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The 70-metre long vessel, christened the Invincible, will soon be in operation in Singapore waters. (Photo: Jeremy Koh) SINGAPORE: With the launch of RSS Invincible in Kiel, Singapore is the latest Asia-Pacific country to introduce new-generation submarines, riding on a persistent trend observed amongst regional navies in acquiring undersea capabilities. Notably, just last year alone South Korea launched its first 3,000-ton KSS-III submarine that has enhanced long-range missile strike capabilities. Japan too has introduced the world’s first submarine equipped with lithium-ion batteries for enhanced underwater performance. Further south, Australia just last week inked a strategic partnering agreement with France, committing...

The arrival of Israel’s fifth Dolphin-class submarine, and second new-generation air independent propulsion platform has doubled the navy’s long-range operational capabilities, a soon-to-be submarine commander told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday. Lt.-Cmdr. M is a former deputy commander of the INS Tannin, Israel’s first air independent propulsion submarine, and is currently training in a submarine command course. Commenting on the arrival of the INS Rahav in Haifa’s submarine dock at Haifa naval base, he said: “Today is a historic day, and the completion of a long process. We have a fleet of submarines – something we’ve been dreaming about having...

The first 209/1400 class submarine (Yard No. 447) for the Navy of the Arabic Republic of Egypt was named and launched at the shipyard of thyssenkrupp Marine Systems in Kiel today. This marks an important milestone in the ongoing submarine programme for the Egyptian Navy. “S41” is the first of four submarines. Production of the first submarine started in Kiel. Since then, the construction program has proceeded to schedule and achieved a first important milestone with today's naming ceremony and launching. The ceremony has been attended by Vice Admiral Rainer Brinkmann, Deputy Chief of Staff of the German navy, the...

SYDNEY – All three bidders competing for a 50 billion Australian dollars ($35.3 billion) submarine contract have been targeted by Chinese and Russian cyberattacks, according to local media reports. The submarine builders in France, Germany and Japan have all been provided with the highly confidential technical requirements for the Royal Australian Navy’s new submarines, which will form the basis for each country’s proposal. Manfred Klein, campaign manager of German shipbuilder ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, told The Australian newspaper, “We have about 30 to 40 (hacking) attempts per night, that’s what our IT people say.” The bidders declined to publicly say which...

The submarine battle that erupted across the Baltic Sea was about business. The Swedish government, upset with German ownership of Sweden’s biggest shipyard, last summer compelled ThyssenKrupp AG to sell its Kockums operation to Sweden’s Saab AB. The move, which ThyssenKrupp calls “unfair,” cost the German industrial group a billion-dollar submarine contract and hundreds of skilled engineers. And Sweden’s maneuver established defense contractor Saab as a new rival in the global submarine market. ThyssenKrupp, the world’s top nonnuclear-sub maker, already feels heat from newly active producers in Japan and South Korea, and from old rivals in France and Russia. “It...

Within the space of a few weeks the Abbott government has presided over a shake-up of the options for a fleet of submarines to replace the ageing ­Collins class. While an evolved Collins class was a short-price favourite at the end of the Labor era, an almighty spat between the Swedish government and German industrial giant Thyssen Krupp Marine Systems means a German design could now fall over the line. The nuclear option remains off the table despite the US indicating it would be amenable to an Australian approach on the Virginia class submarines. Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s enthusiasm for...

Poland believes German-made submarines are not up to the job of defending Polish shores, but sources have told The Local that on the back of a landmark naval deal between the two countries, Poland is likely to lease two subs anyway. On May 27th German Defence Minister Thomas de Maizière and his Polish counterpart Tomasz Siemoniak signed a “Letter of Intention” to increase co-operation between the two countries’ navies in 28 areas including through a “submarine operating authority”. The agreement pledged to “provide a sound foundation for the further enhancement of the German-Polish naval cooperation in the future,” in several...

Germans may find it hard to sell their subs Questions have arisen about the efficacy of German submarines just before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chancellor Angela Merkel sit down for talks in Berlin late this week when arms trade will be a certain, but underplayed, segment of the discussions. A submarine tender is too lucrative one to covet and like all big ticket military hardware deals, sees tremendous undercutting of the rival’s position. This time the contest among French, German and Russian submarines promises to be no different. The last tender, close to Rs. 20,000 crore, was bagged by...

The ultimate tool of warfare New details regarding the capabilities of the 4th Dolphin submarine that the Israeli Navy is expected to receive in 2013 The Israeli Navy's new Dolphin submarine is the ultimate tool of warfare. Forget everything you knew about submarines, most of which is probably from watching war movies. This is something entirely different. We will not list all the measures installed onboard the submarine. This is in part because not all is known to us, and also because parts of it are classified. However, according to foreign publications, the submarine has two systems from which one...

Controversial Israeli sub surfaces in Kiel A controversial submarine soon to be delivered to Israel – the largest produced in Germany since World War II – has made an appearance at the northern port city of Kiel. he 68-metre-long sub is currently at the shipyard of the HDW shipbuilding company, which is testing the vessel before it is shipped to Israel later this year. Police in boats have been protecting it. Although HDW and government officials have lately remained silent about the sub, it is thought that officials are preparing to begin extensive in-water checks before delivery. The advanced Dolphin-class...

