Internationale ontwikkelingen op onderzeebootgebied.

[Parera]

Radical New Stealth Submarine, Type-212CD, Will Be Much Larger

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2021/09/radical-new-stealth-submarine-type-212cd-will-be-much-larger



Ik moet toegeven dat deze boot er (op papier) interessant uit ziet, mogelijk toch ook voor onze KM. Een dubbele romp, geruchten over een VLS met NSM (voor de Noren).

[Harald]

South Korea has become the first country to arm modern AIP (Air Independent Power) submarines with ballistic missiles. The KSS-III (Dosan Ahn Changho class) submarine launched a Hyunmoo-4-4 missile this week.

New Dawn: First Time A Modern Non-Nuclear Submarine Has Fired A Ballistic Missile

The latest non-nuclear submarines are much more stealthy and formidable than previous generations. Now the South Koreans have combined this with a ballistic missile capability. This could foreshadow a new dawn in submarine capabilities.

South Korea has test fired a ballistic missile from its new KSS-III class AIP (Air Independent Power) equipped submarine. As many observers note the significance of this from a geo-political standpoint, it is also important from a submarine technology angle. The combination of AIP and conventionally-armed ballistic missiles opens new opportunities for navies. South Korea is the first, but it may not be the last.

The missile was tested aboard the lead KSS-III submarine, Dosan Ahn Changho (도산안창호) earlier this month, and announced today. This follows recent tests from submerged platforms. The Hyunmoo 4-4 missile (현무-4-4) is the submarine launched derivative of the country's indigenous Hyunmoo 2B (현무-2B) balletic missile. It is seen as a direct counter to neighboring North Korea's submarine launched ballistic missile program. That focuses on the much larger Pukguksong (Pole Star, aka Polaris) family of missiles. These have a range in excess of 1,000 km (620 miles) and could be equipped ,with the north's nuclear missiles.

Very Different From North Korean Submarines

One contrast between the South Korean and North Korean SLBM programs is the submarines. The KSS-III are brand new and represent leading edge submarine technology. They are locally developed by South Korean shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., Ltd (DSME). The company has extensive experience of building German Type-209 and Type-214 boats. For the KSS-III project they also partnered with companies in the UK, France, Spain and elsewhere for key systems.

By contrast the North Korean ballistic missile submarines are antiquated. The first test boat, the Gorae Class (고래급), was locally built but only carried a single missile tube. The in-service boats however are actually remodeled ROMEO Class submarines. These represent 1950s technology and are both smaller and noisier than the KSS-III class. And it seems that adding the ballistic missiles sacrificed half their banks of batteries so submerged endurance will be even more limited.

The KSS-II, with it's air-independent power (AIP) can operate submerged for extended periods however. The fuel cell AIP is essentially the same as on the Type-214. And it is expected to be combined with Korean developed lithium-ion battery technology in future boats. Local firm Hanwha Defense has been developing the cutting edge submarine battery technologies for several years. Safety is paramount and there are many challenges to overcome, but the performance incentive is clear. The batteries are expected to be fielded aboard the KSS-III class by 2027.

Overall the KSS-III class submarine is at the larger end of non-nuclear boats. It's submerged displacement is 3,705 tons and it has three deck levels. The defining characteristic however is the vertical launch system. 6 tubes are positioned between the AIP and the traditional propulsion machinery. This is currently unique among submarines of this size, with the North Korean boats accepted.

Additionally the VLS is compatible with the locally developed land attack cruise missile (LACM). The Hyunmoo-3 cruise missile is roughly equivalent to the US Navy's Tomahawk but is supersonic.

Impact On Submarine Warfare

If the South Korean project to launch ballistic missiles from relatively small AIP equipped submarines is deemed successful other navies may follow suit. There are rumors that Israel may be looking to VLS aboard its latest German-built submarines. And India is thought to be looking to a VLS on its planned P75I submarines. DSME are in the running with a version of the KSS-III known as the DSME3000. This could carry the Brahmos anti-ship missile but also, potentially, small ballistic missiles.

China has, technically, also tested SLBMs from a submarine with AIP. The single Type-032 Qing class boat is used to test new missiles. Yet that is a specific test submarine and the AIP and SLBM are just cohabiting a hull, rather than being an operational proposition.

The test launch really puts the KSS-III on the submarine map. In these respects it is the most potent conventionally powered and armed submarine in the world. And at the same time it does not appear to have scarified the basic capabilities of the latest generation of AIP submarines. Navies and shipbuilders will be taking note.

