OSHIROSAME CLASS SSP
PRICE (UNIT): N$D 500 000 000
PRICE (DPR): N$D 5 000 000 000
TYPE HA - 2008 DIESEL ELECTRIC AIP SUBMARINE
Length: 75 meters
Beam: 8,9 meters.
Draught: 8,4 meters.
Displacement: 2900 tons.
Endurance on AIP: 350 hour endurance at speed of 5 knots, with 175 hours being rechargeable due to battery.
AIP speed: 6 knots
Diesel speed: 20 knots
Ferry range: 14,153 km / 7,652 nm on fuel
Fuel capacity: 250 tonnes
Propulsion: Diesel Engine + Stirling AIP.
Armaments: 4x 533mm torpedo tube, SAMast 8, 25mm recoilles canon mast (optional), up to 40 mines externally.
Complement: 32 crew + 8 special forces operators (optional).
Oshirosame CLASS SSP is a diesel electric, air independent propulsion (AIP) submarine derived from earlier Type Ha - 2007 SSK, first fielded in 2006. Originally developed to test new technologies for future projects including a Stirling engine based propulsion, Oshirosame came into service in 2009 and is still operated by Imperial Nifonese Navy (Kaigun), being most advanced SSP within service. Common designation in many western navies is "Solidus" class while in Nifon it is commonly known as "Red Herring" in Kaigun's jargon..
The result of the project was a submarine that performs perfectly in both anti - surface and anti submarine warfare, as well as in variety of other tasks, such as gathering of communications / electronic intelligence (COMINT/ELINT), special operations, surveillance or mine warfare. Final design and first submarine to enter the production was 75 meters long, with beam of 8.9 meters and drought of 8,4 meters, with total displacement of roughly 2900t, which signifies the fact that the designers have not been thinking of containing operations of this model to littoral zones - although it is perfectly suited for such operations, due to it's X - shaped rear fins significantly increasing it's performance on low waters. Whole hull has been arranged from a series of modular ring that allow the submarine to be easily modified, installing new equipment or modules, making the costs of maintenance or modernization far lower. At the front, which has been a bit flattened to provide lower wake signature during snorkeling, are located fout 533mm torpedo tubes for up to 18 torpedoes and missiles, or up to 31 mines that the submarine carries within it's hull. Additional feature is a docking unit tasked with launch and recovery of Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) or launching special forces, allowing to accommodate up to eight men in full diving gear. Below is mounted a front array passive / active sonar unit, accompanied by additional two arrays on each flank. Shallow water performance is additionally increased by X - shaped rudders, decreasing the minium depth of the submarine. Behind them was mounted major propulsion unit in form of seven blade propeller screw, and a long extended tube housing the towed array sonar. Mounted at the front of Oshirosame class sail features eight masts performing variety of functions, such as radars, submarine SAM unit, communications antenna, etc.
The hull has been built from HY-100 high quality steel. In addition to that, each of the sections is kept as separate "honeycomb" with ability to be quickly locked down in case of flooding, and with an escape vehicle being located in the submarine's mid - hull allowing for escape from as much as 180 meters below the sea level. In case of flooding every breach in the hull has been equipped in double off - shot valves shut - off valves that can be overridden both manually and externally, in addition to air pressure system that is set to surface the submarine.
Modular compartments allow quick "extension" of the submarine, making space for new technologies or gear, giving it almost unlimited options for expansion. In addition to that Oshirosame class possesses comfortable conditions for the crew, based on traditional Nifonese design. Due to the fact that in Kaigun two members share the same bunk in rotation, the sleeping conditions can be described as pleasurable and calm, with each bunk incorporating a single set of direct ear headphones coupled with several albums of traditional Nihonese music for relaxation.
Diesel - Electric AIP system is composed of:
- Two Suzahara N08 diesel generators, each developing 2MW at 1800 rotations per minute. Submarine carries 250 tonnes of diesel fuel.
- Kojima KS71 brushless DC propulsion motor with 4MW rating.
- Lithium - Ion batteries.
