Subj : AIP and Submarines    3/3
To   : ALL
From : TOM WALKER
Date : Fri May 20 2005 10:00 am

>>> Continued from previous message
short-term prospect for AIP to become a primary, full-performance
alternative to either diesel or nuclear power. Even the phrase "closed
cycle" is something of a misnomer, because except for fuel cells, all
AIP alternatives require ejecting exhaust gases overboard, which limits
both depth capability and stealth.

However, this is not to minimize the dangerous potential for AIP
submarines to complicate seriously both coastal defense and assured
access to littoral regions. If their distinctive characteristics are
exploited by skillful operators, AIP submarines can be used to telling
effect for both short- and medium-range missions. AIP dramatically
expands the tactical "trade-space" for diesel-electric submarines. If
conditions permit, they can transit rapidly on the surface with-out
unduly expending the wherewithal for superior underwater performance.
Submerged, they can opt for a long, slow, silent patrol that keeps their
batteries fully charged and thus capable of powering speed bursts of
significant duration. And by carefully husbanding their resources, they
can revert again to slow-speed operation and repeat the cycle several
times over weeks of submergence. Moreover, AIP technology is evolving
rapidly, and some experts predict, for example, that the power output of
a typical fuel cell module could well double or triple in the next
several years, allowing an even more advantageous trade-off between
underwater speed and endurance.

Their tactical flexibility, their small size, their inherent stealth -
and the novel operational paradigms AIP submarines introduce to undersea
warfare - will make these new boats a dangerous threat to submariners
accustomed to nuclear- or conventionally diesel-powered adversaries. The
Submarine Force needs to understand this threat - where it's been, where
it's going, what it means, and how to counter it.

By Dr. Whitman, Senior Editor of UNDERSEA WARFARE Magazine.
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