(Answered) Advanced Submarines

[Maingunnery]

I wish to explore the limits of submarine design, in that context I have some questions:


[Advanced equipment]
- Submarines with Mobile Field-Base: Can its bonuses also be applied to units that are underwater (assuming scuba technicians) or only for units on the water surface or shore? [TO.330, IO.336]
- Submarine with Ground-Mobile HPG: Can the HPG be used underwater or only when deployed on the water surface? [TO.330]


[Transport]
- Can VTOL BA/infantry directly enter an infantry compartment of a surfaced submarine?
- Can floating light vehicles directly enter an transport bay of a surfaced submarine or must they be hoisted inside?
- Can a Submarine use lift hoists to recover other units from deep water? [TW 136]


[Underwater point defense]
- Can Chaff Pods be used underwater? [TO 299]
- Does Laser-AMS work against torpedos? [TO 322]

[Xotl]

1.1 - Yes. A small edit on p. 171 of SO is required: "Vacuum or Tainted Atmosphere (due to bulky suits)" CHANGE TO: "Vacuum, Tainted Atmosphere or Submerged (due to bulky suits)"
1.2 - Yes

2.1 - No. You'd have to land on the submarine, then go below.
2.2 - Yes. It's basically a well deck situation.  One assumes the sub designers would be clever enough to know about that.
2.3 - Yes, provided the submarine is no more than one level above the unit being recovered.  The Wyrm SDS Submersible Fortress has them.

2.4 - No
2.5 - Yes

[Maingunnery]

Thanks for the answers.

Concerning 2.1, the entire process of boarding Vtol BA/inf will take 2 Total Warfare turns? One to land on the unit and one to enter?

[Xotl]

Probably a bit fast, but as a gameplay abstraction (and considering we already have rapid-loading infantry elsewhere in the rules), sure.