AIP-Enabled Submarine: Indian Navy To Get Indigenous Air-Independent Propulsion System Fitted On Its Subs By 2025

EurAsian Times – The Indian Navy does not have a single submarine with Air-Independent Propulsion, a technology that helps conventional submarines to lurk under the surface of water for a longer duration. The indigenously developed AIP technology is reportedly ready and will be fitted on board the French Scorpene submarine in the Indian Navy fleet by next year.

(Thanks to Alain)

Do USVs Have a Future in Latin American and Caribbean Navies?

CIMSEC – Unmanned surface vessels (USVs) are sailing full steam ahead, as evidenced by their (deadly) efficiency in attacks by the Ukrainian armed forces against Russian targets across the Black Sea. Though the security landscape in Europe is dramatically different from that of the Western Hemisphere, new technologies are always of interest to any armed service and USVs should be no exception. Whether USVs have a future in Latin America and the Caribbean merits deeper exploration.

The Indispensable Ingredient For Victory: Defeating Deadly Sea Mines

CIMSEC – When policymakers, military leaders, and analysts compare the qualities of various navies, they typically think in terms of numbers of ships, submarines, aircraft, and other conventional assets. However, considering the growing threat of sea mines worldwide, the capability to employ and defeat mines forms another core consideration in gauging the balance of naval advantage. Navies must consider how to field affordable and risk-worthy unmanned systems at scale to meet the mine threat.

Pakistan’s Maritime Domain Awareness Initiatives in the Indian Ocean​

Center for Maritime Strategy – In an era of growing maritime challenges, no country can afford to ignore its own maritime security. For Pakistan—a country with an approximately 1,050-kilometer coastline along the Arabian Sea—this fact has inspired multiple lines of effort to protect the country’s maritime interests. Islamabad has a history of supporting order at sea, is recognized as a key upholder of international maritime law, and has undertaken various initiatives to enhance Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA). Viewed holistically, Pakistan’s MDA approach demonstrates that well-founded institutions can provide effective MDA with an economical expenditure of resources.  

China Maritime Report No. 39: A Hundred Men Wielding One Gun – Life, Duty, and Cultural Practices Aboard PLAN Submarines

China Maritime Studies Institute – Submarine performance is not just measured in technical terms, but also in how crews operate over time. As the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) increasingly deploys its submarine force beyond the near seas on long-distance combat readiness and training missions, studying the force’s human components benefits a broader understanding its overall effectiveness. This report explores work and living conditions, crew endurance, service culture, political requirements, and approaches to resolving human issues in the submarine force. An inherently dangerous and challenging profession, the submarine force has gradually developed numerous solutions to address various challenges to prevent non-combat attrition among crews. Life and duty in the “Dragon Palace,” both an internal joke and the overarching embodiment of PLAN submarine culture, reveals a professional community focused on secrecy, safety, and expertise that is working to enhance its human performance.