The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) commissioned the Raigei submarine. According to Naval News, this is the fourth diesel-electric submarine of the Taigei class built for the Japanese navy.
The latest diesel-electric submarines are included in the 1st Division of the 1st Submarine Flotilla, which is located at the Kure Naval Base in Hiroshima Prefecture. The commissioning ceremony took place on Thursday, March 6, at the shipyard of the Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) shipbuilding company in Kobe.
Diesel-electric submarine "Raigei", Japan
Taki Yoshihisa
Raigei Submarine, Japan
Taki Yoshihisa
"Raigei" means "Thunder whale" in Japanese. The new submarine, which cost about 70.2 billion yen (470 million US dollars) to build, is equipped with a diesel-electric power plant with a capacity of 6,000 hp. The maximum speed underwater is 20 knots.
The first three Taigei-class submarines were equipped with two Kawasaki 12V 25/25SB diesel engines, but for the first time, Raigei uses new 12V 25/31 high-power diesels.
The Taigei-class submarines use lithium-ion batteries instead of lead-acid batteries, as do the last two Soryu-class submarines (Oryu and Toryu). The batteries are manufactured by GS Yuasa from Kyoto. So far, Japan remains the only country that operates lithium-ion battery submarines, and the next power to master this technology is expected to be South Korea, which implements it in the production of the second batch of KSS-III class diesel-electric submarines.
The sonar complex of the Taigei-class submarines includes the high-performance gas ZQQ-8, which has improved capabilities compared to the ZQQ-7, which was equipped with the Soryu-class submarines.
The length of the Taigei–class submarines is 84 meters, the width is 9.1 meters, the draft is 10.4 meters, and the standard displacement is about 3,000 tons. This means that it is slightly larger than the previous generation diesel-electric submarines of the Soryu class, which have a displacement of 2,950 tons. The crew consists of about 70 people, and for the first time, compartments designed only for women appeared on board submarines.
The lead submarine, the Taigei, was commissioned in March 2022; the second, the Hakugei, in March 2023; and the third, the Jingei, in March 2024. The fifth submarine, the Chogei, was launched in October 2024 and is being prepared for delivery in the spring of 2026.
