China Catches Up to U.S. Nuclear Submarine Technology

Breitbart.com reports: “The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on Monday published a gloomy report warning that the U.S. Navy is losing its competitive edge in submarine warfare to China, which went from creaky, noisy, slow-moving subs to ultra-quiet nuclear-powered attack vehicles in less than 20 years.

The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has greatly narrowed the submarine warfare gap, which could spell big trouble for U.S. plans to defend Taiwan with submarines.

Two particularly troubling events took place in 2023. First, satellite photos showed China putting together the hull for a new sub that would be dramatically larger than any previous PLAN undersea vessel, and then China field-tested a nuclear sub using the same quiet hydrojet propulsion system American subs employ.

Hydrojet or ‘pump-jet’ technology is the next step beyond noisy propellers, which tend to be the greatest source of noise from underwater vehicles. Propeller technology has evolved tremendously over the last few generations of subs, but hydrojets are even more silent, efficient, durable, more functional in shallow water, and best of all, less prone to cavitation.

Cavitation, whereby water boils into bubbles under high pressure at low temperatures, is among the greatest threats facing stealthy submariners. It is the undersea equivalent of stepping on a sheet of bubble wrap while attempting to sneak past guards…”

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