FOCUS: Asia-Pacific's Submarine Programmes

摘要

The pressure is certainly felt throughout the Asia-Pacific as regional navies are rush to up the ante in their submarine fleet development due to the South China Sea tensions. Submarines have always been one the most sought-after commodity in the region. Almost every nation that has littoral zones has these submersible vessels in their inventories, while some countries are on the verge of obtaining one. Today, Asia's submarine programmes have grown tremendously, moving at a very fast pace since the last decade and will continue to do so for the next two decades or so. In fact, according to analysts in next decade, Southeast Asian navies will be operating at least 20 modern submarines, and more may be on the way.