Since 12-01-05
SS News Daily
for 01DEC05
Since 12-01-05
The Daily Internal Information Source for the U.S. Navy Submarine Force
For more news and information about the submarine force, visit our website at http://www.sublant.navy.mil/.
to view photos from
around the submarine force.
Jason Ma , Inside Defense, 30 Nov 05
On the other hand, it only cost five times more than expected
By James W. Crawley, Richmond Times Dispatch, 1 Dec 05
By Christopher, P. Cavas, Defense News, 30 Nov 05
Jason Sherman and Jen DiMascio, InsideDefense.com, November 30, 2005
United Press International, 01 DEC 05
Joe Baker , Newport Daily News (RI), 30 NOV 05
By JO1(SW) Spencer Webster, 30 Nov 05
30 November 2005
Defense Gives Civilian Employees A Preview Of Performance-Based Pay System
By Stephen Barr, Washington Post, December 1, 2005
By Thomas G. Mahnken, Wall Street Journal, 1 DEC 05
Cobar Age, 1 Dec 05
BBC Monitoring Former Soviet Union, 29 November 2005
Jane's Defence Weekly, 16 November 2005
Want to subscribe to Submarine News Daily?
Jason Ma , Inside Defense, 30 Nov 05
Nov. 30, 2005 -- U.S. Special Operations Command is delaying plans to buy additional Advanced SEAL Delivery System miniature submarines to focus on fixing reliability problems with the first sub, which has suffered developmental troubles for years.
SOCOM had planned to buy a second and third ASDS by fiscal year 2011, but money for those subs will instead be reprogrammed to pay for additional work on the first sub, said Vice Adm. Eric Olson, deputy commander of SOCOM, at a briefing today. Upgrades initially planned for the second and third subs will now be included in the first sub too.
SOCOM has not abandoned plans to buy a “small fleet” of subs, he said.
So far, $446 million in research and development has been spent on the ASDS, and about $1 billion was budgeted for the second and third subs throughout the future years defense plan. SOCOM will redirect “some” of that $1 billion to the first sub with the rest going to other Defense Department priorities, he said.
But the exact dollar amounts -- and the extent of the delay from the program's restructuring -- have not been determined yet, Olson said.
In a statement issued late this afternoon, prime contractor Northrop Grumman said it was “disappointed” with the decision to delay work on the later subs. The company is working with SOCOM and Naval Sea Systems Command, which is acquiring the sub for SOCOM, to support the work being done and provide planned upgrades.
“Since being delivered to the U.S. Navy in June 2003, ASDS-1 has been operational and performed successfully and reliably to the warfighter,” according to the company's statement.
Asked whether SOCOM remains committed to keeping Northrop as the contractor and using Northrop's design, Olson replied, “We are committed to pursuing a program that will deliver to us a small fleet of special-purpose submarines.”
A milestone C review, which has already been delayed several times, was scheduled for April. A successful review would have allowed SOCOM to start spending money for additional subs. But SOCOM decided to divert money to fix the first sub when it became clear the program would not pass the milestone C review, according to Dale Uhler, SOCOM's acquisition executive.
Some concerned lawmakers on Capitol Hill have recently sought to prohibit defense officials from funding the second sub until ASDS has a successful milestone C review.
The ASDS, which is designed to covertly transport SEALs, has had problems with its battery life and noise. Northrop has since selected a new battery and replaced the tail section.
But the most recent problem occurred when the crew was preparing the sub for follow-on test and evaluation. The crew detected axial movement in the propeller shaft while under way, Olson said. The movement caused vibrations that, while “not catastrophic,” were enough of a concern to delay the program, he explained.
On the other hand, it only cost five times more than expected
By James W. Crawley, Richmond Times Dispatch, 1 Dec 05
WASHINGTON -- What costs $446 million, makes noise, shakes too much and is years behind schedule?
A mini-sub being built for Tampa's Special Operations Command.
The problems are so great, the command announced yesterday, that it is stopping further tests on the prototype, delaying the next two and re-examining the program.
"The boat wasn't ready from a reliability point of view," said Vice Adm. Eric Olson, the deputy special-operations commander.
The 65-foot-long submersible, called the Advanced SEAL Delivery System, is designed to carry Navy commandos, riding piggyback on a nuclear submarine. During a mission, the mini-sub would drop off eight commandos close to shore and pick them up later.
