Taking foreign submarines as a basis, the Persians created their ownThe construction of ships for the North Korean Navy began shortly after the end of the 1950-1953 war.
Moscow and Beijing provided assistance to Pyongyang. We are talking about diesel-electric submarines (diesel-electric submarines) of Project 633 and their Chinese variants. International reference books combine them into a common class of Romeo according to the NATO classification. According to Western sources, the North Koreans have up to 20 Romeo-type submarines, including 7 supplied by China in the period from 1973 to 1975. The rest were assembled from imported blocks for a couple of decades, until 1995. According to other sources, the North Korean Romeo series was designated in the Chinese manner, type 035, and consisted of 25 units built in 1969-2000.
Sabotage devicesIn parallel with the release of submarines for foreign projects, Pyongyang has engaged in its own developments.
Based on the real capabilities of the country, the main direction was the production of low-tonnage boats for the casting of saboteurs and scouts. On their basis, torpedo submarines were also made, designed to protect territorial waters (including disputed areas) and the coastline.
The DPRK turned to Yugoslavia, so the first national project according to the NATO classification is designated Yugo. In the last century, a series of such mini-submarines with a displacement of 90-110 tons was built. There was information about exports to Vietnam, Cuba and Iran. But she still hasn't found any actual evidence.
Mini-submarines were widely used as sabotage. As a result of an unsuccessful raid in 1998, the entire crew (nine people) of one such boat died. And she herself went to South Korea.
Today, there are no Yugo–type submarines left in the active forces - they have all been decommissioned.
The next type was Sang-O. Since 1991, 41 such DPLS have been built. One became a museum exhibit in South Korea as a result of the events of 1996. The submarine, making a sabotage campaign, ran aground, only one person survived from the crew.
Having got almost the whole device as a trophy, South Korean specialists carefully studied it. It is established that the 40-meter Sang-O has a surface displacement of 275 tons, underwater – 370 tons. Length 34 m, crew – up to 15 people. The main armament is represented by four torpedo tubes (TA) of 553 mm caliber.
Missile submarinesToday, the North Korean leadership attaches special importance to underwater technology, assigning it an additional function of nuclear deterrence.
At the beginning of the century, Pyongyang successfully tested an atomic bomb and an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Now the task is to build submarines – carriers of ballistic missiles with a nuclear warhead. The DPRK has already tested prototype sea-based ICBMs. State television of the DPRK showed a report on a visit by the country's top political leadership to a shipyard where submarines are manufactured. A product that experts regarded as a DAPL with a compartment for ICBMs got into the frame. The similarity with the Soviet boat of project 629 is noted, while the main hull parts are borrowed from project 633.
The very fact of the appearance of the above-mentioned product indicates that the shipbuilding industry of the DPRK is moving to the production of boats much larger than the Sang-O. The total displacement of the rocket DPL is estimated at about 4 thousand tons .
Western sources designate the new type as Sinpo, Gorae or Pongdae (there is no unity among foreign specialists about the exact name). The length is estimated at about 70 m, the surface displacement is 2 thousand tons. One hull is finished, the second is being completed. The submarine will carry one or two ballistic missiles specially designed for underwater launch. The KN-11 and KN-23 products have been tested, launches were noted in 2016 and 2021, respectively. The length of such missiles is 9 m, the mass is 3.5 tons.
The creation of large missile-carrying submarines poses a huge technical and technological challenge, especially in view of the international isolation of the DPRK. Even Beijing curtailed many of the cooperative projects after Pyongyang tested an atomic bomb and declared the country a nuclear power.
The DPRK's shipbuilding programs are designed to meet the needs of the national armed forces. However, according to Western sources, there have been attempts to export. According to foreign media, the DPRK has assisted Iran in establishing the production of mini-submarines. However, the Persians did not copy the North Korean samples, but based on them they carried out their own projects, better suited to the conditions of the Persian Gulf and the concept of conducting an "asymmetric" war with their opponents in the region.
Experiencing a shortage of hard currency, Pyongyang is ready to make deals to sell its equipment abroad. The export of North Korean products is constrained by the following factors. International isolation, the purpose of which is to force the DPRK to abandon nuclear weapons. Low tactical and technical characteristics due to the obsolescence of the applied shipbuilding technologies and hull saturation. The specific requirements of North Korean sailors set for designers, which often do not reflect the wishes of foreign clients.
The Persians come into actionAccording to American sources, as of 2021, the Iranian Navy had 34 submarines (apparently including unfinished hulls), including 27 mini-submarines.
The Persians became seriously interested in the underwater theme after the end of the Iran-Iraq war of 1980-1988. To this end, they came into contact with North Korea. Western media wrote about the acquisition of at least one Yugo mini-submarine (according to other sources – four) and a package of documentation, but this information is not documented.
Own projects started towards the end of the century. Since 2007, Persian mini-submarines have been serving in the Persian Gulf. Today, the Islamic Republic has a number of completed own projects of small submarines and their mass production put on stream.
It is important to understand the following.
Firstly, it was logical for the Persians to start with something small and gradually move forward, increasing the composition of weapons and expanding the functionality of submarines.
Secondly, mini-submarines are well suited for operations in the shallow Persian Gulf, where it is difficult for large ships to turn around (although even US Navy nuclear-powered ships sometimes enter there, for example West Virginia in October 2022).
