U212 and U214 ATTACK SUBMARINE, GERMANY

Since 02-25-04

Thanks to Frank Toon for this info:

U212/U214 ATTACK SUBMARINE, GERMANY

The U212 submarine is capable of long distance submerged passage to the area of operation. The German Navy has ordered four of the submarines, the first ship will be commissioned in the year 2004. The Type 212 is being constructed by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft GmbH (HDW) of Kiel and Thyssen Nordseewerke GmbH (TNSW) of Enden. HDW is responsible for the bow sections and TNSW for the stern section. HDW is assembling the first and third vessels, TNSW the second and fourth. U31, the first of class, began sea trials in April 2003, initially shallow water trials in the Baltic Sea.

Two U212 submarines are being built by Fincantieri for the Italian Navy The first is expected to launch in 2003 and commission in 2005.

COMMAND AND WEAPONS CONTROL SYSTEM

The Type 212 is equipped with a highly integrated Command & Weapons Control System which interfaces with sensors, weapons and navigation system. The system is based on a high-performance databus and a distributed computer system, the Basic Command & Weapons Control System (Basic CWCS) supplied by Konsberg Defence & Aerospace of Norway under the trade name MSI-90U.

TORPEDOES

There are six torpedo tubes in two groups of three. Type 212 is equipped with a water ram expulsion system for torpedo launch. The submarine is equipped with the DM2A4 heavyweight torpedo weapon system from STN Atlas Elektronik.

COUNTERMEASURES

EADS Systems & Defence Electronics and Thales Defence Ltd have been awarded a contract to develop the FL1800U electronic warfare system for the German and Italian navies' U212 submarines. The 1800U is a submarine version of the FL1800 S-II which is in service on the Brandenburg and Bremen class frigates.

A consortium led by STN ATLAS Elektronik and Allied Signal ELAC is responsible for the development of the TAU 2000 torpedo countermeasures system. TAU 2000 has four launch containers, each with up to ten discharge tubes equipped with effectors. The effectors are small underwater vehicles, similar in appearance to a torpedo. The effectors are jammers and decoys with hydrophones and acoustic emitters. Multiple effectors are deployed in order to counter torpedoes in re-attack mode.

SENSORS

The submarine is equipped with an integrated DBQS sonar system which has: cylindrical array for passive medium-frequency detection; a TAS-3 low-frequency towed array sonar; FAS-3 flank array sonar for low/medium-frequency detection; passive ranging sonar; and hostile sonar intercept system. The active high-frequency mine detection sonar is the STN Atlas Elektronik MOA 3070.

The search periscope is the Zeiss Optronik SERO 14 with optical rangefinder, thermal imager and global positioning system. The Zeiss SERO 15 attack periscope is equipped with laser rangefinder.

PROPULSION

The propulsion system combines a conventional system consisting of a diesel generator with a lead acid battery, and an air-independent propulsion (AIP) system, used for silent slow cruising, with a fuel cell equipped with oxygen and hydrogen storage. The system consists of nine PEM (polymer electrolyte membrane) fuel cells, providing between 30 and 50kW each.

For higher speeds, connection is made to the high-performance lead acid battery. An MTU 16 V- 396 diesel engine powers the generator from Piller GmbH for charging the battery installed on the lower of the two decks at the forward section of the submarine. The diesel generator plant is mounted on a swinging deck platform with double elastic mounts for noise and vibration isolation. The propeller motor is directly coupled to the seven-bladed screwback propeller.

TYPE 214

HDW is developing the Type 214 submarine, which is a further improvement on the Type 212. The Greek Navy has ordered three Type 214 submarines. Construction of the first vessel has begun at the HDW Kiel shipyard for delivery in 2005, while Hellenic Shipyards will build the second and third vessels at Skaramanga. Hellenic Shipyards was acquired by HDW in May 2002. A fourth vessel was ordered by Greece in June 2002.

South Korea has also ordered three Type 214, to enter service in 2007, 2008 and 2009. These will be built by Hyundai Heavy Industries.

The Type 214 will have an increased diving depth of over 400m, due to improvements in the pressure hull materials. Hull length is 65m and displacement 1,700t. Four of the eight torpedo tubes will be capable of firing missiles.

Performance of the AIP system has been increased with two Siemens PEM fuel cells which produce 120kW per module and will give the submarine an underwater endurance of two weeks. A hull shape which has been further optimised for hydrodynamic and stealth characteristics and a low noise propeller combine to decrease the submarine's acoustic signature.

The Integrated Sensor Underwater System ISUS 90, from STN ATLAS Elektronik integrates all sensors, command and control functions on board the submarine. BAE Systems provides the Link 11 tactical data link. The sensor suite of the U214 submarine consists of the sonar systems, an attack periscope and an optronic mast. The submarine's electronic support measures system and Global Positioning System sensors are also installed on the optronic mast.

At the end of last year (2003), Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri launched the countries first fuel cell powered submarine. Together with a German consortium, including Howaldswerke Deutsche Werft (HDW) and Siemens, which have launched u-boats of the same type in 2003, Fincantieri built the boat in its Muggiano yard's construction hall.

The "Salvatore Todaro" will be delivered to the Navy in mid 2005, followed by its sister boat "Scire" in mid 2006. The two Italian boats and the four German boats are submarines of the 212A class, developed by HDW and Siemens using a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell plant, which produces electrical energy from oxygen and hydrogen, permits the new class of submarines to cruise under water for weeks without surfacing. Germany's boats, launched in 2002/03, are undergoing a test programme in the Baltic Sea at the moment.

HDW is also developing the Type 214 submarine, which is a further improvement on the Type 212. The Greek Navy has ordered three of these. The Siemens Industrial Solutions and Services Group (I&S) has been contracted to supply propulsion systems, worth around US$65.6 million, and construction of the first vessel has already begun at the HDW Kiel shipyard, for delivery in 2005.

Hellenic Shipyards will build the second and third vessels at Skaramanga. South Korea has also ordered three Type 214, to enter service in 2007, 2008 and 2009. These will be built by Hyundai Heavy Industries.