President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela has caused quite a bit of heartburn in
the region because of his leftist politics. Chavez has become quite chummy with
communist dictator Fidel Castro of Cuba, and is now taking a page from the Cold
War playbook by turning to Russia for weapons. Unlike Cuba, Venezuela has lots
of oil money, and the Russians are eagerly offering Chavez just about anything
he wants. Chavez wants three more submarines, and the Russians are hot to find
export customers for their new Lada (replacement form the Kilo) diesel electric
boats. 

These subs are said to be eight times quieter than the Kilos. This is
accomplished by using anechoic (sound absorbing) tile coatings on the exterior,
and a very quiet (skewed) propeller. All interior machinery is designed with
silence in mind. The sensors include active and passive sonars, including towed
passive sonar. The Ladas have six 533mm torpedo tubes, with 18 torpedoes and/or
anti-ship missiles carried. The Lada has a surface displacement of 1,750 tons,
are 220 feet long and carry a crew of 41. When submerged, the submarine can
cruise at a top speed of about 39 kilometers an hour (half that on the surface)
and can dive to about 800 feet. The Lada can can stay at sea for as long as 50
days, and the sub can travel as much as 10,000 kilometers using its diesel
engine (underwater, via the snorkel) Submerged, using battery power, the Lada
can travel about 450 kilometers. There is also an electronic periscope (which
goes to the surface via a cable), that includes a night vision capability and a
laser range finder. The Lada was designed to accept a AIP (air independent
propulsion) system. Russia was long a pioneer in AIP design, but recently
Western European nations have taken the lead. 



The other two competitors for this sale are the French Scorpene and the German
Type 212. Venezuela already has two older German Type 209s. The Germans and
French have an advantage in their boats have been on the market for a while,
and have a successful track record. Russia has just finished construction of
its first Lada. 



The Russian advantage is price. If equipped with AIP (Air Independent
Propulsion, that allows the subs to cruise submerged and very silent for weeks
at a time), the coast per Scorpene or Type 212 is about half a billion dollars
each. The Russians can offer the same type of deal for at least a hundred
million dollars less per boat. Since Chavez is looking more to score political
points, than making a prudent procurement decision, this gives the Russians an
inside track. Russia has an export model of the Lada, called the Amur, and this
is what is being offered to Venezuela. The navy is the most pro-Chavez of the
armed services, and Chavez has been particularly cozy with some of the senior
naval officers. 



The thought of two AIP boats in the hands of such a rabid anti-American as
Chavez gives U.S. admirals a bad feelings. AIP equipped subs are believed to be
a bigger threat to American warships than nuclear subs, especially in coastal
waters. Venezuela already has experienced submarine sailors because of the two
Type 209 boats they have had since the 1970s. The two German boats are being
refurbished, to extend their useful life another ten years. Thus Venezuela
could end up with a force of five modern submarines if they make the purchase.