U-boats may be on navy's shopping list BY DAVID ELLERY DEFENCE REPORTER 29 Dec, 2011 01:00 AM Australia's ''future submarine'' could be a super U-boat built by a German company that made many of the submarines that nearly brought Britain to its knees in World War II. HDW has released details of a concept design, designated the Type 216, for a long-range conventional submarine. Experts say the design, based on the successful Type 214, is specifically targeted at Sea 1000 - Defence's future submarine program. Rex Patrick, a former submariner and the director of Acoustic Force, said yesterday the information...

Indian Navy’s second Submarine Line will witness strong competition By Cmde Ranjit B Rai (Retd) Mumbai. Indian Navy’s submarine arm had clocked an impressive strength of 21 submarines in the 1980s and its Order of Battle (ORBAT) included the Charlie class nuclear propelled submarine INS Chakra, taken on lease from the Soviet Union from 1987 to 1991. The Indian Navy (IN) successfully absorbed the Chakra’s nuclear propulsion technology while it was based at Vishakapatnam. The submarine was seen exercising with a few selected fleet units of the Navy in Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW) maneuvers. Since then however, the Navy has...

India in talks with Germany to upgrade HDW vessel capabilities New Delhi: With the Scorpene submarine project getting delayed, India is holding talks with Germany to upgrade the capabilities of its HDW underwater vessels. Discussions in this regard are being held between the two countries at the ongoing fifth Indo-German Defence Committee meeting here, Navy sources told agency. "Our submarine fleet is depleting and numbers are expected to go down with the delay in the Scorpene project. The talks are on with German officials to upgrade the existing fleet of four HDW submarines," they said. The HDW submarines, also known...

Navy Readies for its New Submarines by Gil Ronen The Israel Navy is making advanced preparations to absorb two new German-made Dolphin-class submarines, IDF journal Bamachaneh reported in its latest issue. The number of soldiers selected for submarine warfare has grown by 30% in the latest IDF recruitment batches, in order to man the additional submarines. The Navy currently has three submarines, also of the Dolphin class, so the addition of two subs means that the force is growing 66% bigger. "We are in mid-process and are slowly adding more crews to be trained for service in the submarines," explained...

Sub order: Israel to ask for German cash Published: Oct. 8, 2009 at 11:48 AM BERLIN, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- Germany has been asked to help fund yet another submarine for the Israeli navy. Jerusalem plans to order another submarine of the Dolphin class from German Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft AG and has asked the German government to subsidize the order, German news magazine Der Spiegel reports. Berlin has helped Israel pay for five previously ordered submarines. The first two (named Dolphin and Leviathan) were a gift by Germany after it surfaced that German companies were involved with Iraq's chemical weapons program....

India plans to buy 6 new subs, says Navy chief 2 Dec 2007, 0305 hrs IST,Rajat Pandit,TNN NEW DELHI: With both Pakistan and China progressively adding muscle to their underwater arms, India too has begun the hunt for six more submarines to add to the six being built at Mazagon Docks under the mammoth Rs 18,798-crore Scorpene project. "We are now actively looking at the second line of submarines after the Scorpenes. I think the global tender for the six new submarines should be floated in the next financial year (2008-2009)," navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta told TOI. The contenders...

Germany in talks with Pakistan over sale of three submarines Sunday April 22, 2007 (0608 PST) Berlin: A German defense consortium is involved in talks with the Pakistani navy over the construction of three conventional submarines, the Berlin-based Neues Deutschland cited a confidential document of the German Finance Ministry. The German government is ready to vouch for the submarine deal with one billion euros. The planned project is viewed as controversial among politicians in Berlin since the German constitution bars the sale of military equipment in crisis regions. News reports said earlier that French and German defense firms are vying...

South African Navy Commissions Charlotte Maxeke (Source: ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems; issued March 14, 2007) EMDEN/HAMBURG/KIEL, Germany --- On March 14, 2007, the South African Navy commissioned the submarine “Charlotte Maxeke” at Emden-based Nordseewerke GmbH (NSWE), a company of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems AG (TKMS). This submarine is an ultra-modern submarine of the German 209/1400mod Class. During commissioning ceremony the boat which was christened as S102 on May 4, 2005, got the new name “Charlotte Maxeke.” The boat is the second of a total of three submarines which the South African government ordered from the German Submarine Consortium in 2000. The consortium...

Navy to get submarine assembly line February 16, 2007 18:11 IST With a view to bolster its undersea fighting capabilities, the Indian Navy is poised to open international bids for acquisition and construction of second range of submarines. "The request for proposals to acquire and build six new range of submarines would be floated shortly," a senior naval official told PTI. In contention would be the Russians with their 4th generation Amur class submarines armed with vertically launched KLUB-S Missiles and new generation of German HDW submarines with their Air Independent propulsion systems. The navy has already firmed up a...

Return of the wolf pack German U-boats are back, and they’re stealthier and deadlier than ever By Tim Mahon January 04, 2007 Although Russia continues to build diesel-electric hunter-killer submarines (SSKs) based on the venerable but capable Kilo design — and is marketing the ultra-quiet Amur class — Germany has now taken on the mantle of world leader in the manufacture of diesel-electric submarines. The German navy (Bundesmarine) possesses one of the most capable conventional submarine designs in service today, the Type 212A. A product of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, the first of four 212As entered service with the Bundesmarine in...