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Arms race over nuclear submarines

Posted August. 27, 2016 07:07,   

Updated August. 27, 2016 07:21

한국어

During the Falklands War in 1982, the British government dispatched five nuclear submarines to sail 14,400 kilometers to get to the Falklands Islands. The nuclear-powered fleet of submarines pushed the water at 20 knots and reached its destination in 14 days. One of the Britain’s nuclear-powered submarines fired torpedoes and two of which hit Argentina’s only cruiser General Belgrano and sank the ship. This was a crucial and defining moment of the United Kingdom’s victory. Diesel-powered submarines then reached the waters. Diesel-powered submarines took off on the same day with nuclear submarines and sailed at the full speed, but it took five weeks for diesel-powered submarines to be deployed at the Falklands Islands. After the end of the war, all of the diesel-powered submarines were retired by the British government.

Power generated through nuclear reactors is used for nuclear-powered submarines. As for cases of the U.S. and Russia, 90 percent enriched uranium will never run out until the submarine retires. The size of submarines expanded as the power capacity continued to climb, and accordingly, the Ohio class of nuclear-powered submarines, the biggest U.S. submarines, now weighs more than 16,000 tons. In the meantime, the Korean naval force is planning to deploy a 3000-ton level submarine Jang Bogo-3 in four years. Unlike diesel-powered submarines, which must come out of the sea occasionally to get some oxygen for fuel combustion, nuclear-powered submarines display better mobility and invisibility. Oxygen is generated through electrolysis of the seawater for the crew.

Submarines carrying a nuclear-warhead-loaded Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) and nuclear-powered submarines with a cruise missile taking off from a vertical launch pad are known as Strategic Submarine Ballistic Nuclear (SSBN). If a nuclear war breaks out, the land will likely turn into a hell as the land is covered with radioactive fallout. In this chaos, strategic nuclear submarines under the sea will become the base for the survival of humankind. Land- or air-launched nuclear missiles are easy to detect. On the contrary, strategic nuclear-powered submarines under the deep sea can hide from enemy’s radar systems, and thus they will the last retaliatory measure during a nuclear war. Only six nations have nuclear-powered submarines today.

After the North Korean government’s successful launch of SLBM, support is increasing in South Korea for the government’s possession of nuclear-powered submarines. In 2003, during early days of former President Roh Moo-hyun’s administration, the Ministry of Defense pushed forward with construction of a nuclear submarine through “362 project,” which was later nullified. The ROK-US Nuclear Cooperation Agreement revised last year has allowed South Korea to produce uranium enriched to the level below 20 percent, making it much easier for Seoul to procure nuclear fuel ingredients. On top of that, South Korea is also capable of building small nuclear reactors, while South Korea is a signatory of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT). Japan is keeping an eye on South Korea. It will also be met with strong opposition from superpowers such as the U.S., China and Russia. To sum up, Pyongyang is provoking an arms race in Northeast Asia.