Who are they competing with?
On November 10, the South Korean shipyard Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) launched the non – nuclear submarine Ahn Moo-the second boat of the first sub-series of the KSS III program. It marks the transition to serial construction of a new generation of submarines. HBO has already written about them (" India refused Russian submarines ", 02.10.20). But these NAPs are worth talking about in more detail.
Sprint pace
The Republic of Korea Navy is developing rapidly. Today, they are vying with Japan for third place in the Asia-Pacific region, behind only the US and Chinese navies.
The South Korean submarine force is very young. In 1993, the first full-fledged diesel-electric submarine Jang Bogo appeared, built at the German shipyard Howaldtswerke Deutsche Werft on the project 209/1200. Before that, in 1985, Korea Takoma Shipyard handed over to the South Korean Navy an ultra-small submarine, the so-called "midget" of the Dolgorae type. Then she built two more mini-submarines of this project. They have already been excluded from the list of active ones, and one has been transferred to the Museum – the Seoul Park of warships on the Hangan river.
The midgets, built with the participation of the Italian firm Cosmos, had an underwater displacement of 175 tons, a length of 25 m and a maximum speed of 16 knots. The crew consisted of 14 people, armament included two 406-mm torpedoes. Mini-submarines were intended for sabotage operations and secret transfer of scouts to the rear of the enemy.
The first submarine of the South Korean Navy was named after the medieval naval commander Hanja, nicknamed Jang Bogo ("Prince of the sea"). He became famous for the taming of the Japanese pirates. Since then, South Korean boats have been assigned "anti-Japanese" names: rulers and warriors who became famous in battles with samurai, or leaders of the struggle against Japanese colonial rule.
The first two Jang Bogo-type DPLs of the KSS I program were built in Germany, and the next seven were built in South Korean shipyards. At the same time, the German project has undergone changes. The length of the boats increased from 56 to 61 m, the underwater displacement-from 1200 to 1400 tons.
Submarines develop a maximum underwater speed of 21.5 knots, their navigation range is 11 thousand miles( 20 thousand km), and their autonomy is 50 days. Armament includes fourteen 533 mm heavy k731 Baek Sang Eo ("White shark") torpedoes with a range of up to 30 km and a 35-knot speed, which are fired through eight bow torpedo tubes. Unlike other submarines of this type, which were supplied by Germany to many countries around the world, South Korean boats can attack surface targets with American anti-ship missiles SubHarpoon. Now they are being re-equipped with self-developed SSM-710K transonic low-flying RCC with a 250-kg warhead and a range of 180-200 km. They can hit sea and coastal objects (modification SSM-750K). The boats are also equipped with a TACM (Torpedo Acoustic Counter Measures) anti-torpedo protection system. There is a variant of equipping submarines of the Jang Bogo type with auxiliary air-independent power plants (VNEU) with electrochemical generators that significantly increase the range of underwater travel. However, this project has not yet been implemented.
The second nine South Korean submarines of the KSS II program-the Sohn Won-yil type (German project 214) with a displacement of 1,860 tons-were built entirely at the South Korean shipyards of Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) and DSME. Delivery of the final series of napl Shin Dol-seok is scheduled for December this year. A significant part of the elements of boats and their weapons are made at domestic enterprises.
These boats with a crew of 27 people are non-nuclear, because they have a fuel cell-based VNEU that allows them to stay off the surface for three weeks. Their working diving depth is 250 m, maximum – 400 m, swimming range-12 thousand miles (19,300 km), autonomy – 12 weeks. They are able to pass under the VNEU 1248 miles at a 4-knot speed. The armament is the same as on Jang Bogo boats. There is also a system of anti-torpedo protection. In addition, they can carry Haeseong III cruise missiles capable of hitting coastal targets at a range of up to 1,000 km.
Almost perfect submarine
KSS II submarines fully meet the most stringent modern requirements for submarines of this subclass. But that didn't seem enough for the South Koreans. They took up the construction of their own submarine under the KSS III program. This took a lot of time and financial resources. The contract for the construction of the first two submarines of the series in the amount of 1.56 billion dollars (the cost of one unit is almost 800 million) was signed with DSME in December 2012. But in Seoul, they believe that the costs are justified: the result is almost perfect napl.
The lead submarine Dosan Ahn Changho of the Batch I sub-series was launched in 2018, it is currently undergoing testing, and it is planned to transfer it to the Navy next year. The Ahn Moo submarine is expected to enter service in 2022. These submarines, equipped with anaerobic installations with electrochemical generators, have an underwater displacement of 3,750 tons with a length of 83.5 m and a width of 9.6 m. the Maximum underwater speed is 20 knots, and the cruising range is 10 thousand miles. The crew consists of 50 people. The boats have state-of-the-art automatic combat control systems and electronic sensors.
They have very low acoustic fields. VNEU with electrochemical generators are generally silent. Therefore, the frequent statements in our media that the Russian project 877/636 diesel engines are the most secretive in the world cannot be considered correct. Soviet submarine type "Halibut" (mistakenly called "warszawianka») appeared in the early 1980s. Then the Americans called them "black holes in the ocean"for their low noise.
But since then, a lot of time has passed and more advanced "black holes" have appeared. These are German types 212A (for the German and Italian navies) and 214 (for the Greek, South Korean and Turkish navies). These are German-built Dolphin-type submarines for the Israeli Navy and type 218SG for the Singapore Navy. These are Swedish boats like Gotland and Blekinge, Japanese and South Korean boats of the latest generations.
