Originally Posted by
Flap Track 6
It’s the old high/low mix argument again. There are some missions that the hardcore full fat SSNs are not suited to, especially littoral operations and some that the SSKs are not suited to, such as long range blue water operations. T
SSNs tend to be quite good at dealing with littoral operations in far away places. The RN managed to dominate the Argentine Navy in 1982 and also undertake other operations.
There's a tendency to project SSKs as being quiet and short range. I think really it comes down to manoeuvre. SSKs can be designed to operate at long distances. AIP gets you useful endurance under the surface but not necessarily the ability to move very far or very fast without having to interact with the surface to breath and recuperate. There have been regular reports over the years of SSKs in exercises getting to take pot shots at carriers. But the reality is that while a SSK is indeed dangerous to a large surface assets - they have to be in the right place at the right time. Their ability to hunt and kill is limited by the ability to chase and choose position without being tied t the surface. When it comes to doing sneaky stuff in littoral waters that SSKs are supposed to be good at - the SSN can be sneakier for longer and likely has more options as to how it enters and leaves an operational area or repositions and adapts to a situation.
If you you are sending a cheaper SSK over long distance then you are arguably not saving quite as much as the headline purchase costs would suggest compared with a SSN. The SSK will have shorter time in its area of operation and greater exposure during transit. You then need more of them. Any additional threat against the SSK in transit that means it has to evade and impact its speed of advance further reduces its operational capability. You need even more of them.