Large AIP submarines as littoral strike boats

Do large diesel-electric AIP submarines still make sense, and what role would they fill?

Yes when they carry substantial VLS capacity, giving a budget-conscious littoral navy a quiet conventional strike and deterrence asset.

A very large air-independent-propulsion submarine is difficult to justify as a simple coastal hunter. Its size becomes useful when the navy wants vertical-launch cells and an SSGN-like strike load without nuclear propulsion. Mediterranean and Southeast Asian states operating in shallow water may have limited budgets but nearby targets within cruise-missile range. Such a boat would combine quiet conventional propulsion with a survivable retaliatory capability. The navy accepts a large, specialized submarine to gain conventional deterrence rather than global endurance.