Type 214 submarine

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Former Greek submarine Papanikolis (S-120) at the HDW building yard in Kiel
Class overview
Builders:	HDW Hellenic Shipyards Co. Hyundai Heavy Industries Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Istanbul Naval Shipyard
Operators:	Republic of Korea Navy  Turkish Navy  Portuguese Navy
In service:	2007
Building:	3
Planned:	13+
Completed:	6
Active:	Son Won-il (SS 072) Jung Ji (SS 073) An Jung-geun (SS 075)
General characteristics
Displacement:	1,700 t (surfaced)
Length:	65.0 m
Beam:	6.3 m
Draught:	6.0 m
Propulsion:	Diesel-electric, low noise skew back propeller
Speed:	12 kt surfaced 20 kt submerged
Range:	12,000 miles surfaced 420 nmi @ 8 kt 1248 nmi @ 4 kt
Complement:	5 officers + 22 crew
Armament:	(8) 533 mm torpedo tubes, (4) subharpoon-capable

The Type 214 is a diesel-electric submarine developed by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft GmbH (HDW). It features diesel propulsion with an air-independent propulsion (AIP) system using Siemens polymer electrolyte module (PEM) hydrogen fuel cells. It is based on features of the Type 212, but as the export version of the more advanced Type 212 submarine it lacks the non-magnetic hull (to avoid detection) and other classified technologies. Also Type 214 is more similar to the very successful Type 209 submarine, while Type 212 was an independent project of the German Navy with significant changes to Type 209.

A contract to build three boats for the Hellenic Navy was signed 15 February 2000 and a fourth one was ordered in June 2002. The first boat was built at HDW in Kiel, Germany and the rest at the Hellenic Shipyards Co. in Skaramangas, Greece. The Hellenic Navy named them the Papanikolis class.

South Korea has ordered three Type 214 boats, to be built in Korea by Hyundai Heavy Industries; they will enter service from 2009.[1] The ROK Navy has designated them as the Son Won-il class.

Due to improvements in the pressure hull materials type 214 can dive more than 250 m (officially).^[1]

Type 214 can carry food, fresh water and fuel for 50 days of operation.

[edit] Variants

Type 214TN: German-Turkish co-production version which will utilize 80% Turkish designed and manufactured systems (this includes a Turkish designed and produced C4I system)^[2]. However, classified technology of Germany, such as the propulsion, will not be produced by Turkey. Therefore, classified parts will be preassembled in Germany and then shipped to Turkey.

[edit] Operators

[edit] Greece

The Greece Papanikolis U214 class is equipped with a hoistable radar mast which does not penetrate the pressure hull of the submarine. In the top of the radar mast the radar transmitter is installed. This transmitter is part of the SPHINX Radar System supplied by Thales Defence Deutschland GmbH in Kiel. The radar sensor is a FMCW transceiver which can't be detected by ESM systems in medium terms. This technology is so called LPI radar, which means "Low probability of intercept". The transmitting power is lower than the power of a mobile phone but the resolution more precise compared to high power Pulse radar. Thales SPHINX radar is a tactical radar, designed for submarines.

[edit] South Korea

USS Nimitz (CVN-68) is moored near of the ROKS Son Won-il (SS 072), a Type 214 submarine, in Busan Naval Base, Republic of Korea.

The South Korean Son Won-il U214 class is equipped with a SPHINX-D Radar System supplied by Thales Defence Deutschland GmbH. It uses an additional pulse transmitter in the top of the mast. The combination of high power pulse radar and a very low power LPI transmitter is very effective for submarines. During surface operations, the boat sails with an open pulse fingerprint for ESM systems, but within a secret mission the operator switches to LPI mode. The boat remains invisible for others.

[edit] Pakistan

The Pakistan Navy is reportedly negotiating for the purchase of 3 Type 214 submarines, all of which to be built in Pakistan. During the IDEAS 2008 exhibition, the HDW chief Walter Freitag told “The commercial contract has been finalised up to 95 per cent,” he said. The first submarine would be delivered to the Pakistan Navy in 64 months after signing of the contract while the rest would be completed successively in 12 months.^[3][4]

[edit] Turkey

The Turkish Navy had commenced negotiations with HDW for the co-production of six Type 214 class air-independent propulsion (AIP) submarines. According Undersecretariat for Defence Industries of the Turkish Government these submarines will be "co-produced" with "maximum local content at Gölcük Naval Shipyard" in Kocaeli, Turkey.

On the 2nd of July 2009, HDW and the Turkish Ministry of Defence entered into an agreement for the co-production of 6 platforms. The agreement was the largest defence acquisition project in Turkey at the time after the firm order for 116 F-35 fighters at a cost of in excess of $10 billion. Ankara hopes that it's advanced, locally produced and highly modified Type 214 submarines will enter into service by 2015^[5][6].[2]. Defence Minister Vecdi Gonul has also stated that "Turkish industrial participation in the project would be worth around 80% of the total value of the deal" [3].

As the Turkish Type 214 will have a significant amount of Turkish indigenous systems on board, this variant of the Type 214 will be known as the Type 214TN (Turkish Navy). HDW will preassemble structural and mechanical parts of the submarine in Germany, or classified elements such as the fuel cells and propulsion system and will then ship them to Turkey. All electronic and weapon systems (including the C4I system) will be of Turkish design and production.

