Preparing to buy submarines from France!, A country that has never had a submarine before | safety | country
According to reports, the Philippines is currently developing a submarine procurement plan, with the French Navy Group as one of the main bidders, planning to provide the Philippines with two Scorpae class submarines.
It is understood that in history, the Philippines has never had a submarine. For decades, submarines have been a target pursued by the Philippine Navy.
Why can France's Scorpae class submarines enter the view of the Philippines? What are the prospects for submarine cooperation between the two countries in the future?
Philippines: Backward Underwater Power Construction
Since the 1990s, Southeast Asian countries have begun to attach importance to the development of submarines, and countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia, Myanmar, and Singapore have successively introduced and equipped submarines.
Military observer Yin Zhuo stated that in this context, the Philippines has also begun to acknowledge its own underwater capabilities and has turned its cooperation focus to France, which has an independent and complete submarine production line.
Yin Zhuo:
The ocean is the most important place for the development of resources in the Philippines. The Philippines wants to develop its navy, and the most important thing is to choose submarines.
Why did France's "Scorpae" class submarine enter the selection range of the Philippines? Because in the Western system, apart from the United States, France has the strongest submarine force, with an independent submarine design and construction system, and complete intellectual property rights. After other countries purchase French submarines, there will be no technical limitations.
France: Seeking to open the Philippine market
The French Navy Group stated that the "Scorpae" class submarine provided to the Philippine Navy can be equipped with 31 sailors, with a range of over 10000 nautical miles and a range of 80 days. In addition, the French Navy Group also plans to provide relevant training to the Philippine Navy.
When it comes to the reasons why France actively promotes submarines to the Philippines, Yin Zhuo has the following views.
Yin Zhuo:
France wants to seize the opportunity to open up the international market for its submarines. Although a major Western naval power, the French Navy has a limited staffing and equipment scale. If new equipment is not exported, all development costs will fall on the equipment purchased by the French Navy itself.
The ability to sell submarine equipment and other naval equipment to neighboring countries in the South China Sea is crucial for France to maintain its influence in the Pacific region.
The prospect of cooperation is worrying
Regarding the prospects of cooperation between the Philippines and France, Yin Zhuo believes that there are still certain external intervention risks.
Yin Zhuo:
So far, the Philippines' order for French submarines is still in the intention stage. We know that France had previously signed a conventional submarine sales contract with Australia, but the order was eventually pried off by the United States and the United Kingdom.
Will the United States or other countries repeat the old trick this time? Because among NATO member countries, France is not well liked by the United States - France has some unique ideas in dealing with Russia and dealing with relations with Asian powers.
Underwater trends in the Asia Pacific region are worth paying attention to
Yin Zhuo further pointed out that even if the Philippines obtains two submarines now, the underwater security situation in the South China Sea and even the surrounding Asia Pacific region will not undergo significant changes. However, the trend of countries in the South China Sea to strengthen their underwater power construction is worth paying attention to.
Yin Zhuo:
Even if the Philippines obtains submarines, they are mainly responsible for training tasks, and the submarine's endurance rate will not be too high. In addition, the Philippines currently does not have a long wave station to achieve submarine communication, and lacks relevant support. In this situation, submarines cannot run too far.
It is understandable for neighboring countries in the South China Sea to develop their naval forces in order to maintain their own maritime security. However, the South China Sea is a common living space for everyone, and we still need to consider how to better cooperate economically, rather than taking precautions against each other in terms of security.