- 2x Kojima Stirling engine acting as main AIP unit for the submarine, inspired by earlier successes of Riysan Navy with Stirling AIP. It has been chosen due to easiness to maintain ( as easy as simple combustion engine), technological maturity and ability to be resupplied on high seas, unlike fuel cells which require complex and specialistic infrastructure. Kojima Stirling engine burns mixture of LOX (pure Liquid Oxygen) and the same fuel as diesel engine, making logistics extremely simple. In addition due to large size of the submarine can carry more fuel, allowing it for 350 hour endurance at speed of 5 knots, with 175 hours being rechargeable due to battery.
The submarine has been from beginning optimized for great reduction of acoustic signature, allowing Oshirosame class to stay virtually undetected. Plenty of rubber mounting and baffles were included during the construction in order to minimize the noise coming from own operating gear, alongside with the space between frames being filled with damping plates. Entire hull has been covered with anechoic tiles to reduce effectiveness of enemy's active sonar. Additional coatings also reduce the magnetic signature and IR signature, in addition to externally - guided anti - MAD system designed to operate in every geographical spectrum. Additional anti - active sonar measure is provided by hull's shape. Majority of hull was completed with HY-156 steel, further decreasing magnetic signature and allowing to dive to as much as 600 meters.
Major detection system is composed of WA 38761 integrated sonar suite, providing Oshirosame class with 360 degree view, including passive/low frequency active spherical array sonar WA 37-0 operating on very low, supporting it is WA 38 flank array sonar systems operating on high frequency, for observing targets on the sides of the submarine, built out of operating on bandwidth below 3200 Hz is composed of ultra - thin panels and features very efficient system responsible for filtering out submarine's own noise. Bearing accuracy is approximately 1*. Additionally Oshirosame class is equipped is WS - 9101 towed array sonar, employing series of high - technology passive hydrophones mounted on an hose that comes up to 800 meters of length, towed behind the submarine, thus operating outside it's own noise, greatly increasing the submarine's passive detection ability. WS - 9101 incorporates a modular structure that allows it to be configured to bandwidth that the customer requires for his submarines. The hydrophones allow for detection of targets 360* around the submarine with ~ 1 meter accuracy. Processing of the data gathered by WS - 9101 is carried out inside the submarine by a series of highly advanced computers. To complete the sonar suite, WS - 0102 mine & obstacle detection sonar has been mounted. Operating on very low frequency between 36 kHz to 72 kHz, WS - 0102 covers around one kilometer diameter, mapping the operational environment real time in 3D, and keeping the submarine safe from collisions. It's field of view is enough to cover 90 degree area at the submarine's front, while the elevation coverage can be adjusted from 6* to 24*. Final parts are an intercept array sonar with 90km range at 5 kHz frequency, and an IFF (IFF - 21) system built by the same company.
32 man crew of Oshirosame class operates various C4ISR systems, allowing them for quicker data transfer. Those include:
- Washi Hamoni-12 command and control (C2) system gathering and processing data from all important components of submarine. Hydroacoustics, radars, optics, ESM, navigation and other important systems are being gathered and processed through this system. On basis of this data the system can determine exact speed, trajectory and distance of target. The data are display on LCD screen on the bridge, alongside with other control terminals.
- Sogeki - Hei 8 weapon control system for command and control (C2) of the attack. Sogeki - Hei 8 has both the cruise missiles, torpedoes and counter - measures linked to it and can be used in both manned and automatic version.
- Washi Fukai 2 navigation and course control system. Fukai 2 is capable of controlling the speed, depth and course as well as planing and executing, both manually or automatically, advanced maneuverers.
- Washi Doramu 5 is a control system responsible for digital control of ship's machinery.
- Washi N121 is a noise monitoring system tasked with monitoring own noise of the submarine and practical reduction of it to remain stealthy.
In addition to that, Oshirosame class features 8 spots for masts of various kinds, allowing the client to customize his submarine for intended mission. In standard configuration, those include:
Funryu Type 2 Mark 2 Model 1 is a non - hull breaching mast housing radar operating in I - band. The antenna itself features end fed slotted line array and horizontal polarization. Another important features are low electricity consumption, low signature and short - medium pulse lengths. Funryu can track up to 50 targets, and possess target acquisition capability argumented by selectable zone mode.
