Re: PLAN submarines Thread II
I wouldn't be so quick to discount it; caves have served the Taliban well enough at Tora Bora and elsewhere. Are you familiar with the giant concrete shelters for Uboats built in WWII? Those things were basically the closest thing to a man made cave you could have, and they protected Uboats quite well against direct hits from very large bombs. As long as the PLAN can keep its adversaries guessing about which caves they're using, I think they're worthwhile.
That being said, the best protection is out at sea.
Check your history, the Taliban didn't last three weeks at Tora Bora when the US Army went in to clear those caves out. The Soviets certainly struggled for years trying to root the Afghans out of those caves, but the US Army made quick work of it. They would have had Osama been Forgotten right there had one of the War Lords we counted on ( paid ) to help us had not been bought off ( paid even more money ) by OBL to look the other way as he and his top people fled into Pakistan.
Those giant concrete shelters the Germans built wouldn't stop a modern penetrating warhead, and modern guidance systems means bombs could be guided through ventilation shafts or right into the mouth of the cave. A modern GBU can guided through a one meter square opening.
In the cold war, both sides used to play games with each other using dummy subs to fool the other side about the number of boats each side had. For that to work, the satellite has to see them. With SOSUS and SSN's lurking outside Soviet bases, there was seldom any question regarding how many boats the Soviets actually had at sea. Really, in modern warfare, hardened shelters protects little, only maneuver and stealth offer protection.
