Beneath the Waves
North Korea has succeeded in launching a ballistic missile from a submarine. Under the circumstances, much attention is being paid to the submarines owned by the countries surrounding the Korean Peninsula.
At present, the North is running about 70 submarines and submersibles, including 1,800-ton ones. Recently, it built a new submarine equipped with submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), and diesel submarines with a large displacement are predicted to be added to its fleet.
China’s submarines form a key part of its A2/AD Strategy for keeping other countries out of the regions it regards as its scope of influence. It recently deployed a Jin-class nuclear submarine carrying JL-2 ballistic missiles with a range of over 8,000 km. Approximately 65 to 70 diesel and nuclear submarines are currently in operation by the Chinese Navy, including 15 strategic and tactical nuclear submarines.
Japan is planning to increase the number of its submarine fleets and submarines from 4 and 18 to 6 and 22, respectively. The purpose is to strengthen its monitoring of the East China Sea and cope with the SLBMs of North Korea.
Russia is said to have added two Borei-class nuclear submarines between 2013 and last year to its fleet of over 60 units, and is currently building a submarine base in the Kamchatka Peninsula for the operation of the machines capable of launching intercontinental ballistic missiles.
South Korea is the sixth country in the world to establish a submarine force command. It is planning to run 3,000-ton submarines equipped with vertical launching systems in five years of time, although its capability is limited for now to the launch of submarine-to-ground cruise missiles having a range of 1,000 km from the torpedo launchers of 1,800-ton submarines.
The South Korean Navy is in possession of 13 submarines, 9 of them being 209-class and the rest being 214-class. It is going to increase the number of the latter to 9 by 2019, and procure 9 more 3,000-ton machines between 2020 and 2027.