"China's submarine fleet, long noisy and outdated, is getting quieter and deadlier, a new analysis warns, as it closes the gap with the US within the First Island Chain, a string of islands that could form the front line of a future Pacific fight. These improvements, along with China's anti-submarine weapons and the development of the "Undersea Great Wall," could spell trouble in the First Island Chain for US submarines should Beijing and Washington go to war, especially over Taiwan."
"In a potential conflict between the US and China in the Western Pacific, the First Island Chain, which stretches from Japan down to the Philippines and hems in China's coastline, would likely be strategically important. The US military expects China to attempt to deny it access and control in the region by threatening American airpower, as well as naval power."
China's submarine fleet is becoming quieter and more capable, narrowing the acoustic and capability gap with US submarines inside the First Island Chain. The fleet remains heavily diesel-electric but has improved stealth, while China continues to field noisier nuclear-powered boats. China is deploying layered undersea sensors, anti-submarine weapons, and an "Undersea Great Wall" to monitor and contest the region. Those capabilities could complicate US submarine missions such as torpedoing Chinese ships and striking bases with missiles. The First Island Chain would be strategically vital in a Western Pacific conflict as China seeks to deny access by air and sea.
Read at Business Insider
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