Sweden’s Gotland-Class Submarine Is An Aircraft Carrier Killer
The Gotland’s stealth-focused design makes this submarine a true silent hunter.
The United States Navy is deeply committed to its aircraft carrier force. In fact, the aircraft carrier fleet is one of the single most expensive items in the U.S. defense budget. And yet, with all the ra-ra about these boats being the pinnacle of engineering, it is easy to forget that they’ve been proven to be dangerously vulnerable to enemy attacks from ships and submarines that are far cheaper and less complex than the U.S. aircraft carriers being targeted.
In recent years, defense planners have been made increasingly aware of the anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) threat posed to U.S. carriers.
But even before the A2/AD threat came into vogue among defense analysts, there was the submarine threat to the aircraft carriers. Sure, submarines have been with us for a very long time. It’s true that the aircraft carrier is supposedly designed with countermeasures to defend against submarines. Yet, in the last 30 years, a handful of examples have shown that those countermeasures continue to be wholly inadequate.
That Time a Gotland-class Sank a U.S. Carrier
Take, for example, the incident between the Swedish Navy submarine, Gotland, and the USS Ronald Reagan— a nuclear powered, Nimitz-class aircraft carrier—in 2005. At that time, the Swedish Navy was conducting a joint military exercise with the U.S. Navy. The Gotland repeatedly evaded detection by the Reagan and its attendant carrier strike group. In fact, in the exercise, the Gotland even “sank” the Reagan!
Gotland’s sinking of the USS Ronald Reagan 20 years ago is important because the Gotland-class submarines are not nuclear-powered themselves, and they are far cheaper than the nuclear-powered subs that populate America’s small submarine force. In fact, the most prominent feature of the Gotland-class submarine is its Stirling Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system.
Running Silent, Running Deep
This technology has revolutionized diesel-electric submarine operations. Whereas traditional diesel-electric submarines rely on batteries for submerged propulsion, requiring the submarines to surface or use a snorkel to recharge, the Gotland’s Stirling AIP system allows for the submarine to remain underwater for up to two weeks without needing a recharge. The Stirling AIP is powered by liquid oxygen and diesel fuel. It burns in a closed-cycle combustion process that generates power quietly and efficiently.
That last bit is key for understanding how the Gotland was able to evade the Reagan’s detection systems and sink her during the exercises. Gotland-class submarines, thanks to their Stirling AIP system, can combine the endurance of nuclear-powered vessels with the silence and cost-effectiveness of conventional diesel-electric designs.
Beyond its impressive engines, the Gotland-class hulls are built with a teardrop shape and are coated with anechoic tiles to reduce sonar detection by absorbing sound waves rather than reflecting them. Thus, the Gotland’s stealth-focused design makes this submarine a true silent hunter.
Gotland-class submarines come with an impressive mix of weapons as well. Among those weapons are the heavyweight “Torpedo 62” torpedoes, which can engage surface ships and enemy submarines. The sub’s modular design allows for future upgrades, such as the integration of anti-ship missiles, ensuring its adaptability to evolving threats. What’s more, its sensor suite includes advanced sonar systems and periscopes with electronic support measures, providing exceptional situational awareness in the cluttered littoral environments where it operates.
Sweden Upgrades Their Gotland-class Submarines
In the late 2010s, the Swedish Navy began modernizing their fleet of Gotland-class submarines as part of an essential mid-life upgrade program.
These enhancements included upgrading the Stirling AIP system, placing new sensors onboard, installing improved combat management systems, and ensuring that the submarines would last until the 2030s.
Geopolitical Implications
The possession of Gotland-class submarines, with its impressive record of threatening even U.S. aircraft carriers, means that Sweden has a reliable deterrent against the Russian Navy in the Baltic Sea. Now that Sweden has taken a more proactive stance against perceived Russian irredentism, Sweden can contribute significantly to European security.
In fact, the Gotland-class submarines have been so popular globally that they have influenced submarine designs in countries like Japan, South Korea, and Singapore. Specifically, the Gotland-class AIP technology has been replicated by these other nations.
The Gotland-class is truly the submarine of the middle powers today: it allows medium-sized nations to punch far above their weight. What’s more, it’s a warning to the Americans—and the Chinese, too—that their love of aircraft carriers might end in disaster, when paired against a wily medium-sized foe.
About the Author: Brandon J. Weichert
Brandon J. Weichert, a Senior National Security Editor at The National Interest as well as a Senior Fellow at the Center for the National Interest, and a contributor at Popular Mechanics, consults regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues. Weichert’s writings have appeared in multiple publications, including the Washington Times, National Review, The American Spectator, MSN, the Asia Times, and countless others. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine is available for purchase wherever books are sold. He can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.
Image: Wikimedia Commons.
