Navy set to upgrade HDW Type 209 submarines..

Kunal Biswas

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Navy set to upgrade HDW Type 209 submarines..



With the Sindhurakshak tragedy impairing the Navy's underwater capabilities, several projects to upgrade the existing fleet of submarines and expedite the procurement of new vessels have been fast-tracked.

The proposals being expedited include an upgrade for the Shishumar class (HDW Type 209) of submarines to equip them with anti-ship missiles, a fire control system upgrade for a Kilo submarine, simulators for training the crew on weapons firing and tenders for a new range of conventional submarines.

Sources said the upgrade for the Shishumar class of submarines is likely to be cleared at the earliest. It will be a major capability enhancement over the current weapon complement that consists of torpedoes and mines. The upgrade for two of the four submarines of the class with the Navy is likely to cost under Rs 1,000 crore, which will include the purchase of nearly 100 Harpoon missiles from the US. The original manufacturers of the submarine, German firm HDW, will be roped in for the upgrade and training of the crew. While INS Shalki and Shankul will be upgraded, a decision on the other two will be taken later.
Source : Navy set to upgrade, boost existing fleet - Indian Express
 

Kunal Biswas

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Shishumar Class Aka HDW Type 209



Vessel Type: Submarine, Type 1500. (HDW 209)

Names & Pennant Numbers with commission dates:

INS Shishumar S44 (22 September 1986) - Refit Complete
INS Shankush S45 (20 November 1986)
INS Shalki S46 (07 February 1992)
INS Shankul S47 (28 May 1994) - Refit Complete

Structure: The Shishumar Class have a central bulkhead and an IKL designed integrated escape sphere which can carry the full crew of 40 personnel, has an oxygen supply of 8 hours and can withstand pressure at least as great as those that can be withstood by the submarine's pressure hull.

Displacement: Surfaced; 1450 tons.
.................... Dived; 1850 tons.

Dimensions: Length - 64.4 metres.
................. Beam - 6.5 metres.
................. Draught - 6 metres.

Diving Depth: 260 meters (853 feet)

Main Machinery: Four diesel-electric 2400 hp motors, one Siemens 4600 hp motor, four Siemens 1.8 MW alternators and one shaft.

Maximum Speed: Surfaced; 11 knots.
............................Dived; 22 knots.

Maximum Range: 8000 miles at 8 knots. snorting
............................13,000 miles at 10 knots. surfaced.

Complement: 40 (incl. 8 Officers).

Radar: Surface; One Thomson-CSF Calypso radar at I-band frequency.

Sonar: One Atlas Elektronic CSU-83; active/passive search & attack with medium frequency. Also fitted with a Thomson Sintra DUUX-5 with passive ranging & intercept. Six Thomson-CSF Eldone TSM 2272 sonars were purchased from France in the 1990s and they could be installed onboard the Shishumar Class submarines, during their mid-life refits.

Weapons: Has eight 21" torpedo tubes which can fire the AEG-SUT Mod-1 wire-guided, active/passive homing torpedo, with a 250 kg warhead weight, at 15.3n miles; 28 km at 23 knots. The Type 1500 carries 14 torpedoes in total. Can carry 24 mines as an external strap-on type.

Weapons Control: Singer Librascope Mk.1

Countermeasures: ESM; Argo Phoenix II AR 700.
..............................Kollmorgen Sea Sentry.

The United News of India (UNI) reported on 06 September 2004, that Siemens of Germany has offered the Indian Navy an upgrade for the Shishumar Class submarines, which will involve the installation of an Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system. Siemens has developed the PEM (Polymer Electrolyte Membrane) fuel cell modules which generate energy by converting hydrogen and oxygen into electricity. Dr Albert Hammerschmidt, Siemen's Director of PEM Fuel Cells for Submarines, stated that fuel cells are small, silent, produce only little heat, generate no exhaust gases and are highly efficient. He also mentioned that they have no moving parts, are practically maintenance-free and that they meet all military requirements for submarines with regard to magnetic behaviour, acoustic properties, and stray fields. Siemens Sales Manager, Richard Schmitzer, and Dr Hammerschmidt also mentioned that installing the AIP system will improve a submarine's functioning, by making less noise, have a lower magnetic and thermal signature, have lesser tell-tale emissions and can stay submerged longer.

Naval insiders feel that the four Shishumar Class submarines will approach the end of their combat life between 2016 and 2024, and thus the time is ripe to think about an upgrade. Talking about the upgrade process, Mr Schmitzer said it will involve cutting open the submarine, inserting the fuel cell module and then welding it back again and re-establishing all connections. Siemens has already carried out the upgrade of five HDW 209 Class submarines for the Greek Navy. The technology finds place in the U212 and U214 classes of submarines, being built by HDW, which are or shortly will be in service of German, Italian, Greek and South Korean navies. However, the Indian Navy is concerned with some aspects of design of this new technology, specially the storage of hydrogen (the raw fuel in the process) ashore. Navy sources state that while the submarine is at sea, there are no problems. But there are concerns about the storage of hydrogen, which is extremely flammable, on shore. According to the Siemens design, the hydrogen and the oxygen tanks are on opposite sides to reduce danger of an accident.

Source : Bharat-Rakshak.com :: NAVY - Shishumar Class
 

kaustav2001

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I guess asking for a Brahmos VLS module will be a little too much here ?
 
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W.G.Ewald

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I guess asking for a Brahmos VLS module will be a little too much here ?
For that particular submarine, I believe so. A vertical launch tube would be required.

BrahMos - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Type 209 "[h]as eight 21" torpedo tubes which can fire the AEG-SUT Mod-1 wire-guided, active/passive homing torpedo, with a 250 kg warhead weight, at 15.3n miles; 28 km at 23 knots. The Type 1500 carries 14 torpedoes in total. Can carry 24 mines as an external strap-on type."

Also this:

India tests underwater BrahMos missile, but has no submarine to fire it - Times Of India

By the way, I did not know this until now:
The name BrahMos is a portmanteau formed from the names of two rivers, the Brahmaputra of India and the Moskva of Russia.
 

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