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2021/09/new-dawn-first-time-a-modern-non-nuclear-submarine-has-fired-a-ballistic-missile/?nowprocket=1#prettyPhoto

[Harald]

South Korea Test-Fires Ballistic Missile from new KSS III Submarine

The ROK Navy completed the final phase of the Korean Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (K-SLBM) development, by successfully launching the ballistic missile from a 3000t submarine under water. South Korea has now officially become the 8th country in the world that possesses indigenous SLBMs.

The other seven SLBM-armed states are the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, India, China, and North Korea. Seoul has enhanced its ballistic missile capabilities, especially the K-SLBM labeled as Hyunmoo 4-4, as a countermeasure against the North Korean SLBM Pukguksong series shown in a military parade in the beginning of this year.

According to an informed source from the defense industry, the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) succeeded confidential tests twice that launched an SLBM from the first 3000 tons KSS III submarine Dosan Ahn Chang-ho which was commissioned with the ROK Navy last month. The key SLBM technology, called 'cold launch' that ignites a missile engine after pushing water out of the launcher with air pressure, reportedly functioned with success in the test. A person from the ADD informed the press, "The last and third launch test in the middle of September will finally lead to SLBM production and deployment at sea."  The last launch test will be conducted to ensure accuracy, at the near sea around the ADD's Anheung testing facility in South Chungcheong province, without inviting the media.

The SLBM development is composed of the total three phases: ground launch, underwater launch, and submarine launch. The ROK Navy succeeded both ground and underwater tests, respectively in the end of last year and in July this year. KSS Dosan Ahn Chang-ho will be able to carry 6 SLBMs. The ROK-U.S. missile guidelines lifted after the summit talk in Washington on this May paved the way for K-SLBM development now that South Korea is able to acquire any types of ballistic missiles regardless of payloads or firing range.

The local media reported this development as a stepping stone for the ROK military, since the SLBM is known as a 'game changer'. However, it was also reported that the Moon administration that seeks to appease North Korea and improve the inter-Korean relations while simultaneously preparing for self-reliable military capabilities to reclaim the wartime operation control from the U.S. forces during the remaining 6 months of the presidential term, seems to keep silent about this military achievement due to the concern of provoking the North. In regard to this, Seoul decided not to release the success of the last phase of submarine launch test today, as done so far regarding SLBM tests.

The Ministry of National Defense and the Korean military still maintain the stance that secretive projects are impossible to be confirmed officially." The MND did not specifically mention its SLBM development in the press release about the '2022-2026 Mid-term Defense Plan', only stating that strategic deterrence capabilities will be continuously strengthened by acquiring mid-sized submarines that could destroy ground strategic targets with precision strike."

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2021/09/south-korea-test-fires-ballistic-missile-from-new-kss-iii-submarine/?nowprocket=1

[Parera]

Een uitgebreid interview rondom het AIP systeem van het Franse Naval Group. Het klinkt interessant en de punten die ze aanhalen rondom veiligheid moet ik ze helemaal gelijk in geven. De aangegeven 3 weken zijn zeer ruim voor conventionele onderzeeboten, maar het is nog niet de helft van wat Saab(-Damen) bied met haar A26 Oceanic ER wat meer dan 50 dagen op zee kan blijven door de Sterling engine.

Opvallende uitspraak van een van de NG medewerkers is dat de ''meeste klanten vragen om 14 dagen''. Dit kan iets zeggen over de NL eisen maar ik heb het idee dat dit meer gaat om de landen zoals India, Chili e.d.

[Parera]

EEN KORTE GESCHIEDENIS VAN CONVENTIONELE ONDERZEEBOTEN, DOOR ONZE PARTNER SAAB

Damen Shipyards heeft de handen ineengeslagen met Saab Kockums voor het vervangingsprogramma van de Walrusklasse onderzeeboten van de Koninklijke Marine. Het Zweeds-Nederlandse team voorziet in een unieke en substantiële rol voor Nederlandse onderzoeksinstituten en de zelfscheppende marinebouw; niet alleen voor de nieuwbouw, maar ook voor decennialang onderhoud en lifecycle support. Samen vertegenwoordigen Damen Naval en Saab Kockums eeuwenlange ervaring op het gebied van marinebouw. Ze hebben honderden marineschepen en conventionele onderzeeërs afgeleverd. Zowel in Zweden als in Nederland, twee gelijkgestemde Europese partners dus!

