"Duterte Doesn't Want US Subs" Topic

Not that we'd give/sell him any of our nuke boats anyway, but I suspect he hasn't thought of that, and probably doesn't know that is the only kind we build.

Seems like there are plenty of excellent choices for diesel-electrics, or AIP subs, though not sure the Philippines can really afford to purchase, or operate any of them anyway.

Apparently, he's interested in purchasing Russian subs, and says he doesn't want to "buy American" since our subs will "implode".

Seems as if he isn't a student of naval history, and is unfamiliar with the Russian/Soviet submarine accident rates, which seem to me to be far higher, and more spectacular than those we've lost.

link

I'm sure those subs, and/or loans for them will be free of "strings", if they do decide to buy Russian.

Perhaps he can get the Russians to help his country out too, with protecting against Chinese encroachment in the South China Sea. Would be great to see them help out with that.

I got something of a chuckle at that remark. I imagine that the irony of what he said escapes him given the pretty recent history of Russian subs!

Yes, the Philippines gets hand-me-downs like M113s and Coast Guard cutters because they don't really want to pay much for them. They go for programs where the US is basically giving stuff away and much of it is of marginal use. That is true. But a lot of that stuff is gear that they already operate and are very familiar with- M113s, UH-1s, and so on. Their technological and logistical base can handle this stuff and operate it on the cheap. They have to because a $5 USD billion budget can't handle much more than that.

At the same time I would have to agree that giving them (they can't really afford to buy) first rate equipment isn't really possible. I don't think the US operates conventional subs anymore. All of our stuff, to my knowledge, is nuclear powered and wouldn't be of any use to the Philippines anyway. Their Navy doesn't have the "know how" to operate this stuff. I imagine they could if they really wanted to but nuclear stuff is not cheap to operate and taking a couple of nukes would probably crash their naval budget.

So yeah, it's a empty swipe at the US that carries more irony than anything.

Pretty sure the Filipinos should buy German subs. Type 212 or 214s, whatever the Israelis are using as the base of their Dolphin class.

What a dope.

The Philippines can't afford any US subs, and any "hand me down" subs from the US military assistance program might be obsolete and "implode" due to the lack of funds to maintain them properly.

The US has never surplus-sold nuclear subs (we are intensely protective of the nuclear power systems), and hasn't surplussed diesel subs since we sold off all the WW2 boats.

The Barbel-class subs were the last combat diesel-electric subs in the US Navy, and they were decommissioned and scrapped in 1988-1990.

My guess is whatever subs they get, either as gifts, or purchase, they'll quickly be unserviceable, since they won't have the money to properly maintain them, nor the trained crews to man them.

First major typhoon to hit their base will probably result in new artificial reefs for the fish in the area.

No bet, Thresher01.