
Mitsubishi Heavy industries launches JMSDF's seventh ninja submarine
Known as the “ninja of the seas,” Japan’s Hakuryu submarine carries enough firepower to knock out an aircraft carrier with a single blow.
But the Type 89 torpedo is not the vessel’s most effective feature in strengthening Japan’s warning and surveillance operations in its waters.
“A submarine’s greatest weapon is stealth,” Maritime Self-Defense Force Capt. Kaoru Yoshida said. “Our mere presence that makes (the enemy think) ‘there might be a powerful submarine out there’ is a deterrent.”
In the National Defense Program Guidelines formulated at the end of last year, Japan decided to increase its submarine fleet from the current 16 vessels to 22 over the next 10 years. A key reason for the increase is Chinese maritime forays, including in areas around the Senkaku Islands claimed by both Japan and China in the East China Sea.
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_...AJ201404010001
Known as the “ninja of the seas,” Japan’s Hakuryu submarine carries enough firepower to knock out an aircraft carrier with a single blow.
But the Type 89 torpedo is not the vessel’s most effective feature in strengthening Japan’s warning and surveillance operations in its waters.
“A submarine’s greatest weapon is stealth,” Maritime Self-Defense Force Capt. Kaoru Yoshida said. “Our mere presence that makes (the enemy think) ‘there might be a powerful submarine out there’ is a deterrent.”
In the National Defense Program Guidelines formulated at the end of last year, Japan decided to increase its submarine fleet from the current 16 vessels to 22 over the next 10 years. A key reason for the increase is Chinese maritime forays, including in areas around the Senkaku Islands claimed by both Japan and China in the East China Sea.
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_...AJ201404010001