Thirdly, the Persians need mini-submarines as a means of conducting an "asymmetric war" with hostile Arab regimes on the opposite side of the Persian Gulf.
According to information released by American intelligence (the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence) in 2017, at that time, the Iranian Navy operated 14 mini-submarines of the Nahang class (76 tons, one since 2007) and Ghadir (the rest). The Ghadir family diesel-electric submarine has a displacement of 120 tons, a length of 29 m, a speed of 11 knots and an armament of a pair of 533 mm torpedo tubes. The boat can plant mines and land special forces groups on enemy territory. According to Western sources, the Ghadir DAPL series amounted to 23 units, but not all of them received case saturation.
From small submarines to large onesBased on the experience of designing, building and operating mini-submarines, the Islamic Republic has moved to a larger boat.
A pair of Fateh diesel - electric submarines with a length of 48 m and a displacement of 600 tons was built . The main body was adopted by the fleet in February 2019, the second is being tested. The first trip to sea for torpedo firing was marked in 2021. Armament – 4 TA caliber 533 mm, speed – 14 knots.
An interesting fact is that at one of the local exhibitions, Persian shipbuilders exhibited a rather large scale model of the Russian submarine Piranha-650T (developed by the Malachite Design Bureau). No explanation was given for this, and this story had no continuation. Structurally completed later, the Fateh is not similar to the "P-650T" (yes, it was only in the project, it was not built).
Iran is actively working to expand the armament of its submarines. The country has mastered the production of Hoot rocket-torpedoes (since 2014), reminiscent of the Soviet "Squall" (due to supercavitation, they accelerate to a speed of 375 km/ h). As well as torpedoes (since 2005) and sea launch cruise missiles (based on the Chinese C-704, the first test is 2019, the footage of the launch of the PKR from under water is shown).
The next step was the construction of the Besat DAPL. It was first announced in 2008 using a different designation – Qaaem. One 60-meter hull has been completed, there is no information about its commissioning, but Western sources already include Besat in the Iranian fleet. Displacement estimates start from 1300 t (surface) to 3000 t (underwater). An expert opinion is expressed that the Besat project is based on the information obtained on the German Type 209 submarine.
Information about the beginning of search operations on a submarine with a nuclear reactor on board was received in 2012. Officials of the Islamic Republic in 2017 confirmed their intention to create an underwater nuclear-powered vessel. Definitely nuclear submarines – for operations not in the shallow Persian and Hormuz bays, but in the World Ocean.
Iran is working to expand the Chah Bahar port complex (Chabahar) – the only deep-water port in the Islamic Republic, which offers convenient access to the World Ocean. The local complex includes a couple of commercial ports, as well as the Konarak naval base. Indian investments are being attracted, including for the construction of a railway deep into Iranian territory through Zahedan and Kerman.
Russian contributionSo far, Persian submariners are using three Russian-built Project 877 submariners, delivered from 1992 to 1996, to enter the Indian Ocean.
According to foreign media, they cost Tehran $600 million per case. Together with Iranian boats of local design, they are based at Bandar Abbas in the Strait of Hormuz, and make trips to the Indian Ocean. This is due to the fact that the largest national shipbuilding enterprise (Iran Shipbuilding & Offshore Industries Complex Co., abbreviated ISOICO) is located in Hormozgan, 37 km west of Bandar Abbas.
A few years ago, Iran consistently carried out major repairs on Tareg and Noor (their age was approaching 30 years), and then Yunes. In 2020, all three ships of Project 877 were examined on shore for a month, probably in order to make sure they were in good working order or, perhaps, to modify them for the use of new types of weapons. It is reported that improvements were made to them, allowing the use of cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles.
The continuation of mutually beneficial Russian-Iranian cooperation in this and other areas was put on pause by the Gor-Chernomyrdin deal of February 1993. The agreement signed by the then Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Viktor Chernomyrdin and US Vice President Albert Gore was on the processing of Russian weapons-grade (highly enriched) uranium into fuel for American nuclear power plants. Experts believe that Washington's request to Moscow to restrict military exports to Iran was a condition for the implementation of the deal. Uranium supplies under the Gor-Chernomyrdin agreement were completed in 2013. Since then, the world situation has changed dramatically.
Due to the fault of the American side, relations between the United States and the Russian Federation continue to heat up. At the same time, Tehran and Moscow have established constructive cooperation step by step. Together they helped the government of Bashar al-Assad in Syria. And in 2022, the parties expanded cooperation in the light of a special military operation in Ukraine.
Iran aspires to become the leader of its region. In order to achieve this goal, he actively supplies Shiite and other groups in neighboring countries. They are supplied with weapons, military and special equipment manufactured by the Iranian military-industrial complex. The vector of events suggests that over time, the list of export-oriented VVST will be replenished with underwater vehicles.
Iran's growing cooperation with Russia and China leads to the creation of a new "geopolitical triangle". Of course, Tehran is interested in receiving from Moscow and Beijing a number of systems that it is not yet able to produce independently, including naval weapons. This would help the Islamic Republic to develop both its own armed forces and industry, including shipbuilding.
There may be a development in which Iranian shipyards will master the serial production of submarines with a displacement of 600 tons and above, including for delivery to interested parties.
Vyacheslav IvanovVyacheslav Viktorovich Ivanov is a military expert and historian.