So far, one has been built. The original batteries did not work as expected. New batteries have not been fully tested.
The vessel was noisier than planned -- bad news for a submarine. Designs were changed to muffle the sound, and now the mini-sub vibrates too much.
The subs were originally expected to cost $80 million each; the first one alone has cost $446 million.
A Northrop Grumman subsidiary in Annapolis, Md., has the construction contract, but had no experience building submarines. A subcontractor built the first hull. Others are to be built at the company's Northrop Grumman Newport News shipyard.
A company news release yesterday said the firm was disappointed with the delay, but improvements to the prototype would make it "an even more valuable asset to the war fighter."
By Christopher, P. Cavas, Defense News, 30 Nov 05
The U.S. Special Operations Command (SoCom) said Nov. 30 it is canceling near-term plans to buy a fleet of mini-submarines intended to aid Navy SEALs in carrying out covert operations.
“The boat is not ready from a reliability perspective” to enter production, U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Eric Olson, SoCom’s deputy commander, told a group of reporters at the Pentagon. “We are canceling investment in hulls two and beyond at this point.”
The Advanced SEAL Delivery System (ASDS) has been under development for more than a decade, and the first boat was delivered in June 2003 by Northrop Grumman’s Oceanic and Naval Systems, Annapolis, Md. Although the boat, ASDS 1, has conducted numerous tests since that time from its base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Olson admitted the craft has suffered a series of technical problems that remain to be solved.
The inability to solve those problems led to the decision to cancel further procurement plans for now, Olson said. Funds for the second and third boats will now be diverted to further development of ASDS 1, he said, adding that there was “no good answer” for when more mini-subs might be ordered.
Dale Uhler, SoCom’s chief acquisition executive, noted the command has no intention of re-competing the ASDS contract with Northrop Grumman. “We’re going to go with the team we have,” he said.
Jason Sherman and Jen DiMascio, InsideDefense.com, November 30, 2005
The Defense Department is preparing to issue a series of classified budget decisions next week that Pentagon officials anticipate will detail the key results of its nearly 10-month long Quadrennial Defense Review, including the programs to be terminated or pared back.
Bradley Berkson, director of the office of program analysis and evaluation, is drafting program decision memoranda (PDMs) that could reorder the military’s modernization priorities, Pentagon officials said.
These highly anticipated internal budget documents are expected to shift funding needed to pay for investments in new military capabilities essential to the war on terrorism, homeland defense and deterring China.
The classified memoranda -- which typically carry the signature of the defense secretary or his deputy -- also will help give final shape to the Pentagon’s fiscal year 2007 budget request and account for at least $32 billion in cuts in spending through 2011.
The weekend before Thanksgiving, Gordon England, the acting deputy defense secretary, and Adm. Edmund Giambastiani, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, gathered a group of senior Pentagon officials unofficially dubbed the “Group of 12” -- a select few involved in both guiding the QDR and in constructing the budget -- to hammer out final FY-07 and QDR programmatic decisions, according to a summary of Pentagon budget deliberations obtained by InsideDefense.com (DefenseAlert, Nov. 28).
“All of the key budget issues were approved by the Group of 12 over this last weekend,” stated the document, which reflected the views of the Pentagon’s comptroller’s office.
Following those meetings, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Nov. 21 convened the Strategic Planning Council, which includes the senior-level review group as well as the combatant commanders, to discuss final decisions related to the QDR and the FY-07 budget. Pentagon officials who expected that meeting to produce an exclamation point marking the end of the review and budget said no major decisions were announced at the gathering.
Meantime, Tina Jonas, the Pentagon’s comptroller, this week has begun issuing a raft of program budget decisions (PBDs) dealing with relatively non-controversial aspects of the FY-07 budget, including administrative program change proposals advanced by the services earlier this summer and adjustments in spending to account for foreign currency fluctuations. Among those issued so far are PBDs 660, 701, 702, 703, 715 and 716, Pentagon officials said.
Program change proposals dealing with weapon systems are expected to be addressed in the program decision memoranda to be issued next week.
United Press International, 01 DEC 05
WASHINGTON, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- The U.S. Navy announced Wednesday it plans to pull up stakes from its base in Sardinia, Italy, withdrawing about 2,500 people stationed there.
"The United States has determined that the capabilities provided by the installation are no longer required due to the realities of the new century's security environment. The facility was originally built to meet Cold War security threats," the Navy said.
