The Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) of Japan has launched the fourth diesel-electric attack submarine of the Taigei class, named “Raigei”, for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).
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The new 3,000-ton diesel-electric submarine (SSK), named Raigei (SS 516), was launched in a ceremony held at KHI’s facility in Kobe. The SSK submarine will be the first to use the new high-powered Kawasaki 12V 25/31 diesel engines.
The Raigei submarine cost about 70.2 billion yen (US$ 470 million) and is expected to be commissioned in March 2025. “Raigei” translates to “thunder whale” in Japanese. All submarines in the Taigei class incorporate “Gei” (whale) in their names, following the “Shio” (tide) and “Ryu” (dragon) series seen in previous JMSDF submarines. “Taigei” itself means “big whale.”
According to JMSDF, the new submarine has a crew of about 70 people, an overall length of 84 meters, a beam of 9.1 m, a draft of 10.4 m, and a standard displacement of about 3,000 tons. It is only slightly larger than the previous Soryu-class SSKs, which have a standard displacement of 2,950 tons.
New Diesel Engines
Raigei will be the first to utilize the new high-powered Kawasaki 12V 25/31 diesel engines. These new diesel engines are compatible with a new snorkel system with higher power generation efficiency. It’s still unclear whether this will increase power, which currently produces 6,000 horsepower, as well as a maximum underwater speed of 20 knots.
Lithium-ion Batteries
The JMSDF states that the Taigei class is equipped with lithium-ion batteries instead of lead-acid batteries, just like the last two boats of the Soryu class for JMSDF: Oryu (SS 511) and Toryu (SS 512).
GS Yuasa provided the lithium-ion batteries for these new submarines. So far, Japan is the only known country to have installed lithium-ion batteries in SSKs, and South Korea is expected to be the next to do so with the second batch of KSS-III class batteries (also known as Dosan Ahn Chang-ho-class submarines).
New CMS and Snorkel
The class also employs a new combat management system (CMS) that combines advanced integrated sensors, command and control, and weapon engagement systems, as stated by the Japanese Defense Ministry.
Furthermore, it adopts an enhanced snorkel system for reduced signatures and a new generation sonar system based on fiber optic technology for enhanced detection capability.
Taigei Class SSK Weapons
The Taigei class employs the same torpedo countermeasures system that was incorporated in the last four boats of the Soryu class. It’s expected to use Japan’s latest torpedo, called Type 18, succeeding the previous Type 89. The new torpedo will showcase improvements in various areas, including propulsion, target detection, and processing.
The class is also capable of deploying the UGM-84L Harpoon Block II anti-ship missile against surface targets. The missile’s range is 248 km – enough to provide Japan with a “counter-attack” capability.
Photo: via Twitter @TAIGEI_SS513
Video: via Twitter @kirasanmi / Telegram t.me/infantmilitario
