Baltic Sea now a ‘lake full of NATO submarines’ - Breaking Defense "Sweden’s entry into NATO has dramatically shifted the formerly non-military aligned nation’s naval doctrine: no longer just defending its own shores, the Swedish navy now guards the alliance’s eastern flank."

US will share tech to let South Korea build nuclear submarine: Trump

Good news! This will drive the Dear Leader of North Korea mad! 😊

"Trump said the country would build its nuclear-powered submarine in the Philly Shipyard, which was bought last year by South Korea’s Hanwha Group."

"The United States will share closely held technology to allow South Korea to build a nuclear-powered submarine, President Donald Trump said on social media Thursday after meeting with the country’s president.

President Lee Jae Myung stressed to Trump in their Wednesday meeting that the goal was to modernize the alliance with the U.S., noting plans to increase military spending to reduce the financial burden on America."

US will share tech to let South Korea build nuclear submarine: Trump

President Donald Trump shakes hands with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung during a ceremony at the Gyeongju National Museum in Gyeongju, South Korea, on Wednesday. Replica Golden Crown

Royal Navy tests uncrewed robotic submarine in remote operation from 10,000 miles away

Amazing stuff!

"... Under a two-year test program, Excalibur will study how such submarines can be employed in anti-submarine warfare, seabed warfare, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. ..."

Royal Navy tests robotic submarine in remote operation "The prototype Royal Navy robotic submarine XV-Excalibur has provided a glimpse of the fleet of the future by patrolling the waters at HMNB Devonport in Plymouth, England while controlled from a command center in Australia 10,000 miles (16,000 km) away."

AUKUS exercise sees Royal Navy uncrewed submarine controlled from across the world (original news release) "The Royal Navy successfully tested the ability to communicate with Experimental Vessel (XV) Excalibur, the Royal Navy’s Extra Large Uncrewed Underwater Vehicle (XLUUV), while submerged on the other side of the world."

XV-Excalibur meeting the public in May 2025

US Navy one of just three Seawolf-class nuclear-powered fast attack submarine will be out 5 years due to ‘poor seamanship’

Damaged in 2021 and still in repair!

US Navy makes history with unmanned underwater vehicle

Recommendable!

The New, Secret Cocaine Superhighway Under the Atlantic

Very recommendable!

Australia’s warships hunt submarines in high-stakes defense drill

Very recommendable! According to Google AI search about 35% of all soldiers in the Australian navy are women. I was surprised how many female soldiers showed up in this short video. Bravo gender equality!

Is the time of manned navy submarines over?

Is it a reasonable speculation about the obsolescence of navy submarines going forward! Most likely yes in the age of drone warfare!

Possibly soon, autonomous, maritime drones can monitor any ocean at any depth for submarines. Other autonomous, maritime drones can follow manned submarines and destroy them when necessary.

This development also questions any current nuclear deterrence strategy based on ballistic missiles launched from submarines with nuclear weapons.

Such drones do not need oxygen, food supplies, nor lavatories!

Major technical challenges:

• How to receive signals from those autonomous maritime drones
• How to send a signal to those maritime drones to destroy a navy submarine

How India’s New Nuclear Submarine Base Challenges China’s Naval Plans

Recommendable!

A new Cold War: Pentagon confirms a 'new class' of Chinese nuclear sub sank pierside

We are back in another Cold War! How will it end this time! Younger generations should be very concerned!

The rivalry between the new superpowers China and India intensifies!

"The Pentagon has confirmed the submarine that sank pierside at a Wuhan shipyard is a “new class” of nuclear vessels being developed by the Chinese navy. ...

The submarine’s sinking was first reported by the Wall Street Journal on Thursday, which credited Tom Shugart, a former US Navy submariner and currently an associate at the Center for a New American Security, a DC think tank, with spotting unusual activity at the shipyard in satellite imagery. ...

The majority of China’s current submarine fleet is non-nuclear powered, but is known to operate at least six nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines and six nuclear-powered attack submarines, according to the Congressional Research Service ..."

Pentagon confirms a 'new class' of Chinese nuclear sub sank pierside - Breaking Defense "The analyst credited with initially spotting the sub said its location signals a "significant expansion" of China's capacity for nuclear submarine production."

U.S. Navy to commission first sub designed for both men and women sailors

What does this cost the taxpayer? What will actually be changed?

Unfortunately, the article does not say how many female soldiers currently serve on submarines. According to Google Search: "As of August 2024, 730 women are serving on submarines in the US Navy, including officers and sailors. They are assigned to 19 nuclear-powered attack boats and 19 ballistic-missile and guided-missile submarines. The U.S. Navy's submarine force has about 22,000 active duty personnel."

What about transgender people?

"The Navy is slated to commission its very first Virginia-class submarine designed for a fully gender-integrated crew on Saturday.

A submarine designed and built for both genders has been a long time coming. The New Jersey is entering the fleet roughly 14 years after then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates ended the ban on women serving on subs in 2010.

Female officers did not join the submarine force until 2011, and such roles only opened up to enlisted sailors in 2015. ..."

