Engineering:Sōryū-class submarine

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Short description: JMSDF submarine
Soryu class submarine.svg
Soryu-class profile
JS Hakuryu (SS-503) arrives at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam for a scheduled port visit, -6 Feb. 2013 (YP255-023).jpg
Hakuryū (SS-503) visits Pearl Harbor, Feb 2013
Class overview
Name: Sōryū
Builders:
Operators:  Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
Preceded by: Oyashio-class submarine
Succeeded by: Taigei-class submarine
Built: 2005 – 2019
In commission: 2009 – Present
Planned: 12
Completed: 12
Active: 12
General characteristics
Type: Attack submarine
Displacement:
  • Surfaced: 2,900 tonnes (2,854 long tons)
  • Submerged: 4,200 t (4,134 long tons)
Length: 84.0 m (275 ftin)
Beam: 9.1 m (29 ft 10 in)
Draught: 8.5 m (27 ft 11 in)
Propulsion:
  • 1-shaft 2× Kawasaki 12V 25/25 SB-type diesel engines diesel-electric
  • 4× Kawasaki Kockums V4-275R Stirling engines - up to Shōryū
  • 3,900 hp (2,900 kW) surfaced
  • 8,000 hp (6,000 kW) submerged
Speed:
  • Surfaced: 13 kn (24 km/h; 15 mph)
  • Submerged: 20 kn (37 km/h; 23 mph)[1]
Range: AIP endurance (est.): 6,100 nautical miles (11,300 km; 7,000 mi) at 6.5 knots (12.0 km/h; 7.5 mph)[1]
Complement: 65 (9 officers, 56 enlisted)
Sensors and
processing systems:
  • ZPS-6F surface/low-level air search radar
  • Hughes/Oki ZQQ-7 Sonar suite: 1× bow-array, 4× LF flank arrays and 1× Towed array sonar
Electronic warfare
& decoys:
  • ZLR-3-6 ESM equipment
  • 2× 3-inch underwater countermeasure launcher tubes for launching of Acoustic Device Countermeasures (ADCs)
Armament:

The Sōryū-class submarines (16SS) are diesel-electric attack submarines. The first boat in the class entered service with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force in 2009. The design is an evolution of the Oyashio-class submarine, from which it can most easily be distinguished by its X-shaped stern combination diving planes and rudders. The Sōryūs have the largest displacement of any submarine used by post-war Japan.[2]

The Sōryū-class is Japan's first air-independent propulsion submarine class. From Sōryū to Shōryū are fitted with Kockums Naval Solutions Stirling engines license-built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, allowing them to stay submerged for longer periods of time. The 11th submarine of the class, Ōryū, is the world's first lithium-ion battery submarine.[3] The cost of the sixth submarine (Kokuryū) was estimated at US$540 million.[4]

In 2023, the first of the replacements for the Sōryūs, the Taigei-class submarine,[5] entered service.[6]

Naming convention

Japanese submarines since World War II were named after ocean currents. The JMSDF changed its naming convention with the Sōryū,[7] and submarines will now be named after mythological creatures. Sōryū (そうりゅう) means blue dragon in Japanese and shares its name with the World War II aircraft carrier Sōryū, sunk during the Battle of Midway.

Variants

The eleventh Sōryū-class submarine (Ōryū) is the first Japanese submarine in the fleet to mount lithium-ion batteries. The JS Ōryū was given a budget of Template:JPYConvert under the 2015 Japanese Defense Budget.[8]

Lithium-ion batteries have almost double the electric storage capacity of traditional lead-acid batteries, and by not only replacing them in the existing battery storage areas but adding to the already large battery capacity by also filling the huge space (several hundred tons displacement) inside the hull previously occupied by the AIP Stirling engines and their fuel tanks with these new batteries, the amount of (more powerful) batteries carried overall is massive. This has improved the underwater endurance significantly and is felt will be an advantage over the slow recharge capability of the AIP system.

In any event, JMSDF believes that lithium-ion is the way forward and intends to 'trial' this new system and compare it to the previous AIP system for operational effectiveness.

Exports

Japan offered Sōryū-class submarines to Australia as replacements for the Royal Australian Navy's Collins-class submarines, as part of the Collins-class submarine replacement project.[9] On 9 April 2014, then-Australian Minister for Defence, David Johnston, described the Sōryū class as "extremely impressive"[10] while discussing Australia's future submarine options. On 26 April 2016, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced that the Australian contract had been awarded to the French-designed Shortfin Barracuda,[11] though this deal was eventually rescinded.

India , Morocco, Norway , Netherlands, and Taiwan have also approached Japan, and expressed an interest in buying Sōryū-class submarines. During a visit to Japan, India's then-Union Minister of Defence, Manohar Parrikar, invited the Japanese government to participate in their US$8.1 billion Project 75I-class submarine procurement program.[12]

