Submarines have always been one the most sought after commodity in the Asia-Pacific 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. Asia's submarine programme has 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. Despite high costs, today's technological improvements have made submarines more lethal and quieter, especially with air independent propulsion, and this has driven wealthy and poor nations alike to procure them regardless. There also are also issues of replacing the ageing and expired vessels. Hereby, the competition for submarines in Asia-Pacific is getting fierce with countries including India, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Singapore, Pakistan, Vietnam and the latest entry, Thailand making or planning major procurements, while the Philippines and Bangladesh have publicly voiced the desire to acquire new or used submarines. Here are some brief updates on the regional submarine programmes in the Asia-Pacific.
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