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Sōryū class submarine

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Name
  
Sōryū

In commission
  
2009 – Present

Built
  
2005 – Present

Sōryū-class submarine

Builders
  
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Kawasaki Shipbuilding Corporation

Operators
  
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force

Preceded by
  
Oyashio-class submarine

The Sōryū-class submarines (16SS) are diesel-electric attack submarines. The first boat in the class entered service with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force in 2009. The design is an evolution of the Oyashio-class submarine, from which it can most easily be distinguished by its X-shaped stern combination diving planes and rudders. The Sōryūs have the largest displacement of any submarine used by post-war Japan.

Contents

It is Japan's first air-independent propulsion submarine. The boats in the class are fitted with Kockums Stirling engines license-built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, allowing them to stay submerged for longer periods of time. Some recent information suggests that the last units in the series will have their air independent propulsion systems replaced with banks of Li-Ion batteries.

The cost of the sixth submarine (Kokuryū) was estimated at 540 million USD. The eleventh Soryu-class submarine, with improved underwater endurance by mounting lithium-ion batteries, was given a budget of ¥64.3 billion/US$536.7 million under the 2015 Japanese Defense Budget.

Naming convention

Japanese submarines since World War II were named after ocean currents. The JMSDF changed its naming convention with the Sōryū, and submarines will now be named after mythological creatures. Sōryū (そうりゅう) means blue dragon in Japanese and is named after the World War II aircraft carrier Sōryū, which was sunk during the Battle of Midway.

Exports

Japan offered Sōryū-class submarines to Australia to replace the Royal Australian Navy's Collins-class submarines as part of the Collins-class submarine replacement project. On 9 April 2014, then-Australian Defence Minister David Johnston, while discussing Australia's future submarine options, described the Sōryū class as "extremely impressive". On April 26, 2016, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced that the Australian contract had been awarded to the French-designed Shortfin Barracuda.

India and Taiwan have also approached Japan and expressed an interest in buying Sōryū-class submarines. During a visit of Defence Minister Manohar Parikkar to Japan he asked the Japanese government to participate in the multibillion-dollar Project 75I-class submarine project.

References

Sōryū-class submarine Wikipedia