[edit] Boats

Country	Pennant	Name	Laid down	Launch Date	Commission Date	Builder
Greece 2000 4 Boats Contract	S 120	Papanikolis	27 February 2001	April 2004	will be offered for sale	Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft
	S 121	Pipinos	February 2003	November 2006	pending	Hellenic Shipyards Co.
	S 122	Matrozos	February 2004	November 2007	pending	Hellenic Shipyards Co.
	S 123	Katsonis	2005	2007	pending	Hellenic Shipyards Co.
South Korea 2000 3 Boats 2008 6 Boats Contract	SS 072	Son Won-il	October 2002	9 June 2006	27 December 2007	Hyundai Heavy Industries
	SS 073	Jeong Ji	2004	13 June 2007	2 December 2008	Hyundai Heavy Industries
	SS 075	An Chung-gun		4 June 2008	2009	Hyundai Heavy Industries
	SS 076	Unnamed	2009			Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering
	SS 077	Unnamed	2010
	SS 078	Unnamed	2011
	SS 079	Unnamed	2012
	SS 081	Unnamed	2013
	SS 082	Unnamed	2014		2018
Portugal 2 Boats + 3 Option	S 167	Tridente	2005	15 July 2008	January 2010	Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft
	S 168	Arpão	2005	May 2009	October 2010	Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft

[edit] General characteristics

• Displacement: 1,700 t surfaced / 1,980 t submerged(GR) / 1,860 t submerged(SK)
• Dimensions: length 65 m / beam 6.3 m / draught 6 m
• Pressure hull: austenitic steel
• Armament: 8 x 533 mm torpedo tubes, 4 subharpoon-capable
• Propulsion: low noise skew back propeller
• Diesel engines: 2 MTU 16V 396 (6.24 MW)(GR) / 1 MTU 16V 396 (3.12 MW)(SK)
• Charging generators: 2 x Piller Ntb56.40-10 970KW
• AIP system: 2 HDW PEM fuel cells (240 kW)(GR) / 9 HDW PEM fuel cells (306 kW)(SK)
• Electric motor: 1 Siemens Permasyn (2.85 MW)
• Speed: 12 kt surfaced / 20 kt submerged
• Speed on fuel cells: 2-6 kt estimated
• Range surfaced: 12,000 miles (19,300 km)
• Range submerged: 420 nmi @ 8 kt (780 km @ 15 km/h)
• Range on fuel cells: 1,248 nmi @ 4 kt (2,310 km @ 7 km/h)
• Mission endurance: 12 weeks
• Submerged without snorkelling: 3 weeks
• Operating depth: more than 250 m officially, 400 m estimated
• Complement: 5 officers + 22 crew
• Navigation radar: SPHINX-D with 4Kw pulse and tactical LPI radar sensor [Thales Deutschland Kiel]

[edit] Greek Navy orders

The Hellenic Navy is procuring four Type 214 submarines to be known as the "Katsonis-class". The first, Papanikolis, was built in Germany; the following three were scheduled for construction at HDW's Hellenic Shipyards in Greece.

In December 2006, StrategyPage reported that Papanikolis was found to have numerous technical problems.^[7] Among the reported problems with the submarine were excessive propeller cavitation, overheating of the air-independent propulsion system's fuel cells, and excessive rolling in bad weather when surfaced. Seapower magazine reported the Hellenic Navy refused to accept Papanikolis; additional problems noted were inadequate air-independent propulsion system output power, inappropriate periscope vibration, sonar flank array problems and seawater leakage into the ship's hydraulics.^[8]

TKMS, the German shipbuilder of Type 214, has asserted that it solved all the boat's technical problems in 2006 and claims the Greek Navy's continuing complaints about the Papanikolis' technical condition are just a ploy to justify a price reduction. Therefore, TKMS has refused to deliver the boat to the Greek Navy until all debts are paid and the Papanikolis had been lying in Kiel harbor ever since 2006.^[9] In October 2008, the Papanikolis conducted a new round of trials, which showed that the excessive rolling problem has been fixed. The rest of the problems are considered solved. According to the Greek defence press, acceptance of the vessel was imminent. ^[10]

Despite the aforementioned concerns stated by the Greek military, the shipyard alleges that it is the Greek government's inability to pay for the submarine that is the real cause for the delay.

The second boat, Pipinos, was officially launched in February 2007 and is at present going through Greek harbour acceptance trials in Piraeus.

On September 21st, 2009 TKMS annouced that the contract with the Greek Navy for all four submarines had been cancelled due to country's arrears of more than 520 million Euros. TKMS is now seeking arbitration to resolve the matter.^{[11] [12]}

On October 27th, 2009 the Greek Ministry of Defence officialy confirmed, that they intend accepting the three boats built in Greece. The first-of-class boat built in Kiel will not be accepted, and will be offered for sale. Proceeds from the sale will be used to pay the debt to TKMS. ^[13]

[edit] Korean Navy orders

In March 2008, the largest newspaper in Korea, Chosun Daily, reported ^[14] that the first type 214 submarine delivered to the Republic of Korea Navy in December 2007 had critical defect related to excessive noise. However the problems claimed by the Chonsun Daily have been denied by the ROKN later on. ^{[15] [16]}

• 2004~2008, built 3 U-214 by Hyundai in Korea.
• in 2008 08, Korea's DAPA contracted with German HDW for Six U-214 submarines
• in 2008 12, Korea chose Daewoo for building its 4th U-214 submarine

[edit] See also

• Type 212 submarine, the new submarine class of the German Navy
• Type 206 submarine

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• (Greek) Hellenic Navy page
• Naval Technology
• Global Security
• Hellenic-shipyards