Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 4:10:47-4:11:44

What the Soviets could learn from a captured NATO submarine

Capturing an advanced NATO submarine would reveal valuable technology, but observing a solution is not the same as reproducing it industrially.

Cold WarIndustrial CapacitySoviet NavySubmarinesTechnology Transfer
Watch at this timeFull video guide
Question

What technology would transfer if a Cold War NATO submarine fell into Soviet hands?

Short answer

A modern boat would reveal a great deal, but Soviet industry might be unable to reproduce systems built along divergent Western development paths.

Notes

The amount a captured NATO submarine could reveal depends on its class and the date of capture. The latest Los Angeles-class technology is used as an example of a potentially substantial intelligence gain. Seeing how a system works does not supply the industrial means to reproduce it. Divergent development paths matter particularly in computing, with a follow-up clarifying the Soviet use of the term cybernetics. The reply does not specify which individual captured systems Soviet industry could successfully copy.