In deze video een korte geschiedenis van de conventionele onderzeeboot. Wat is de waarde van de exploitatie van deze moderne conventionele onderzeeboten? Waarom zijn ze zo belangrijk en uniek? Zie en hoor waarom en hoe zij in vredestijd en conflicten een actieve rol spelen om onze economie en maatschappij te beschermen.

https://nlnavy.damen.com/nl/een-korte-geschiedenis-van-conventionele-onderzeeboten-door-onze-partner-saab/

[Parera]

Saab Awarded Contract To Expand Capabilities Of A26 Blekinge-Class Submarines

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2021/08/saab-awarded-contract-to-add-capabilities-on-future-swedish-submarines/

Een interessante ontwikkeling met het vWalrus project in het achterhoofd.

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

The Next Phase of the Germany-Norwegian Submarine Program

https://sldinfo.com/2021/08/the-next-phase-of-the-germany-norwegian-submarine-program/

[Harald]

SSN(X) Will Be 'Ultimate Apex Predator'

Rear Adm. Bill Houston described a submarine that boasts the payload and speed of the Seawolf-class submarines, the acoustics and senors of Virginia-class and the operational availability and service life of the Columbia-class submarines.

A top admiral offered a glimpse today of the service's next-generation attack submarine, describing a boat that would take the strongest attributes of its predecessors to create an "apex predator."

"We are looking at the ultimate apex predator for the maritime domain," Rear Adm. Bill Houston, director of the service's undersea warfare requirements office, said during a Wednesday panel discussion published by the Navy League in advance of the annual Sea-Air-Space exposition. "We're taking what we already know how to do and combining it together."

The admiral described a submarine that boasts the payload and speed of the Seawolf-class submarines, the acoustics and senors of Virginia-class and the operational availability and service life of the Columbia-class submarines.

"We're confident that we're going to be able to do that because we've already built that on those previous platforms, we know how to do that. We just have to mesh it together with one platform," he continued.

..../....

https://breakingdefense.com/2021/07/ssnx-will-be-ultimate-apex-predator/

[Harald]

U.S. Navy's Virginia Class Submarines To Get 76% More Firepower



The Virginia Class Block V submarine will have an additional 28 missile slots in an extended section behind the sail. This will make the submarine much longer but will increase the total number of Tomahawk sized weapons to 65. This is more than the Seawolf Class (50).

Quantity has a quality all of its own. And when the quality relates to U.S. Navy missiles, having more of them is inevitably a massive increase in capabilities. The latest Block V Virginia Class submarine will greatly increase the number of missiles which can be carried. In effect this will make it a cruise missile submarine (SSGN). Yet it will not take away from this otherwise flexible anti-ship, anti-submarine, intelligence and special forces platform.

The Virginia Class submarine is already heavily armed. Each boat can carry up to 37 torpedo-sized weapons, such as Tomahawk cruise missiles. Twelve of these slots are in two vertical launch systems (VLS), known as the Virginia Payload Tubes. The new Block V (5) batch of submarines will add 28 more slots in its VLS. This is an increase of 76% of torpedo-sized weapons.

The U.S. Navy is planning to build between 72 to 78 new attack submarines. Ten of these will be the Virginia Block V boats, 8 of which will be up-armed as described here. Based on a recent briefing document from the Congressional Research Service, reported in US Naval Institute News, a total of 31 Virginia Class submarines will ultimately have this fit.

When it was originally conceived the Virginia Class was seen as a cheaper alternative to the larger Seawolf Class. The Seawolf had been designed during the Cold War to counter the latest Russian submarines. But the Russian types were mostly cancelled (or massively delayed) in the post-Cold War period. Therefore only three of the expensive Seawolfs were eventually built. Yet while the Virginia Class was smaller than the Seawolf, it took advantage of new technologies and itself became a world-leading nuclear powered attack submarine.

The Block II Virginias continued to focus largely on production efficiency. The Block IIIs took this further with enhanced construction techniques. At the same time they received a new conformal main sonar array in place of the traditional spherical array found on earlier U.S. Navy submarines. Their vertical launch system was changed from 12 single tubes to two 'Multiple All-Up Round Containers'. These are the Virginia Payload Tubes.

The Block IV, which are mostly still under construction, again focused on reducing cost. They also improved availability. But the improvements were iterative and mostly hard to see. Outwardly Block V will be more visibly different, with a new weapons module and additional sensors.

They will be extended with the addition of an 84 foot (25 meters) section to accommodate the four new vertical launch tubes. Each of these will be capable of carrying 7 Tomahawks. The new VLS is termed the Virginia Payload Module and will also be suitable for future weapons and alternative payloads.

