Singapore starts construction of second batch of Type 218SG submarines

[Khafee]

Singapore starts construction of second batch of Type 218SG submarines
January 16, 2018

The Republic of Singapore has started construction of additional two Type 218SG, air-independent propulsion (AIP) submarines, the country’s defense ministry announced.

According to the defense ministry, the steel cutting ceremony for the third and fourth boats in the class took place on January 12.

The ceremony was attended by the chief executive of Singapore’s Defence Science & Technology Agency (DSTA), Tan Peng Yam, and ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, CEO Rolf Wirtz.

The contract for the additional two submarines was signed between Singapore and Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) in May 2017.

The first two submarines in the class, ordered in 2013, are at different stages of construction and are set to be delivered to Singapore in 2021 and 2022, respectively. The third and fourth Type 218SG boats are scheduled to be handed over from 2024.

The AIP submarines, together with newer Archer-class submarines, will replace the 50-year-old Challenger-class submarines Singapore acquired from Sweden between 1995 and 1997.

Specifics on the Type 218 SG boats are scarce and TKMS specifications only indicate that the 2,000-ton submarines are about 70 meters long, have a complement of 28 and feature an X-rudder – similar to Type 212 submarines built for Italy and Germany.

MINDEF photo of a Type 218SG cutaway

https://navaltoday.com/2018/01/16/s...cond-batch-of-type-218sg-submarines/?uid=1067

 

[Khafee]

Singapore to acquire more Type 218SG subs from Germany
By: Mike Yeo
May 16, 2017

SINGAPORE — Singapore has announced it will acquire two more submarines from Germany, adding to the two it acquired in 2013.


In an announcement made at the opening day of the defense and maritime exhibition IMDEX Asia in Singapore, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said the two boats will replace the older submarines of the Republic of Singapore Navy, or RSN.

The latest submarines will be delivered from 2024 onward, with Ng calling the latest acquisition "another important step in the RSN's modernization effort". Ng also said that the first two Type 218SG submarines from Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems are on track to be delivered in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

A news release from Singapore's Defence Ministry added that construction of the first two Type 218SGs are progressing following the first steel cutting in 2014. No contract value for the new submarines was released, but it had previously been reported that the original contract was worth $1.8 billion.

The 230-foot-long Type 218SG has a displacement of 2,000 tons. Figures released by TKMS indicate that the crew size of the class is 28. According to Singapore's Defence Ministry, the design is "tailored to meet the RSN's unique operational requirements," and the boats "incorporate design innovation and advanced maintenance and engineering concepts to optimise training, operation and maintenance costs."

Thies Stüber, the project manager of the Type 218SG program at TKMS, told Defense News that the decision was a big sign of trust Singapore has in the Type 218SG design, calling it the "result of the excellent cooperation between TKMS, DSTA (Singapore's Defence Science and Technology Agency) and the Republic of Singapore Navy."

Stüber added that the first boat is currently being fitted out at the TKMS shipyard in Kiel, northern Germany. Based on the model of the Type 218SG on display at the TKMS stand at IMDEX, the Type 218SG will have an "X" rudder, which offers enhanced manoeuvrability in the confined littoral waters found around Singapore, similar to the Type 212 submarines operated by the German and Italian navies.

The model also shows that Type 218SG is fitted with eight forward-firing torpedo tubes for heavyweight torpedoes.

The submarines will also have air-independent propulsion in addition to the regular diesel-electric propulsion system, with the onboard combat system tailored to Singapore's requirements being developed by Germany's Atlas Elektronik in conjunction with Singapore's ST Electronics.

The two new Type 218SGs are expected to replace Singapore's existing two Archer-class boats, which are former Swedish Västergötland-class submarines refurbished and extensively modernized in the early part of this decade.

https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2017/05/16/singapore-to-acquire-more-type-218sg-subs-from-germany/

 

[Khafee]

TKMS begins work on Singapore’s third and fourth Type 218SG submarines
Ridzwan Rahmat, Singapore - Jane's Navy International
16 January 2018

Key Points

• Work on Singapore’s third and fourth Type 218SG submarines has commenced
• The Republic of Singapore Navy is on track to receive the first boat in 2021

German shipbuilder ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) has begun work on the Republic of Singapore Navy’s (RSN’s) third and fourth Type 218SG air-independent propulsion (AIP)-equipped submarines.

A steel-cutting ceremony for the boats was held on 12 January in Germany, Singapore’s Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) announced three days after.

MINDEF first disclosed in May 2017 that it had acquired two more boats in addition to an earlier pair of Type 218SGs contracted with the same shipbuilder in 2013. The first two submarines underwent steel cutting in 2015, and are currently scheduled for delivery in 2021 and 2022 respectively. The third and fourth hulls are expected to be handed over from 2024 onwards.

“The Type 218SG submarines will have longer endurance, better sensors, and pack a greater punch as well as other state-of-the-art capabilities – all designed to achieve higher combat effectiveness in our unique operating environment,” said MINDEF in a statement issued on 15 January.

Neither the ministry nor the RSN has given further details of the platform beyond this description, but according to a model of the Type 218SG displayed by TKMS at the 2015 and 2017 iterations of the IMDEX naval exhibition, the boat will have a perpendicular length of about 70 m, a pressure hull diameter of about 6.3 m, and will displace approximately 2,000 tonnes when surfaced.

Deriving its design from the Type 214 while incorporating features from the Type 212A, the Type 218SG will feature an X-rudder stern configuration, which improves the platform’s manoeuvrability in shallow waters, as opposed to boats with cruciform tails.

http://www.janes.com/article/77100/...pore-s-third-and-fourth-type-218sg-submarines

 

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HDW’s Fuel Cell Air-Independent Propulsion System

HDW’s Fuel Cell Air-Independent Propulsion System. Source : TKMS