Submarines of the Dosan Ahn Changho type are distinguished from other submarines by the composition of weapons. In addition to the torpedo tubes, they have six vertical launchers (three in two rows) for Chonryong cruise missiles with a range of up to 1,500 km to hit coastal targets. According to a number of sources, the same launchers can accommodate ballistic missiles to destroy ground objects at a distance of up to 500 km.
The combination of powerful torpedo and anti-ship missile weapons with cruise and ballistic missiles, the presence of a VNEU that allows for long-term underwater patrols, and a modern combat control system with elements of artificial intelligence make the Dosan Ahn Changho submarines a leader among existing submarines.
The third boat of the Batch I sub-series of the KSS III program is being built at the HHI shipyard. It is expected to enter service in 2023. Meanwhile, preparations are underway for the laying of three submarines of the second Batch II sub-series. Their length will increase by about 6 m, and the underwater displacement will reach 4000 tons. On the boats of this sub-series, the number of vertical launchers for cruise and ballistic missiles will grow to ten (five in two rows). Instead of VNEU and lead-acid batteries, they will have lithium-ion batteries (LIB) of high energy intensity. They will exceed the capacity of traditional batteries of Jang Bogo boats by four to five times and will be twice as powerful as the fuel cells of Sohn Won-yil submarines.
Three submarines of the Batch III sub-series, completing the KSS III program, promise to be even more sophisticated. But information about them is still extremely vague.
Back to the batteries
However, the first in the development of LIB were not the South Koreans, but their rivals-the Japanese. Currently, the Japanese Maritime self-defense force (MSF) has 20 submarines: 9 oyashio-type submarines and 11 Soryu-type submarines ("Blue dragon"). All non-nuclear submarines of this series are "draconian" names. Among them, the 12th Toryu ("Fighting dragon") is being completed, which is planned to be commissioned in March 2021.
Before the appearance of South Korean submarines, the KSS III "dragons" were considered the best napls in the world. Their underwater displacement is 4,200 tons, length is 84 m, maximum underwater speed is 20 knots, working depth is 275 m, and the maximum, according to some sources, is 900 m.
Boats using a Stirling engine-based VNEU with external heat supply without surfacing at 6.5 knots can travel 6,100 miles (11,297 km). High maneuverability is provided by horizontal wheelhouse rudders and X-shaped stern ones. Through six 533 mm torpedo tubes, 30 torpedoes and a SubHarpoon RCC are fired. Submarines are also capable of laying mines. There are two three-barrel devices for setting false targets that divert enemy torpedoes. An automatic combat control system created on the basis of the ASBU of American nuclear-powered ships helps the crew of 65 people to maintain the complex ship.
In October 2018, the oryu (Dragon-Phoenix) submarine, the 11th dragon, was launched at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Corporation shipyard in Kobe. But in fact, it has become a new generation of napl. It was the first in the world to be equipped with lithium-ion batteries, which made it possible to abandon not only lead-acid batteries, but also VNEU. The project had to be seriously redesigned to preserve ballasting and stability, since lithium-ion batteries are noticeably lighter than lead-acid ones. Some of the weight was gone after the Stirling engines were removed. In fact, the entire electrical system of the submarines had to be redesigned, including installing more powerful diesel generators for recharging. The snorkels were upgraded to increase air supply and exhaust exhaust, as the battery charging speed became faster.
The new batteries allow the submarine to develop a 20-node underwater course for a long time, which is especially important when launching an attack and breaking away from the enemy. Oryu and Toryu boats were more expensive than their predecessors. If the Soryu-type influx cost $ 454 million, the creation of Oryu cost $ 566 million. But, according to foreign experts, the costs are compensated by new quality.
And on October 14 this year, at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries shipyard in Kobe, the Taigei ("Big whale") submarine, the type 29SS lead, was launched for the Japanese MSS. It was originally created under LIB. Externally, it is not much different from the napl series Soryu. The fence of extendable devices has become smaller in height and has acquired a more streamlined architecture. The underwater displacement increased to 4,300 tons with a length of 84 m and a width of 9.1 m. the Maximum underwater speed is the same-20 knots. The composition of weapons has not changed.
Radical changes took place inside the boat. New radio-electronic means of intelligence and communication, a combat information and control system have been introduced. A hydroacoustic station based on fiber-optic arrays has been created for the napl, which increases the ability to detect and track underwater targets. There is a new snorkel that provides diesel operation under water when charging batteries. Its signature is reduced and difficult to detect by aircraft radars. The boat will be equipped with an anti-torpedo protection system. Significantly improved the conditions of habitability on the underwater ship. There are places for female submariners.
MSS Japan plans to equip the family with the 29ss project napl. In addition to Taigei, two new type submarines are already being built. By analogy with "dragons", they will obviously get" whale " names. Who are they sharpening their teeth against? Here is how one of the readers of the Tokyo newspaper Sankei Shimbun reacted to the news about the launching of the White whale: "Happy news! Well, now hold on, Russia, China, North and South Korea! "Soryu-type submarines are already being deployed on a permanent basis near the Avacha Bay in order to" catch " Russian nuclear-powered ships. Taigei family boats will also be registered there.
And yet, in our opinion, the Japanese napls are inferior to the South Korean KSS III programs, which are more balanced, especially in terms of weapons. This is understood by Japanese military leaders. It is not for nothing that Tokyo is seeking long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles from Washington. The US has so far refused, citing the missile technology control regime. But the mood of Americans is changeable. And Japan itself, a country of advanced technologies, is able to create the weapons it needs.
Alexander Ivanin
Alexander Sergeevich Ivanin – military journalist.