I think 212/214s were considered a while back then finance become a stumbling block, no the money is there I think PN wants to go for Chinese boats as there is a nuclear element to this deal. You would certainly know better then me, but feel the French and Germans may be reluctant to give Pakistan boats it can use for nukes (unsure if a nation needs assistance from the manufacturer to do this, think the Israelis managed with help on the Dolphins).

Chinese boats certainly make sense from this point of view. Deterrence patrols in the sub continental setting are certainly something new. I am not sure they would require the long endurance of UK/US/Russian SSNs, and certainly they would have to remain within the Indian Ocean or Arabian Sea if using cruise missiles. Here surely ambiguity is the game. Pakistan would possibly always try to keep a sub based in the fiendly waters of an ally like Oman. I’m not sure.

If finance was the stumbling block with the Germans Mountain, as you suggest, I dont think its difficult to see how the Chinese boats came into the picture and it wont be anything to do with nuclear jitters on the European builders part. For that the French have already provided Pakistan with boats capable of delivering a nuclear strike. Acquire a few dozen US Mk67’s and swap out the 150kg conventional rapid-expanding part with something altogether more ‘flashy’ and set four going with timers on the warhead, from the tubes of an Agosta90B, into the shallows in Mumbai harbour….another does the same in Chennai….the first cruises up the coast and posts a similar package into the yards at Cochin. Simplicity itself…with huge effect for relatively little outlay. This concept has been around a very, very long time…so anyone supplying a submarine to a nuclear weapons state is doing so in the knowledge that their platform could be so utilised.

Then we come back to the original premise of a cruise missile integration. Its not a terribly complex job of adding LACM capability to a submarine…its giving away nothing secret to say that fire control for the, now retired, UK S-class boats TLAM fit largely consisted of a newly embarked laptop with a line into the boats fire control system. There was a bit more to it of course….but not a shockingly large amount. The indigenous LACM in Pakistan is one of quite familiar dimension if memory serves….just under 21″ in diameter and about 20ft in length. NATO standard torp tube is about 2ft longer than that. The pieces are all there for nuclear LACM capability in the Agosta’s if one was so sought.

Deterrence is not just the ability to make a couple of big bangs by itself Mountain. Deterrence is the ability to sway the oppositions decision making in your favour by implicit threat of force that he can do nothing to counter. If he can find your subs ambiguity works against you…he has to kill your sub at the rush as its a possible WMD threat….whether it is carrying instant sunshine or not. You’re then back to needing covert deterrence patrol and a boat capable of running such a patrol….IF you want to mount a deterrence policy. You can of course have a nuclear strike platform without it being a deterrent…just make sure not to confuse the two!.