The Block V Virginia Class Submarine Will Have New Weapons

The latest Tomahawk missiles, coincidentally also known as the Block V, will add an anti-ship capability to the existing land-attack mode. They are expected to be operational before the first Virginia Block V joins the submarine force.

More potent still, although unconfirmed, are likely to be new hypersonic boost-glide vehicles. It is unclear how many will be carried in each VLS but a reasonable guess is three rounds. Because the Block Vs have more VLS slots it seems natural that they will be among the first submarines to carry the hypersonic missiles. With a total of 6 VLS tubes they could carry a mixed load of, perhaps, 12 hypersonic missiles (3 in each of the aft 4 tubes) and 12 Tomahawks in the forward tubes.

The submarines will still have the regular torpedo room (weapons stowage compartment). This can carry the latest versions of the ADCAP (Advanced Capability) family of heavyweight torpedoes. They are also likely to carry the new Hammerhead mine which will replace the legacy Mk.47 submarine launched mobile mine (SLMM).

Hammerhead will allow covert deployment of bottom mines. Although less glamorous than missiles this is a particularly powerful capability. The U.S. Navy is also developing a new Clandestine Delivered Mine which will blend technologies from underwater drones with regular bottom mines. This will allow much greater stand-off ranges when sowing mine fields, thus improving both survivability and operational flexibility.

Sonar Enhancements

On the sonar front the Bock Vs are expected to receive the Large Vertical Array (LVA) flank sonars. These are in addition to the six ultra-modern Light Weight Wide Aperture Arrays (LWWAA) which are placed along the submarine's side. There are indications that a LVA has recently been fitted to an Ohio Class ballistic missile submarine, the USS Tennessee (SSBN-734).

Taken together the improvements will make the Block V the most heavily armed attack submarine in US Navy history. Whether they will in future receive the classic 'SSGN' designation, like the four converted Ohio Class cruise missile submarines currently in service, remains to be seen. Even if not their impressive cruise missile load will differentiate them from other attack submarines. Even thir big brother, the larger Seawolf Class.

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2021/07/us-navys-virginia-class-submarines-get-more-tomahawk-missiles/?nowprocket=1

[Ace1]

NSM is een meer dan serieuze kandidaat. Mijn voorkeur blijft toch bij: LRASM.

NSM krijgt dit jaar een MLU.

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

Navy kicks off long-anticipated push to replace Canada's beleaguered submarine fleet

https://www.newsoptimist.ca/navy-kicks-off-long-anticipated-push-to-replace-canada-s-beleaguered-submarine-fleet-1.24341945

[Parera]

De combinatie vind ik uitstekend.

+1

Laten we dan beginnen met het zo snel mogelijk tekenen van het vHarpoon contract en in dit geval dus de NSM block 1a als directe vervanger van de huidige harpoons. Daarbij ook kijken naar de mogelijkheid voor de SLCM variant voor zowel de Type 212CD als voor de vWalrus als mooie onderzeeboot samenwerking.

Welke boot we kiezen laat ik dan nu even in het midden.

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

Als ik het zo bekijk is de NSM block 1A voor NL betreft zowel politiek als militair een waardige vervanger van de Harpoon.
De LRASM is een mooi wapen met veel bereik, maar het is afwachten waar de NSM op uit komt met de  ''long range'' Block 1a variant. Daarnaast is voor bereik misschien meer te zeggen voor een toekomstige aankoop van TLAM's of de vervanger daarvan met focus op land strike maar met martieme capaciteit.

De combinatie vind ik uitstekend.

[Parera]

NSM is een meer dan serieuze kandidaat. Mijn voorkeur blijft toch bij: LRASM.

Als ik het zo bekijk is de NSM block 1A voor NL betreft zowel politiek als militair een waardige vervanger van de Harpoon.
De LRASM is een mooi wapen met veel bereik, maar het is afwachten waar de NSM op uit komt met de  ''long range'' Block 1a variant. Daarnaast is voor bereik misschien meer te zeggen voor een toekomstige aankoop van TLAM's of de vervanger daarvan met focus op land strike maar met martieme capaciteit.

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

Voor beide landen gaat dit een als alles gaat zoals op papier een mooie samenwerking worden. En ik zeg laat NL zo snel mogelijk aansluiten bij een deel van dit contract, namelijk het NSM deel.
Kies als Nederland voor de NSM block 1A, dit moet een NSM worden met meer bereik (long range) tegen zee en land doelen waar ook de Duitsers de Harpoon mee gaan vervangen.

NSM is een meer dan serieuze kandidaat. Mijn voorkeur blijft toch bij: LRASM.