The U.S. military is undergoing a worldwide reorganization, pulling tens of thousands of troops from bases oriented toward a threat from the former Soviet Union. Some 70,000 troops will be pulled from Europe -- mostly Germany -- and U.S. forces on South Korea are going to be reduced and relocated away from the demilitarized zone.
The closing of the U.S. base at La Maddalena will affect the 1,100 Navy personnel serving on the USS Emory S. Land, a surface ship designed to accommodate Los Angeles-class attack submarines with maintenance and logistic support. Also affected are 475 other U.S. military, 75 Navy civilians and 150 Italian civilians. Including family members, there are approximately 2,500 Americans stationed at La Maddalena. About two-thirds of Navy families live off-base.
The Navy has not decided where to homeport the USS Emory S. Land. A schedule for withdrawal of U.S. forces is being worked out with the Italian government, according to the Navy.
Joe Baker , Newport Daily News (RI), 30 NOV 05
Capt. Michael W. Byman has a dream view of Narragansett Bay and the Pell Bridge out the window of his sixth-floor office. That's only appropriate for Byman, who said he has his dream job as commanding officer of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, where he can put his skills as a mechanical engineer to good use.
Byman, a 1983 graduate of the Naval Academy, took over the reins of the primarily civilian command on Aug. 5. His previous command was the USS Louisiana, a ballistic missile submarine.
Although he brings some expertise in the field, Byman knows that his role as commanding officer is primarily to continue the tradition that has placed the warfare center at the pinnacle of Navy laboratory facilities.
"I hope to see that (history of excellence) move forward," Byman said. "I want to shepherd the good things already going on here."
The recent federal Base Realignment and Closure process was an indication of the confidence the Navy has in the Newport facility. The Navy chose to consolidate some laboratory facilities here in Newport, adding several hundred jobs to the warfare center.
Byman also pointed out that the Navy continues to invest money in the Newport center. It is in the process of building a laboratory to research unmanned underwater vehicles and has approved an addition to the center's payload integration lab, Byman said.
It's not much of a surprise that Byman's career path landed him in the Navy. His father, William, was a 1958 Naval Academy graduate who retired after serving 25 years in the Navy. Although his father never pushed him toward a military career, Byman said he knew that was the direction he was headed in, even as a high school student.
"I thought service to the country was a good thing," Byman said. "In the United States, we have tremendous opportunities. We have the right to liberty, to freedom and I feel by serving in the Navy I have the opportunity to repay the country for the great opportunities provided to me and my family and to give something back."
By JO1(SW) Spencer Webster, 30 Nov 05
Guests, family and crewmembers of the USS Henry M. Jackson, SSBN 730, gathered at the Bangor Chapel Wed. to celebrate the passing of the torch of command from Cmdr. Paul McHale to Cmdr. Kevin Jones during a change of command ceremony.
Capt. Scott Bawden, commander, Submarine Squadron 17, served as the guest speaker. According to Bawden, a good submarine commanding officer trains his crew to run the ship by themselves.
“There is a lot to do when you are in command, but if you are doing it by yourself, then that is not useful,” he said. “A crew needs to learn to think for itself and act independently; the officers need to know how to run the ship and the chief petty officers and enlisted members need to be good Sailors and be able to take care of business by themselves. True credit goes to you commander, because you have trained your officers to think and act for themselves and you have done a superb job of handling your ship through this modernization period.”
Following Bawden’s remarks, McHale was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for leading the HMJ successfully through three patrols, a refueling overhaul, establishing high standards of performance and safety, successful tactical evaluations as well as successful engineering inspections during his tenure as commanding officer.
McHale then greeted his successor and crew.
“I welcome Cmdr. Kevin Jones and his family and wish them every success,” he said. “It has been my privilege to serve with each and every member of the Jackson crew. The unique ways the HMJ crew has taken care of each other is inspirational. To the crew, I wish you every success as you return Jackson to operational readiness.”
Next, he read his orders, and then Jones, who reported from his position at the Royal Australian Navy Submarine Squadron at Perth, Australia. as the personnel exchange program officer, did the same. Jones assumed command and reported to his new boss, Capt. Bawden.
30 November 2005
The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) Advanced Technology Office (ATO) is looking at the feasibility of developing an underwater vehicle that could revolutionise the littoral battlespace by travelling as fast as 100 knots.