Navy to commission first sub designed for both men and women sailors

First submarine fully integrated for coed crews to join U.S. Navy fleet next week

Close quarters for these women and men! Nine months later, providing for the next generation of sailors! 😊

Are there any U.S. Navy submarines staffed only by females?

The Beatles: "... And we lived beneath the waves In our yellow submarine ..."

"The first submarine fully integrated for mixed gender crews will join the Navy fleet next week during a commissioning ceremony in its namesake state of New Jersey. ..."

First submarine fully integrated for coed crews to join Navy fleet next week | Stars and Stripes

India set to commission second nuclear submarine INS Arighat

Good news! India, a rising superpower!

Israeli unmanned submarine seen deployed against Iran

David and Goliath all over again?

This submarine seems huge given that it is supposedly unmanned! Is this just a decoy photo?

Israeli unmanned sub seen deployed against Iran - Globes The BlueWhale, developed by Israel Aerospace Industries' Elta unit with German company Atlas Electronik, will be part of the effort to combat Iran's expanding naval capabilities.

Canadian Submarines to Bolster Arctic Security, Government Steps Up Defence with 12 new submarines

Good news! As the ice melts, the Arctic may become a major shipping route in the near future.

Across the Indo-Pacific, militaries scramble to put more submarines in the water

I guess, the Indo-Pacific ocean is large enough not to get crowded too soon!

"Amid the focus on China’s growing submarine fleet and the protracted debate about AUKUS, other East Asian countries continue to invest in submarines, seeking to add boats or to finally acquire them to counter rivals and defend their interests as tensions in the region rise. ...

In Northeast Asia, some of the US’s closest partners have already put advanced subs in the water this year.

The highest-profile of them was Taiwan’s first Hai Kun-class submarine. After its unveiling in September, it underwent harbor acceptance testing until late February, when it was launched for sea trials. It is expected to be delivered to Taiwan’s navy later this year and commissioned in 2025.

The Hai Kun is Taiwan’s first domestically built sub and required years of work ...

In early March, Japan commissioned its latest Taigei-class diesel-electric attack sub, the third-in-class JS Jingei. Japan has launched a Taigei-class sub every year since 2020 ... Japan’s new subs are the largest it has built since World War II and have a number of improvements, including a stealthier design and better sensors, along with six torpedo tubes that can also launch Harpoon anti-ship missiles. Like the last two boats in the previous Soryu-class, Taigei-class subs have lithium-ion batteries, which have longer endurance, charge faster, and allow greater acceleration than traditional lead-acid batteries. The batteries are also pricey and tricky to use safely, and Japan’s navy is the first known to use them on subs. ...
South Korea also continued its decades-long submarine expansion this year, launching its latest diesel-electric attack sub, ROKS Shin Chae-ho, in April. It is the third and last of the first batch of the Dosan Ahn Changho-class, with two more three-sub batches to come. ...

"

Across the Indo-Pacific, militaries scramble to put more submarines in the water - Breaking Defense

Acoustic navigational tech gets scuba divers using GPS maps

Good news!

"Manufactured by German underwater tech company EvoLogics, DNS consists of three main components: a tracker unit, a diver console, and a USBL (ultra-short baseline) buoy. ...

Floating at the surface over the diving area, the buoy continuously sends acoustic "pings" through the water. These are received by the tracker unit, which is mounted on the diver's air tank. The tracker automatically responds to each initial ping with a reply ping of its own, which is received by the buoy. ...

As an added bonus, the console also lets divers send and receive simple preprogrammed text messages to and from one another – again, the data is transmitted via acoustic pulses. The topside crew can also send and receive such messages via the Wi-Fi-linked buoy. ..."

"The innovative system facilitates map-based navigation for divers on a mission, offering the flexibility of seamless two-way communication between divers and the dive supervision team, and setting map waypoints both during a mission’s planning and execution. ...

With the new system, EvoLogics aims to streamline complex underwater tasks such as search and rescue, salvage operations, recovery efforts, and cleanup operations. The Diver Navigation system enhances coordination, improves task management, and promotes efficient information sharing, ultimately enhancing the effectiveness of diver operations. ..."

Acoustic navigational tech gets scuba divers using GPS maps Because GPS doesn't work underwater, divers usually can't track their real-time position on a digital map. The new Diver Navigation System (DNS) gets around that problem, however, using both floating and wearable acoustic transponders.

EvoLogics debuts the new Diver Navigation System

India's Nuclear Attack Submarine Program takes shape amid China threat in Indo-Pacific with Molly Gambhir

Recommendable! India, a rising superpower and arms exporter!

EvoLogics presents the next-generation Quadroin AUV (aka Penguin robot)

Amazing stuff!

EvoLogics presents the next-generation Quadroin AUV The newly integrated EvoLogics AI-powered object recognition module allows detecting objects in the side-scan sonar and video feeds live during the mission with processing carried out onboard the vehicle. It also enables automatic collision avoidance through a front-looking sonar system. 

Credits: Roboterpinguin Quadroin soll mit Hilfe von KI die Meere erkunden