The United States is deploying a P-8 Poseidon aircraft to assist in the search and rescue operation for a missing Indonesian Navy submarine lost in the Bali Sea, as hopes fade for the 53 crew which are expected to have run out of oxygen early on Saturday.

The Indonesian navy said it was sending search helicopters and ships to the area where contact was lost with the 44-year-old KRI Nanggala-402 submarine on Wednesday as it prepared to conduct a torpedo drill.

Australia has also deployed a sonar-equipped warship with a helicopter to help the submarine hunt, as concerns grow that the submarine might have been crushed by water pressure.