Type 214 submarine

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.

Contract to build three boats for 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 calls the Papanikolis class.

South Korea has ordered three Type 214 boats, to be built in Korea by Hyundai Heavy Industries, which will enter service from 2009. [http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/200601/kt2006010517280810230.htm]
ROK Navy calls the Son Won-il class.

Due to improvements in the pressure hull materials type 214 can dive more than 250 m (officially).Cite web|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/europe/type-212.htm|title=Type 212|accessdate = 2006-10-21]

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

Variants

Type 214TN: German- Turkish Co-production version which will utilize 80% Turkish systems including but not limited to Turkish C4I systems and VESTEL Boron-Hydrogen Fuel Cells.

Operators

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.

outh 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.

Pakistan

The Pakistan Navy is reportedly negotiating for the purchase of 3 Type 214 submarines, all of which to be built in Pakistan. Cite web|url=http://www.nd-online.de/artikel.asp?AID=108541&IDC=16|title= U-boat-Deal with Pakistan contrived (German)|accessdate = 2007-04-21]

Turkey

Reports indicate that the Turkish Navy has decided to buy 6 Type 214 class air-independent propulsion (AIP) submarines.According to the Turkish Governments Undersecretariat for Defence Industries, the 6, Type 214 submarines will be "co-produced" with "maximum local content at Gölcük Naval Shipyard" [http://www.ssm.gov.tr/EN/Projeler/denizaraclari/prjgrpharpgemisi/Pages/YeniTipDenizaltiProjesi__D.aspx] . Defence Minister Vecdi Gonul has also stated that "Turkish industrial participation in the project would be worth around 80 percent of the total value of the deal" [http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=110522] .As the Turkish Type 214 will have a significant amount of Turkish indigenous systems (80%) on-board this variant of the Type 214 will be known as the Type 214TN (Turkish Navy)

Boats

General characteristics

*Displacement: 1700 t surfaced / 1980 t submerged(GR) / 1860 t submerged(SK)
*Dimensions: length 65 m / beam 6.3 m / draught 6 m
*Pressure hull: austenitic steel
*Armament: 8 533 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: 12000 miles
*Range submerged: 420 nmi @ 8 kt
*Range on fuel cells: 1248 nmi @ 4 kt
*Mission endurance: 12 weeks
*Submerged without snorkelling: 3 weeks
*Operating depth: more than 250 m officially, 400 m estimated
*Complement: 5 officers + 22 crew

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. [cite news | title =Type 214 Stumbles Into Greece | publisher = StrategyPage.com | date =2006-12-11 | url =http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htsub/articles/20061211.aspx | accessdate = 2007-11-30] 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. [cite news | title =Greece Refuses Delivery Of First Type-214 Submarine | work =Seapower | publisher =Navy League of the United States | date =December 2006 | url =http://www.navyleague.org/sea_power/dec06-52.php | accessdate = 2007-11-30]

TKMS, the German shipbuilder of Type 214, has asserted that it solved all the boat's technical problems 2006 and claims continued Greek Navy 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 has been lying in Kiel harbor ever since 2006. [cite news | title =TKMS will not deliver the boats until all debts are paid | publisher =Segeberger Zeitung | date =March 2008 | url =http://www.segeberger-zeitung.de/artikel/2330919/%84Papanikolis%93_k%E4mpft_mit_Pocken-Besatz_am_Propeller.htm| accessdate = 2008-03-31]

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

Papanikolis has underwent a new round of trials by October 2008, which showed that the excessive rolling problem has been fixed. The rest of the problems are considered solved. According to Greek defence press, acceptance of the vessel is imminent. [DefenceNet (Greek) http://www.defencenet.gr]

Korean Navy orders

In March, 2008, the largest newspaper in Korea, Chosun Daily, reported [cite news | title =Newest submarine for Navy is defective| publisher = chosun.com | date =2008-03-14 | url http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2008/03/15/2008031500137.html| accessdate = 2008-03-14] 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. [original Korean Navy statement: http://navy.mil.kr/bbs/lngboard/lngboard_read.jsp?szCtgrID=1&szSeq=17&szSrchType=0&szKwd=&pg=1&pgrp=1] [ [http://maritimeasia.blogspot.com/2008/04/s-korea-progressing-w-submarine.html 'Manoeuvre' in Maritime Asia: S. Korean Submarine Programs Progress Despite Reported Glitches ] ]

See also

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

References

External links

* [http://www.hellenicnavy.gr/dy_char_papanikolis.asp Hellenic Navy page]
* [http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/type_212/ Naval Technology]
* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/europe/type-214.htm Global Security]
* [http://www.hellenic-shipyards.gr/pg/submarines3.htm Hellenic-shipyards]