![]() Submarines can now be detected by the tiny amounts of radiation and chemicals they emit, by slight disturbances in the Earth’s magnetic fields, and by reflected light from laser or LED pulses. Today’s sensing technologies for detecting submarines are moving beyond merely hearing submarines to pinpointing their position through a variety of non-acoustic techniques. Rose Gottemoeller, former deputy secretary general of NATO, warns that “the stealth of submarines will be difficult to sustain, as sensing of all kinds, in multiple spectra, in and out of the water becomes more ubiquitous.” And the ongoing contest between stealth and detection is becoming increasingly volatile as these new technologies threaten to overturn the balance. Many naval experts are speculating about sensing technologies that could be used in concert with modern AI methodologies to neutralize a submarine’s stealth. The twin problems of detecting submarines of rival countries and protecting one’s own submarines from detection are enormous, and the technical details are closely guarded secrets. And that’s just the purchase price the total life cycle cost for the new Columbia –class ballistic-missile submarine is estimated to exceed $395 billion. Nuclear-powered submarines, such as the Virginia –class fast-attack submarine, each cost roughly US $2.8 billion, according to the U.S. A submarine that goes into service today should still be in service in 2082. This timing is particularly significant because the enormous costs required to design and build a submarine are meant to be spread out over at least 60 years. It may comeĪs early as 2050, according to a recent study by the National Security College of the Australian National University, in Canberra. And now the game of submarine hide-and-seek may be approaching the point at which submarines can no longer elude detection and simply disappear. ![]()
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