China’s industrial base has, for several years, been far outstripping the productive capacity of the West, delivering four submarines in the past year. Such a rate is wishful thinking for Europe and the United States, with the US struggling to produce two nuclear submarines over a 12-month period, and the UK and France still further behind.

The multi-year deal to buy 15 nuclear submarines for the U.S. Navy that has been delayed by negotiations over ballooning costs of labor and material could be wrapped up by the end of the year, HII officials said during a Thursday earnings call.

In a naval exercise, a modest $100M Swedish submarine stunned the U.S. Navy by “sinking” a $6B supercarrier — a result that reshaped views on stealth warfare.

Sound is the primary means of tracking subs in vast ocean expanses, and research shows that it’s behaving differently as the seas warm. By Jacob Judah Reporting from London Submarines are among the most advanced and deadly weapons systems in the world.