-Funryu F1 is an non - hull penetrating optronic mast currently in use on Oshirosame class incorporating a whole array of sensors used to detect enemy platforms which include thermal IR, true HD imagining CCTV and ESM systems mounted inside. Responsible for wide range of observation is mounted on 3d stabilization axis. Mast is equipped with an Advanced Man / Machine interface which makes it simple to use and provides quick data analysis on demand. Due to structure possessing low RCS / acoustic and visual signatures, the mast can easily be employed without revealing the submarine's location. Maximal employment speed is 12 knots, 16 is maximum survival. Two such masts are mounted on the submarine; one for the crew, second for captain.
- Hisakawa H251 is a three stage communications mast, based around whip type antenna, capable of incorporating several communication arrays, also allowing to mount IFF system.
- Hisakwa H 812 snorkeling mast equipped with gas exhaust valve system, with increased durability.
New addition to the submarine's intelligence gathering capabilities is the Yamakusa Kagekame (Shadow Turtle) multi purpose buoy, designed especially for high - threat environments, where likeness of submarine's detection is enormous. Kamekage is connected to the submarine with two - way fiber optic cable, providing swift transfer of data, and can be equipped with multiple devices, including, but not limited to, communications devices, electronic warfare gear, AXISAT positioning system or TV/IR camera for observation of surface contacts at any time of the day, etc. To minimize the chance of detection, main body - being about a 1.6 meter tall and one in diameter - was optimized for low RCS and low wake signature, usually being pained in dark blue colour to avoid contrasting with the sea, even though only top part - roughly several centimeters - actually finds itself above sea level. Successfully recovery tests have been performed on speed as much as 4 knots. Communications variant can sustain as much as 2200 ping seconds of transit using lithium - ion batteries after being detached and operates on frequency of 1.8 kHz. Other choice in communications buoy involves Yamakusa 8P2 communications buoy, which is a towed, expendable two way communications buoy operating usually at 1.8 kHz frequency to communicate between submarine and land based systems. The buoy itself is only 25 centimeters in length when combined with the submarine launch vehicle (SLV). Being able to be deployed from as much as 250 meters, 8P2 heads up to the surface where it can remain active for 72 hours of operation or 1800 total ping seconds of transmit using lithium batteries. Total custom programming capability allows the operator to set up the broadcast at time when the submarine will be far away, denying the enemy chance to detect it's location, with expandable cable connecting the submarine to buoy extending for several miles. This system is extremely important for any submarine, due to ability to transmit data between the C4ISTAR assets and the launch platform. Both systems can be easily attached to the sail or deck without disturbing the structure in any way.
Armaments consist of 4x 533mm torpedo tubes, carrying up to 18 torpedoes/missiles inside the tubes, all of them drained by gravity to suppress eventual noise and loaded through designated hatch in the hull from vertical position, then slid down horizontal on the rack, allowing Oshirosame class for easy resupply at sea - often performed by SSAORN (replenishment nuclear submarine) in the Kaigun. In addition, to fulfill several separate tasks, Type Ha - 2008 has been outfitted with two additional measures to defend itself. First is SAMast 8, a mast with a box launcher for 4 Type 5 Rakurai MANPADS coupled with an IR camera, allowing the submarine to fire them from under the water, engaging eventual ASW helicopters. Second, optional includes 25×137 mm recoilless canon mounted on a mast, intended for navies that require it's use in anti - pirate or anti - smuggling operations, or in need of defense against small surface threats. Up to 40 mines can be carried eternally. At the front, between the tubes, a dry dock was placed to allow operation of UUV (unmanned underwater vehicle) or insertion of special operations personnel, 8 of which can be carried by the submarine at time.
The submarine is also equipped with system of acoustic countermeasures mounted in special tubes on the fins and within the superstructure, called WaShi WSC - 03. The system is composed of the launchers releasing so called effectors into the water, as well as an integrated Command & Control system that automatically detects the torpedo, calculates safest escape route while at command releases the countermeasure. Codenamed WS - M - 7, said countermeasure is stored externally and launched on operator's command. 100 mm in diameter and 1100mm long, WS - M - 7 moves onto depth pre - selected by the operator via it's own contra - propeller motor, then hovers on said depth. Equipped with an acoustic projector, WS - M - 7 causes the enemy torpedo to "see" multiple false targets forcing it to home on them, allowing the real submarine to escape. Being completely user programable, WS - M - 7 can be programmed for any mission until the launch, then it executes the task and falls onto the bottom of the sea once it is completed.