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“If it is well-built, a rim-driven pump jet would be a quieter propulsion system than traditional propellers, and could be quieter than shaft-driven pump jets like those on some U.S. submarines,” Bryan Clark, a retired U.S. Navy undersea warfare officer and analyst the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.

“We have big gaps in land forces,” said David Johnson, a military analyst at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. 

USNI News reported Friday some naval analysts believe the three countries plan to boost joint anti-submarine warfare operations in response to Russia’s submarine activities in the North Atlantic. Bryan Clark, an analyst at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, told USNI News the agreement could allow for sharing of airfields, maintenance facilities and equipment.

“In our analysis, we expect surface combatants to quickly expend their VLS magazines even in a small confrontation and need to leave the conflict area to reload.” 

“This is an important advance for the Russians, and will increase their operational flexibility/ability to respond to changing conditions in the battlespace and pop-up target opportunities,” Mark Gunzinger, Center for Strategic and Budgetary Analyses airpower analyst and former B-52 pilot, told The National Interest. “That said, I don't think it's as significant as having the ability to retarget weapons once they are in flight.  Yes, I'm sure they will develop this capability.  Moreover, while both functionalities are a step forward, I think future weapons that have the capability to collaborate with each other in flight could be game changers.”

“This planned agreement reflects the increased need for regular maritime patrols to monitor Russian submarine operations and deployments past the G-I-U.K. [Greenland-Iceland-U.K.] gap and coming out of the Baltic Sea,” said Bryan Clark, a naval analyst with the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.

“With Norway and the UK both buying P-8As, the agreement should enable the three countries to share airfields, maintenance facilities, and equipment in the UK, Norway, and Iceland (which is a U.S.-leased facility). This is important to ensure NATO P-8As can cover the whole set of chokepoints from Greenland to Denmark that Russian submarines would need to pass through.”