Sorry; I apparently wasn’t clear enough. I’m not suggesting the Argentines detected the explosion and kept it a secret from their own searchers.
I’m suggesting *other countries *may have detected the explosion using their highly classified stuff and didn’t immediately rush to tell the world since that would disclose their own capabilities to *their *would-be enemies.
If their treaty relationships with the Argentines are strong enough they might have been willing to privately share the info, or fuzzed versions of it. But if not, then not.
I don’t think its Argentina that would be worried about doing the leaking, surely its the US or Russia that heard the bang and had to consider how much they could or should share with the wider world?
I know nothing about this save that the USN and presumably the Russians operate systems to locate submarines by sound, but your idea seems likely to me. The British are probably very interested in what goes on with submarines near the Falklands, but I know know if they have the listening equipment. But then they have the antisub responsibility for NATO.
And many ship classes have “mid-life” refits, even in rich-country navies because a budget’s a budget. San Juan had one between 2008 and 2013 that involved pretty much taking the whole boat apart–including the hull–and putting it back together. That was done kind of late already: sister boat Santa Cruz had its first midlife refit done 1999-2001 and is having another one right now. (*Santa Cruz *had its first refit at a Brazilian yard, as the Argentine fleet yard was at the time out of commission; San Juan’s refit was delayed (and prolonged) by budgetary constraints.)
No, you were clear enough, I just misread, that was all.
And this sounds a lot like MH370 three years ago, in terms of how many neighboring Asian countries were supposedly reluctant to give Malaysia radar information that was requested, due to not wanting to divulge their radar capabilities.