China has upgraded a number of its submarines to be able to do something they couldn’t before, track American carriers because now they are no longer detectable by American sonar surveillance. U.S. Defense “experts” claim that even if the subs can track the carriers, they couldn’t execute an effective attack on them. However, the subs can provide intel to assets that CAN strike the carriers.
China’s Submarines Can Track (And Sink) Navy Aircraft Carriers – The National Interest Online
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Excerpt:
While China’s naval capabilities do not yet match the U.S., its ability to track American carriers, as seen in incidents near Japan in 2015, is a growing concern.
-In the past, Chinese submarines were noisy and easy to detect, but recent investments have modernized its fleet, potentially making it more capable of tracking U.S. vessels.
-Despite this, U.S. carriers are highly protected by multiple defensive layers, including advanced Virginia-class submarines and anti-submarine sensors. Even if a Chinese submarine were to shadow a carrier, executing an attack remains unlikely due to the carrier’s robust defensive architecture…
Back in 2015, a Chinese submarine closely tracked an American aircraft carrier near the coast of Japan. The Chinese Kilo-class fast attack sub shadowed USS Ronald Reagan for more than 12 hours in what was considered to be “more than a brief encounter,” according to officials.
Beijing claimed that the American vessel was sailing in Chinese waters. The incident was reminiscent of an encounter in 2006, when a Song-class submarine surfaced undetected within torpedo range of the Kitty Hawk carrier.