The Underwater Express Programme is aimed at capitalising on a technology called supercavitation to enable an underwater vehicle capable of transporting equipment or small numbers of personnel underwater at high speed in a stable and controlled manner.
According to DARPA, "Supercavitation offers 60-70% reduction in total drag on an underwater body. It can be attained by going fast enough to develop a full vaporous cavity, or it can be induced at lower speeds by injecting gas into a partially-developed cavity. Although the technology has been applied to weapons with minimal control capability, its application to larger vessels with transport missions will require thorough development. Our goal is to achieve tractable management and control of the dynamics of a supercavitating underwater body so that an eventual system, manned or unmanned, could be envisioned to travel in this state."
DARPA is currently soliciting for proposals that would culminate in "a credible demonstration at a significant scale to prove that a supercavitating underwater craft is controllable at speeds up to 100 knots."
The Underwater Express programme is split into three phases. The first will focus on stable cavity generation and sustainment by examining supercavitation physics and the interactions between the cavity and body. During Phase 1, a system concept for the 8-ft diameter notional 'super-fast submerged transport'(SST) system will be developed.
Phase 2 will focus on stable vehicle dynamics and developing the vehicle control approach. The propulsion concept will be integrated. In this phase, manoeuvring and body forces will be characterised and measured, as will gas expenditures.
The third phase will focus on design and fabrication of the demonstrator and will end with the at-sea demonstration of a craft manoeuvring at 100 knots for 10 minutes. Additionally, the final system specifications for the full-scale SST notional concept craft will be completed.
DARPA is vague about the actual strategic benefits of the system as the concept is radical enough to be something of an unknown given current underwater alternatives.
Defense Gives Civilian Employees A Preview Of Performance-Based Pay System
By Stephen Barr, Washington Post, December 1, 2005
The Defense Department has given its civil service employees a look at where they will fit into a new performance-based pay system when the Pentagon opts out of the General Schedule, a decades-old system known for providing predictable pay raises to white-collar federal employees.
The new National Security Personnel System (NSPS) would split Defense white-collar civilians into four major career groups, place them in "pay bands," which are broad salary scales, and use numerical scores to rate their job performance.
The department posted directives about the pay system on a Defense Web site without fanfare before the Thanksgiving holiday. The directives can be found at http:www.cpms.osd.mil/nsps and are stamped "draft" because they may be modified after discussions with union representatives.
Defense civil service employees have been eager to learn where they would land in the new system. In the transition to the NSPS, officials have promised that no employee would take a pay cut and that some might get a boost in pay.
The implementation -- and employee acceptance -- of the Defense pay plan is being closely watched on Capitol Hill and inside the Bush administration. The administration has proposed setting up performance-based pay systems for all federal employees, and the Office of Management and Budget has posted a plan (at http:www.results.gov ) that would abolish the General Schedule by 2010.
The directives released by the Pentagon apply only to Defense white-collar, civil service employees. Plans to convert Defense blue-collar employees to the new pay system have not been completed.
Under the directives, Defense white-collar employees would be split into four career groups: standard (lawyers, accountants, budget analysts and other professional and administrative occupations); scientific and engineering; investigative and protective services; and medical. The standard career group would be the largest, covering 71 percent of the department's white-collar employees.
The employees would be placed into pay bands based on the nature of their work and job skills. The use of pay bands would make it easier for managers to assign new or different work to employees, and would give employees a better chance to broaden their skills and advance in their careers, officials have said.
Defense employees in the "standard career group," for example, would fall into three "pay schedules": professional/analytical, technician/support and supervisor/manager.
Each pay schedule would have three salary bands. A professional employee, for example, could be placed in band one, which would be equivalent to the GS 5 to 8; band two, GS 9 to 13, or band 3, GS 14 and 15. Base pay, not including locality supplements, would range from a low of $24,677 in band one to a high of $122,343 in band three (about 5 percent higher than what a GS-15, step 10, earns in base pay today).
Pay raises would have three parts -- a nationwide increase that may vary by pay band, locality increases based on geographic or labor market conditions, and an increase based on job performance ratings.
Employees rated as "fair" -- the lowest acceptable level of job performance -- would be eligible for pay band and locality raises. Employees rated as providing "valued performance" or higher would be eligible for a performance-based raise. Employees at the top of their pay bands would get a bonus in lieu of a performance raise.
Defense plans to post the definitions of the rating levels within the next few days, a Defense spokeswoman said.
