Satellites Can They Hurt Submarines | World Defense

Satellites Can They Hurt Submarines

Waynefire

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I know this is a little out their, but I have found that in the movies they always talk about how submarines are being spotted with satellites. Is this true or are the submarines able to dive deep enough to avoid detection by the satellites? Just curious because I just seen the recent posts about the submarines and the size of the fleets.
 

KimberlyD

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Here is my understanding of things...

Some of the satellites are equipped with a imaging ability that allows them to be able to image into the Earth's layers. This allows them to be able to see if there is something below the surface of the Earth, basically and X-ray if you will. I do not know how far down it goes, but it is pretty far from my understanding. Now water is different. First off, it is reflective and reflective surfaces are harder to image... I am sure they are still able to image into water, but I think that the satellite can see as far down as it can on a solid object like on land. However! They can track heat. So I would think that would be a maybe on the answer.... but the sub would have to go pretty far down. Possibly down to crush depth.
 

Shimus

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Even if they could see through the water perfectly, there'd be no way to pinpoint a strike on a location because by the time you're there, they're gone, and the subs never meet each other. So, even if they could see them it would only be for visual confirmation of their general location. Even sonar has to "ping" results, which are constantly shifting.

So no. Unless the person watching through the Satellite can see through the water and predict courses ahead of time, I doubt there could be anything to hurt them in time.
 

Waynefire

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That is what I was thinking, but I wanted to make sure I was not the only one who was thinking that. I know that it is something that I really thought was just for the movies.
 

Shimus

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I'd like to think there is satellites that can see underwater in infrared and looking for heatsources, though calculating in real time would be nearly impossible to judge under all that water. I'm sure it's conceptually active.
 

KimberlyD

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LOL I guess I should have mentioned that part in my post. I was not thinking about it. Yeah, the time factor is off in that area. Although I have been hearing on the vine that they are starting to make improvements on that. I am not sure where they are on it or how quickly they would have this improvement, but it is supposedly heading that way.

By the way, they can see underwater in infrared, but it is not very..... good. They are still working on it more. There is displacement or something with it. I know that the waters constant movement, wildlife abundance, and the reflectiveness plays a huge role in its ability to see very well.
 

orangesunset

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It depends on the depth of the water, and what the ocean floor under the submarine. During WW2 submerged submarines had problems operating in the mediterranean because the sea floor was white sand and shallow. Even if the submarine was submerged, just the color contrast would make the submarine visible. Also in areas where the sea is calm, it makes the water clearer. If the surface of the sea is choppy it makes the submarine harder to spot.
 
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Satellites have all sorts of detection methods using different instruments such as radars and different filters for visible and invisible light etc. But I don't think that at the moment any of these instruments is anywhere near to being accurate enough to spot a submarine. Keep in mind that even ships have a pretty damn hard time of detecting submarines, and these are sailing right on top of them and have the capability of using sonar and other devices under the water to get rid of the surface reflection.

Also submarines are a very closed system. Heat, sound and other emissions are reduced to the absolute minimum so I do think they are safe from satellites as long as they stay submerged.
 

xTinx

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Just imagine this. When MH370 vanished without a trace, the reconnaissance team used satellites to fast track the search and rescue operations. The satellites returned images of floating objects but none of which belonged to the doomed plane. Now if even satellites were having a hard time detecting a submerged plane, it's pretty certain it would have trouble tracing submarines.
 

Colebra

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Just imagine this. When MH370 vanished without a trace, the reconnaissance team used satellites to fast track the search and rescue operations. The satellites returned images of floating objects but none of which belonged to the doomed plane. Now if even satellites were having a hard time detecting a submerged plane, it's pretty certain it would have trouble tracing submarines.

Especially with all the advances in the cloaking technology.
Just read a sweet article about it the other day. Won't try to explain the science behind it, just because I can't do a good enough job...
If you want to check it out, here's the article: New Cloaking Method Could Shield Submarines From Sonar, Planes From Radar, Buildings From Earthquakes -- ScienceDaily

I guess that, in the end, it really depends on the submarine class we're talking about. And there's loads of them.
 

Shimus

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It wouldn't even depend on cloaking to be honest. There's so much water between them and their target it's impossible to calculate in real time. This means even the best predictions of the opposing military seeking down the submarine is at best lagged behind by a couple of good seconds, which means the life or death in a positioning of a submarine. They could even use the oceanscape to avoid contact as well. And that doesn't even need to ACCESS stealth or anything of the nature. Stealth would just be overkill

But perhaps, we could plan their course and send an opposing sub to meet them and monitor it in video, even if delayed. It would still be effective and could be tweaked.
 

mikka254

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The technology to weaponise a satellite is there and I would not be surprised to learn that there is at least one weaponized satellite in space right now stealthily hiding in pretense.
 

Shimus

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one weaponized satellite in space right now stealthily hiding in pretense.

At least one, anyways. If it can't harm populations it sure can spy real well or seek information faster than any ground relays. And we have to think other countries have their share up there too. So there may be a lot more going on above us then we know.
 

KimberlyD

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@Colebra, I just noticed your avatar and started cracking up. Nice one.
I agree, the class of the sub may have a little to do with it, but I do not think it is a major factor in its ability to be seen or not.

@Shimus, they also said the frisbee would not sell. Anything is possible given the means and ingenuity. Over time they may just find a way to do it. We just do not have the tech right now to be able to do it. It was not to long ago that we did not have the ability to see into the Earth or see beyond the moon... where there is imagination there is possibility.

@mikka254, could not agree with you more. There are to many things that we have thought not possible in the past that is taken for granted now. Soon the impossibilities now will be taken for granted 30 years from now.
 

westmixxin

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I doubt there is any way to hide from a satellite simply because of it was launched by NASA its been programmed to detect things so deep out into space that detecting anything on this planet is so simple little task for the satellite. It could do it figuratively in its sleep.
 
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