“US Submarine Unaware of 9-Hour Russian ASW ‘Shadowing'”

(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) – A US nuclear-powered submarine was unaware that it was being “shadowed” by a Russian anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft in an incident that occurred in the far eastern waters of Russia last March.

As revealed by Russian Naval Aviation Commander Colonel Andrey Pakhomov via the Sputnik news agency, the Russian ASW aircraft “shadowed” the American nuclear submarine for nine hours.

“Throughout the nine-hour ‘shadowing’ mission, the American submarine was unaware that it was being ‘shadowed’ because the Russian aircraft used passive detection and tracking methods,” he said.

The passive detection and tracking methods employed by the Russian ASW aircraft ensured that the “enemy” asset remained unaware that it had been detected and was being tracked.

According to Pakhomov, the American nuclear submarine was busy monitoring the activities of warships under the Russian Pacific Fleet, to the extent that it was unaware it had been detected and tracked by the Russian military aircraft.

 

“The United States submarine was moving beneath the water’s surface and was unaware that it was being shadowed. The American submarine assumed that no one was aware of their presence, but we shadowed it for nine hours,” he said, as quoted by the TASS news agency.

So far, the US Department of Defense has not made any comments regarding the Russian claims.

The incident is believed to have occurred in the waters around Vladivostok in the far east of the country when the Russian Navy Commander conducted a surprise inspection of the warships under the relevant fleet.

Vladivostok, located in the far east of Russia, serves as the base for the country’s Pacific Fleet.

The Russian Navy Air Force is believed to use long-range reconnaissance aircraft and ASW Tupolev Tu-142, known as “Bear-F” in the West, which is a variant of the Tu-95 strategic bomber aircraft.

 It also utilizes maritime patrol aircraft and ASW, IL-38 “Dolphin” for ASW missions in the far eastern waters of Russia.

 

The “Bear-F” aircraft was specifically designed for long-range reconnaissance missions and anti-submarine warfare.

 Efforts to develop ASW aircraft began in the 1960s, with the primary goal at the time being to counter the threat posed by US nuclear submarines equipped with nuclear-guided ballistic missiles like the “Polaris.”

It is believed that there are at least eight Tu-142 long-range ASW aircraft currently in service with the Russian Pacific Fleet. — DSA