Union officials have expressed concern that the Pentagon would fall short in developing a pay and performance system that is seen as fair and credible by employees. In testimony prepared for a Nov. 17 Senate hearing, unions questioned whether Defense could develop a methodology to justify raises that vary because of location or occupation. The Pentagon plans to start the system using the government-wide locality pay system developed at the Office of Personnel Management to allow time for a smooth transition to the NSPS, the Defense spokeswoman said.
The launch of the new Defense civil service personnel system, in the planning stages for the past two years, is tentatively scheduled for February. The start, however, could be delayed by litigation. A coalition of unions has filed suit to stop proposals that would allow the NSPS to curb union rights and modify procedures used by employees when they appeal disciplinary actions. A court hearing has been set for Jan. 24.
By Thomas G. Mahnken, Wall Street Journal, 1 DEC 05
Tokyo took another step in its quest to overcome the legacy of its imperial past and become a normal international power with last week's announcement of a draft revision to Japan's constitution. It is a development that the United States and Japan's neighbors should support.
The proposed revision of Article 9, which currently renounces not only war but even the maintenance of military forces, would formally recognize what has long been a reality: That Japan possesses a military force and participates in international peacekeeping operations. If accepted, the Japan Self-Defense Force would be renamed the Self-Defense Military.
The Japanese government long ago interpreted the constitution, which was drafted by U.S. occupation forces in the wake of World War II, as meaning that Japan could maintain a military force -- but only for the purposes of self-defense. In 1992, it further interpreted the constitution to mean that Japan could deploy troops to take part in international peacekeeping operations as long as they did not participate in combat. At present, overseas deployment of military forces requires special legislation from the Diet. The revision would explicitly authorize Japanese participation in such operations. More significantly, it would allow Japan's military to "take part in efforts to maintain international peace and security under international cooperation," which could be interpreted as allowing Japan to come to the aid of countries that are under attack.
The Japanese government, normally renowned for its slow deliberation, has moved quickly on this issue in recent years. Few would have imagined five years ago that 500 Japanese Ground Self Defense Force troops would be stationed in Iraq, or that Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ships would be deployed to the Persian Gulf as part of military operations in Afghanistan. Much of the credit for this shift belongs to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who has pushed Japan to assume an international role more in keeping with its status as the world's second-largest economy.
Approval of the constitutional revision is probably at least a year away. It requires a two-thirds vote in both the lower and upper houses of the Diet, followed by majority approval in a national referendum. Public opinion is split, and debate is likely to be intense.
The revision of Article 9 is part of a broader shift in the configuration of military power in Asia, driven primarily by the rise of China. Japan is concerned about Beijing's growing military might. China's expanding reach was demonstrated in November 2004 when a Han-class nuclear attack submarine violated Japanese territorial waters near Taramajima Island.
China's naval expansion could threaten the sea lines of communication upon which Japan depends for its imports of oil. In addition, North Korea's nuclear and missile developments continue to threaten stability in Asia. The United States, which is in the process of realigning its bases in Asia, welcomes Japan's willingness to play a bigger role in Asian security. As President George W. Bush noted in Kyoto recently, the U.S. and Japan share "common values, common interests, and a common commitment to freedom."
Japan's neighbors should similarly welcome Tokyo's emergence as a major power in international security. Beijing's warnings of Japanese revanchism ring hollow given China's military buildup. Although Japan possesses some state-of-the-art military systems, such as its Kongo-class Aegis destroyers, the Japanese military is defensive and regional, and nothing in the foreseeable future threatens to change that. If Japan's navy is not the coastal defense force that the Allies envisioned after World War II, neither is it the Imperial Japanese Navy.
Similarly, although Japanese troops are stationed in Iraq, they operate under strict rules that limit them to non-combat roles. Indeed, Japan relies on Australian soldiers to provide security for these troops.
The greatest danger is not Japanese militarism, but rather that the pace of Mr. Koizumi's push for Tokyo to become a normal international power will outpace Japanese public support for moving in this direction. Japan's postwar pacifism has left civilian policy makers, military officers, and members of the public largely isolated from one another. This needs to change if Japan is to assume a more prominent role in international security. Japan needs civilians who understand the military as well as officers who can speak the language of politics. With precious few exceptions, that is not currently the case. The academic discipline of strategic studies, which explores the relationship between policy and war, is virtually absent in Japan.