Zuiryū (SS-505) under construction
Hakuryū (SS-503) visiting Guam in 2013

Boats

Project no. Building no. Pennant no. Name Japanese Namesake Laid down Launched Commissioned Home port Notes
S131 8116 SS-501 Sōryū そうりゅう Blue Dragon 31 March 2005 5 December 2007 30 March 2009 Kure
8117 SS-502 Unryū うんりゅう Cloud Dragon 31 March 2006 15 October 2008 25 March 2010[13] Kure These five submarines are equipped with a new sonar ZQQ-7B.
8118 SS-503 Hakuryū はくりゅう White Dragon 6 February 2007 16 October 2009 14 March 2011 Kure
8119 SS-504 Kenryū けんりゅう Sword Dragon 31 March 2008 15 November 2010 16 March 2012 Kure
8120 SS-505 Zuiryū ずいりゅう Auspicious Dragon 16 March 2009 20 October 2011 6 March 2013 Yokosuka
8121 SS-506 Kokuryū こくりゅう Black Dragon 21 January 2011 31 October 2013 9 March 2015 Yokosuka
8122 SS-507 Jinryū じんりゅう Benevolent Dragon 14 February 2012 8 October 2014 7 March 2016 Kure This submarine is equipped with a new sonar ZQQ-7B and a new satellite communication device.
8123 SS-508 Sekiryū せきりゅう Red Dragon 15 March 2013 2 November 2015 13 March 2017[14] Kure This submarine is equipped with a new sonar ZQQ-7B, a new satellite communication device and new torpedo counter measures.
8124 SS-509 Seiryū せいりゅう Pure Dragon 22 October 2013 12 October 2016 12 March 2018 Yokosuka
8125 SS-510 Shōryū しょうりゅう Soaring Dragon 28 January 2015 6 November 2017 18 March 2019 Kure
8126 SS-511 Ōryū おうりゅう Phoenix Dragon 16 November 2015 4 October 2018 5 March 2020 Kure These two submarines utilize Li-ion battery propulsion technology
8127 SS-512 Tōryū とうりゅう Fighting Dragon 27 January 2017 6 November 2019 24 March 2021 Yokosuka

See also

Submarines of similar comparison

  • Type 212 submarine - A class of diesel-electric attack-submarines developed by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and exclusively built for the German Navy, the Italian Navy and the Royal Norwegian Navy.
  • Type 214 submarine - A class of export-oriented diesel-electric attack-submarines, also developed by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and currently operated by the Hellenic Navy, the Portuguese Navy, the Republic of Korea Navy and the Turkish Naval Forces.
  • Type 218SG submarine - A class of extensively-customised diesel-electric attack-submarines developed by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and currently operated by the Republic of Singapore Navy.
  • Dolphin-class submarine - A class of extensively-customised diesel-electric attack-submarines developed by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and currently operated by Israel.
  • Dakar-class submarine - A unique class of diesel-electric attack-submarines developed by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and currently being built for Israel.
  • Scorpène-class submarine - A class of export-oriented diesel-electric attack-submarines, jointly developed by Naval Group and Navantia and currently operated by the Chilean Navy, the Royal Malaysian Navy, the Indian Navy and the Brazilian Navy.
  • S-80 Plus submarine - A class of conventionally-powered attack-submarines, currently being built by Navantia for the Spanish Navy.
  • Blekinge-class submarine is a class of submarine developed by Kockums for the Swedish Navy
  • KSS-III submarine - A class of diesel-electric attack submarines, built by Hanwha Ocean and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and operated by the Republic of Korea Navy.
  • Taigei-class submarine - A class of diesel-electric attack submarines currently being built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
  • Type 039A submarine - A class of diesel-electric attack-submarines operated by the People's Liberation Army Navy (China) and being built for the navies of the Royal Thai Navy and the Pakistan Navy.
  • Lada-class submarine - A class of diesel-electric attack-submarines being built for the Russian Navy.
  • Hai Kun-class submarine - A class of diesel-electric attack-submarines currently being built by CSBC for Taiwan.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Pike, John. "SS-501 Soryu / 16SS / SS 2,900 ton Class". http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/japan/2900ton-specs.htm. 
  2. "SS Soryu Class Submarines". Naval Technology. 2017-09-03. https://www.naval-technology.com/projects/sssoryuclasssubmarin/. 
  3. Japan commissions first Soryu-class submarine equipped with lithium-ion batteries Jane's, 05 March 2020
  4. "Japan launches newest submarine Kokuryu amid party atmosphere". The Japan Daily Press. 2013-11-04. http://japandailypress.com/japan-launches-newest-submarine-kokuryu-amid-party-atmosphere-0438960/. 
  5. Mizokami, Kyle (2019-06-25). "Taking a Closer Look at Japan's Futuristic Attack Submarine". Popular Mechanics. Hearst Digital Media. https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/navy-ships/a28184939/29ss-japan-submarine/. 
  6. Roblin, Sebastien (2019-11-07). "Meet the 29SS: Japan's New Stealth Submarine". The National Interest. https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/meet-29ss-japans-new-stealth-submarine-94991. 
  7. 海上自衛隊訓令第30号 , Japan Maritime Self Defense Force
  8. "Japanese Ministry of Defense website, 2015 Defense Budget.". https://www.mod.go.jp/e/d_budget/pdf/270414.pdf. 
  9. "Japanese Media Now Openly Talking about Japan-Australia Soryu Deal". Asia Security Watch. http://asw.newpacificinstitute.org/?p=11560. 
  10. "Government struggling to find replacement design for Collins Class subs: Defence Minister". ABC News. 9 April 2014. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-04-09/defence-minister-david-johnston-collins-submarines-replacement/5377266. 
  11. "France wins $50b contract to help build Australia's new submarines". The Age. 26 April 2016. http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/france-wins-50b-submarine-contract-20160425-goeuxh.html. 
  12. "India asks Japan to offer Soryu subs for Project 75I requirement - IHS Jane's 360". http://www.janes.com/article/48448/india-asks-japan-to-offer-soryu-subs-for-project-75i-requirement. 
  13. "Submarine Unryu Delivered". Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. 2010-03-25. http://www.khi.co.jp/ba/2010data/ba_c3100325_1.html. [|permanent dead link|dead link}}]
  14. Japan receives Soryu-class attack submarine , Brahmand.com, 2017-03-16, accessed 2017-04-24

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