n°177 March 2015 NAVAL TECHNOLOGY DO MIDGET SUBMARINES HAVE A FUTURE? The midget submarine had its heyday during the Second World War (Italian Maiali, British X-crafts, Japanese Kaiten or German Seehund). This high risk Special Action weapon, often operated...
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n°177 March 2015 NAVAL TECHNOLOGY DO MIDGET SUBMARINES HAVE A FUTURE? The midget submarine had its heyday during the Second World War (Italian Maiali, British X-crafts, Japanese Kaiten or German Seehund). This high risk Special Action weapon, often operated by experts, has fallen into disuse in the large navies of today. Only three nations still maintain fighting midget submarines. THREE MAJOR USERS OF FIGHTING MIDGET SUBS North Korea has the largest number of submarines of the XXI century. Of their 90 submarines in active service, 70 are midget submarines. Their mission is focused primarily on coastal interception (submarines equipped with torpedoes or laying mines), the infiltration of Special Forces and of course intelligence gathering. Having neither the means nor the desire to conduct oceanic missions, North Korea as the weaker force aims to use its submarines to provoke South Korea and possibly its allies. The order of battle and operational capabilities of this component are not
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