Japan does possess a number of bright young scholars and defense analysts. But retired officers, many of whom lack scholarly training, largely dominate discussions of national security affairs. Such a situation, never desirable, is particularly poorly suited to an era in which military issues are becoming more prominent. The Japanese government would do well to found strategic studies programs at several of Japan's top universities, drawing on the experience of top American and British institutions. It would also benefit from sending more of its young analysts abroad to study.
Japan's postwar pacifism produced a military that was, with few exceptions, isolated from its counterparts in the region and across the globe. To the extent that Japan will continue to be involved in multilateral military operations, Japan and its neighbors would all benefit from greater bilateral and multilateral contacts, such as those that grow out of attending war colleges and military exercises together. These experiences inevitably build greater trust and understanding.
The revision of Japan's constitution is only one step in the long process of transforming Japan into a normal international power. But it is an important step, and one which is deserving of greater international support.
Mr. Mahnken is a visiting fellow at the Philip Merrill Center for Strategic Studies at Johns Hopkins University's Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies.
Cobar Age, 1 Dec 05
Cobar's historic links with the Royal Australian Navy and in particular one of its new Collins Class submarines, 'HMAS Rankin', are to be showcased on SBS Television beginning December 21.
Named after Cobar-born naval hero Robert Rankin of ‘HMAS Yarra' fame, the electro-diesel submarine will be featured in a special six-part observational documentary series by SBS detailing ‘HMAS Rankin's' highly successful performance in joint Pacific Ocean exercises with the United States and allied fleets.
The submarine's 48-strong crew which last year participated in Cobar's ‘Freedom of Entry' celebrations, faced unbelievable challenges during the exercises code-named, ‘Pacific Reach' and ‘Silent Fury'.
During one mock battle off Hawaii, ‘HMAS Rankin' faced an armada of serious American hardware - destroyers, frigates a nuclear submarine plus helicopters and planes.
The Australian submarine was required to elude their search, pass through a choke point between two islands and photograph an American frigate.
Captain Steve Hussey's plan was cunning; he encouraged the crew to make as much noise as they wished - for a period.
The Americans listening on their sonar became used to the noisy Aussies.
Then Rankin changed tack, and in a state of total quiet, disappeared along the steep volcanic walls of the Hawaiian Islands. It was a cat-and-mouse game played out over 30 hours.
The ‘Rankin' made her way across the channel between the islands undetected and continued on down the choke point.
In striking distance of the US frigate, ‘Rankin' came up to periscope depth and found the target a sitting duck.
It was a win for the Aussie submarine.
The six-part SBS series begins on Wednesday, December 21 at 7.30pm and will continue each week before finishing on Australia Day, January 26.
BBC Monitoring Former Soviet Union, 29 November 2005
Kronshtadt, 29 November: The fourth-generation diesel-electric submarine St Petersburg, built at Admiralteyskiye Verfi shipyard, took to the open sea for the first time today for running tests, ITAR-TASS was told by the general-designer of non-nuclear submarines at the Rubin marine technology design bureau, Yuriy Kormilitsin.
The first phase of the submarine's running tests is to be carried out; the vessel was taken out of the shipyard's water area by tugs and it then sailed through the Morskoy Canal past Kronshtadt using its own engines. The submarine has set sail for testing areas in the Baltic, where tests will be conducted over a period of a month on its manoeuvrability and its diving capacity to various depths. The operation of its systems, mechanisms and equipment will be tested.
On completion of the programme the submarine will return to Kronshtadt for the winter.
The submarine, designed by the Rubin bureau, is the leader in the Lada series of vessels intended for the Russian navy. It is distinguished by its high level of combat power, enhanced ability to evade detection, high degree of automation and its range. Noise levels have been substantially reduced in comparison with earlier models, and for the first time in naval practice the submarine has been fitted with systems that make it ecologically safe.
Following comprehensive tests the submarine will be handed over to the Russian navy, for which the Admiralteyskiye Verfi shipyard is currently building the first serial Lada, named Kronshtadt.
Source: ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow, in Russian 0853 gmt 29 Nov 05
Jane's Defence Weekly, 16 November 2005
Singapore confirms its purchase of two Type A 17 Vastergotland-class submarines from Sweden following signing of contract with Kockums AB, part of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems; Swedish media reports deal to be worth about SEK1 billion ($128 million); Sweden and Singapore have already formed close relationship on submarine training and operations.