China audacious claims of imposing a naval blockade with just ten submarines

China audacious claims of imposing a naval blockade with just ten Submarines

        A leading Taiwanese based newspaper has published a report in which the Chinese PLAN officials have made audacious claims of imposing a complete naval blockade on India with just ten submarines.  The very same paper had reported a PLAN source claiming a single PLAN nuclear attack submarine could sink India’s CBG headed by INS Vikramaditya.

        A blockade can be a game changer in war, during the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war India had imposed a naval blockade on West Pakistan which proved a major breakthrough in the war. A blockade would simply mean blocking all the shipping lanes to a country which will eventually choke the country with it lacking any reinforcements. India has a very long coast which stretches almost 7500 km, a blockade to be enforced on India is extremely demanding. Do completely block the Indian shores will have to field more than ten of its modern nuclear submarines. Let alone Indian navy operates more than 80 major ships along the Western and Eastern sea boards.   

       A blockade is something that can be achieved on a specified port or area but blocking the whole coast is something next to impossible. Indian navy operates harbours along the sea boards.  Chinese dreams of Indian naval ships always in ports making it easy to blocked is something far from reality.

         China at the same time is not having enough number of nuclear attack submarines unlike the Americans and Russians. China is believed to be operating around five nuclear attack submarines, which can be instrumental in putting a blockade on the Vietnam or Taiwan Navy.

        unlike Nuclear attack Boats, the Diesel electrics has many limits, like diesel shortage, oxygen shortage which forces the Sub should surface once in some 500km Travels. also it's endurance limit the Boat by some thousand Kilometers. makes them only good for securing and patrolling Chinese Economic zone only. Not for operating beyond some 1000 kilometers. Even Chinese too knows that.

        the Nuclear attack boats can sail faster upto thirty knots in submerged mode, can travel some 5000 kilometers without surfacing, travel deep in the water, lets say some 400meters or 1200 feet, allows them to come nearby Indian Shores, But India have less submarines, which can even not worth of securing our Economic zones. But currently India have Projects going on to beef up the Maritime Patrol and combat duties using underwater platforms.

       India have a Nuclear Attack Submarine Akula Leased from Russia, which is More modern than the existing Chinese Nuclear attack submarine, more Silent when Running deep under water compared to other Chinese SSN. China Claimed it's modern Type 093 SSN is less sound than the Russian Akula class, and American Los Angeles Class Attack Submarine, But US Navy claimed it is not a Quite submarine but makes more noise than the First Generation Russian Attack submarine which was entered in 1980's. Also the Chinese claimed the New Type 093 can dive upto the depth of 400meters, but no confirmations on this, where newest Russian Submarines can dive upto  some 500 meters.

         The Chinese have only two active Type 093 class Submarines, where three more will be inducted soon, but they have some three Type 091 Han Class Attack submarines which was entered service in early 1990's. The Indian Navy successfully snooped the Han class submarine many times outside Indian Shores, also watches it;'s movement, Earlier Navy alerted the Indian Government even before the Han Class Submarine docked in the Sri Lankan Port.

       Also earlier once in 2009 near Yemeni coast a Indian Kilo class Submarines successfully snooped the Han Class SSN who is in anti piracy mission, but Two other Chinese Destroyers nearby the area found the Indian Sub, which forced the Indian Submarine to Surface, but no other incidents happens, Chinese warned the Submarine to Surface and readying their ASW Helicopters to drop Torpedo's to destroy the Unknown Submarine, the Chinese Identified it's a Indian Boat only after it was surfaced.

        So almost India have each and every available informations to trace the Chinese Submarines, India lacks in Submarines but not in anti submarine utility's. where china lacks so. India operates less to Long Range ASW aircrafts to, finest Anti Submarine Ships like Kamorta, where Navy plans to build eight new Komarta Class ASW ships, where one in Operational other three in Sea Trails.

         The Indian Navy's ASW Air asserts or the second biggest in the world, after America Indian operates good number of asw aircrafts, all of them can fire Torpedos' and drop sonoubouys to detect submarines deep in the water, Platforms like P 8 and Tu 142 MKE can travel upto some 6000 kilometers and do missions. even the P8 can launch four Harpoon Anti Shipping Missiles too, and both of them can launch Torpedo's and Depth Charges.

        The IL 38 SD and Do 228 also act as a Medium to short range ASW. both can able to drop Torpedo's and Depth Charges. makes very tough to enemy Sub merged asserts who tries enter Indian waters.

      The China has only one option, It can blockade the Indian Naval bases, for that they need to be submerged more than 500 meters, never ever sub surface to breath, It can give easy chances to Indian ASW asserts to Kill you. and comes to Eastern Naval Command and Kill some Tug Boats. It's clear China would not find any other Ships in the Base, all other ships maybe in Patrol.

      and within a moments a large column of Indian ASW planes comes for Hunt missions, and they even won't warn you, but they drop all available Torpedo's and Depth Charges against the Chinese SSN's. that's why it's clear China won't like to do some Suicidal mission like this

Editor Karthik Kakoor