ASW i Asia / Stillehavsregionen -Oppdatering - FlightGlobal

 

Flyet du ser til høyre i bildet er en 4-motors Kawasaki P-1. De to andre er velkjente for de fleste av oss, en P-3C og en P-8A. (Red.)

Asia-Pacific submarine threat spurs ASW investment The Asia-Pacific boasts some of the world’s most important sea lanes, linking major economies with each other and with the broader world. There are massive flows of energy, food and other goods into the region, while manufactured goods flow out. The region abounds in chokepoints such as the Straits of Malacca, the Luzon Strait, the Taiwan Strait, and others. These are key for both commercial trade and the deployment of naval forces in the event of a crisis, such as a possible Chinese attempt to blockade or invade neighbouring Taiwan. Source: US Navy The Sea Dragon exercise brought allied aircraft to Guam for anti-submarine warfare practice In a conflict Beijing will call on its growing fleet of manned and unmanned submarines to keep allied naval forces at bay. North Korea also continues to experiment with more advanced submarines, posing a real threat to trade-dependent South Korea. Both Beijing and Pyongyang are likely to benefit from Russia’s advanced submarine technology in return for their supporting Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. The USA and its regional allies are aware of the undersea danger and are investing in anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities. The most recent iteration of the Sea Dragon exercise brought together ASW aircraft from five nations to operate from the US island of Guam. The work simulated the finding, tracking, and prosecution of submarines. There is also movement on the capability front. Australia has entered a sustainment and upgrade pact with Boeing to improve the capabilities of its P-8As. This follows work under way by the US Navy to upgrade its P-8As to the Increment 3 Block 2 standard, which improves the 737-derivative’s capabilities against the most advanced submarine threats. Australia has also contracted for this upgrade. South Korea, which has relied on the venerable Lockheed Martin P-3C Orion for years, is poised to bring its six P-8As into service. The Royal New Zealand Air Force’s fleet of four P-8As is operational, and Wellington recently announced that it will replace its Kaman SH-2G(I) Seasprites with a more advanced helicopter – and likely one with improved ASW capabilities. Singapore, with an economy that is all but entirely reliant on open sea lanes, is also contemplating a big upgrade of its maritime patrol aircraft capability from the Fokker 50 MPA Enforcer Mk2. It is looking to greatly update its capabilities and is considering both the P-8A and Airbus Defence & Space C295. In other news, the US Army will streamline its rotorcraft fleet through the retirement of older models, such as the Boeing AH-64D. It also has designated its next-generation Bell tiltrotor as the MV-75. The US Air Force revealed its planned inventory target for the new Boeing F-47 combat aircraft, as Airbus and Turkish Aerospace teamed up to pitch the former’s Hurjet for Spain’s advanced jet trainer requirement. Visit our defence page for more of FlightGlobal’s military coverage.