New Arms Race: Australia and US to Build Nuclear Submarines Together to Lead China
Australia has signed an agreement with the United States and the United Kingdom to begin a nuclear submarine program. It is likely that Australian submarines will be very similar to the latest versions in the US and UK arsenals.
US and UK deal
The United States, Britain and Australia have agreed on a close partnership in the defense and security sector, under which Australia will build nuclear powered submarines for the first time in history. with the BBC.
However, it will still not have nuclear weapons.
Australia and its allies are concerned about the growing military presence of China in the Indo-Pacific region.
As part of the partnership of the AUKUS countries (Australia, the United Kingdom, the USA), Australia will receive nuclear submarine construction technologies from its allies and will become only the seventh country in the world to have such a fleet.
Also, the three countries intend to closely cooperate in the cybersphere, quantum technologies and in the field of artificial intelligence.
According to analysts, this is the largest defense cooperation program between countries in recent decades.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington accused the parties to the pact of "Cold War mentality and ideological prejudices." In recent years, all Western democracies have expressed concern about China's growing military assertiveness.
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The new partnership aims to “promote security and prosperity” in the region, US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Australian counterpart Scott Morrison said in a joint virtual press briefing.
What boats can be
Флот ВМС США и Королевский флот имеют два вида подводных лодок — ударные и баллистические ракеты. Оба работают от ядерных реакторов, преобразующих воду в пар высокого давления, который вращает турбины для приведения в движение подводных лодок, пишет CNN.
But attack submarines and ballistic missile submarines, often referred to as "boomers," serve very different purposes. Australia is signing up for a nuclear powered option or an attack submarine, not nuclear missiles with nuclear warheads on its ballistic missiles.
Attack submarines
«Ударные подводные лодки предназначены для поиска и уничтожения субмарин и надводных кораблей противника; для выполнения задач наблюдения и разведки; для поддержки операций боевых групп и участия в боевых действиях», — говорится в информационном бюллетене ВМС США.
У флота США есть три класса ударных подлодок. Новейшие из них — это 19 субмарин «Вирджиния».
Armed with dozens of Tomahawk cruise missiles and torpedoes, the 377-foot Virginia-class submarines weighing 8000 tons can travel at speeds in excess of 28 miles per hour (46 km / h) and remain submerged for extended periods. Their stay under water is limited only by the need to resupply the crew of 132 people.
У субмарины даже нет перископа. Скорее, он использует фотонную мачту, которая включает видео высокой четкости и инфракрасное видео — для наблюдения за боевым пространством. Информация отображается на больших экранах в центре управления.
The four British Astute-class attack submarines are even faster than American submarines, capable of diving at over 35 miles per hour (56 km / h) and, like the United States, carry Tomahawk cruise missiles.
«Томагавк-IV — это последняя версия ракеты. Она имеет большую дальность действия, чем ее предшественники (более 1000 миль/1600 км), может быть наведена на новую цель в середине полета», — говорится на сайте Королевского военно-морского флота.
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This is the kind of firepower and endurance Australia wants as it seeks to protect its northern waters from any naval threats and channel its naval power into the South China Sea, where it, along with the United States, intends to weaken China's influence and protect freedom of movement.
Ballistic missile submarines
British and American boomers are carrying Trident ballistic missiles equipped with multiple nuclear warheads. Their mission, in essence, is to remain at sea for several months, the vast majority of which are under water and be ready to retaliate with a nuclear strike if the enemy strikes the United Kingdom or the United States.
Ballistic missile submarines are silent and extremely difficult to detect. They are the backbone of deterrence, ensuring that the US or UK adversary will pay a terrible price if they strike first.
Each of the US ballistic missile submarines can carry 20 Trident missiles (16 for UK submarines) with eight warheads (three for UK submarines) per missile. They can fire up to 4600 miles (7400 kilometers). Nuclear warheads have a detonation yield of 100 to 475 kilotons. The atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima (Japan) during World War II had a yield of 15 kilotons.
У США есть 14 подводных лодок с баллистическими ракетами, а у Великобритании — четыре. Это не те субмарины, которые будет выпускать Австралия.
When will Australia take submarines to sea?
На разработку субмарины и ее развертывание уходит много времени — возможно, десятилетия. Трехсторонняя сделка, о которой было объявлено, предусматривает только 18-месячное исследование, чтобы увидеть, как лучше всего строить атомные подводные лодки для Австралии.
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Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the new submarines will not appear in the Australian Navy until 2040.
Thomas Shugart, a former US Navy submarine commander who is now a research fellow at the Center for New American Security, emphasized that given the security situation in the Indo-Pacific region, Australia could hope that its submarines could get into the water earlier.
«Потребуется рассмотреть ряд компромиссов, которые могут повлиять на сроки: новый дизайн с более продвинутыми характеристиками по сравнению с существующими проектами подводных лодок или силовых установок США / Великобритании и прочее, — сказал Шугарт. — Учитывая разрушающийся баланс в Индо-Тихоокеанском регионе, я надеюсь, что 2040 год — это самая поздняя дата. В то же время мне трудно представить себе график развертывания менее чем через десять лет, даже с использованием уже существующих разработок и поставщиков».
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