DCNS is ready to ship the second of three Mesma air-independent propulsion modules ordered by the Pakistan Navy for its DCNS-designed Agosta 90B submarines. This module will be installed as part of a scheduled major refit for one of two Agosta 90Bs in active service.
The self-contained hull module will be integrated with the host submarine over the next few months with DCNS technical assistance. A 'cut-and-plug' operation will see the 8.7-metre-long 'plug' inserted into the boat's hull. The first Mesma module was integrated directly during the construction of third-of-class Agosta 90B submarine PNS Hamza which entered active service in 2008.
Following the 'cut-and-plug', the boat will have a length of 76.2 metres for a submerged displacement of 1980 tonnes. The Mesma module will enable the submarine to remain submerged for weeks at a time.
Following a qualification campaign lasting seven months and tests totalling 5,200 hours, the AIP module was prepared for shipment as a 160-tonne package. The main aims of the tests conducted by teams at DCNS's Indret centre were to ensure that the module worked as designed and met its performance specifications. More specifically, DCNS engineers and technicians checked the AIP's output power, endurance and range. These tests were followed by acceptance tests in the presence of customer representatives in March.
The earlier, three-month phase one campaign progressively powered-up this advanced-technology system comprising some 250 components and 2.5 kilometres of electrical cable.
Once the campaigns had been completed, the AIP was disconnected from the test equipment and packed for shipment by barge to the nearby port of Saint-Nazaire where it will be loaded onto a ship chartered by the customer. The voyage to the shipyard in Pakistan will take three to four weeks.
"We have the benefit of some economies of scale," explains Delphine Bréhéret, the Mesma programme manager at DCNS's Nantes-Indret centre. "The first module was delivered in June 2002. Knowledge sharing and lessons learned have played an important part. We have now started testing module n° 3. This time, the test teams will include Pakistan Navy engineers."
Read more: Second Mesma AIP Ready for Shipment to Pakistan | Navy News at DefenseTalk
The self-contained hull module will be integrated with the host submarine over the next few months with DCNS technical assistance. A 'cut-and-plug' operation will see the 8.7-metre-long 'plug' inserted into the boat's hull. The first Mesma module was integrated directly during the construction of third-of-class Agosta 90B submarine PNS Hamza which entered active service in 2008.
Following the 'cut-and-plug', the boat will have a length of 76.2 metres for a submerged displacement of 1980 tonnes. The Mesma module will enable the submarine to remain submerged for weeks at a time.
Following a qualification campaign lasting seven months and tests totalling 5,200 hours, the AIP module was prepared for shipment as a 160-tonne package. The main aims of the tests conducted by teams at DCNS's Indret centre were to ensure that the module worked as designed and met its performance specifications. More specifically, DCNS engineers and technicians checked the AIP's output power, endurance and range. These tests were followed by acceptance tests in the presence of customer representatives in March.
The earlier, three-month phase one campaign progressively powered-up this advanced-technology system comprising some 250 components and 2.5 kilometres of electrical cable.
Once the campaigns had been completed, the AIP was disconnected from the test equipment and packed for shipment by barge to the nearby port of Saint-Nazaire where it will be loaded onto a ship chartered by the customer. The voyage to the shipyard in Pakistan will take three to four weeks.
"We have the benefit of some economies of scale," explains Delphine Bréhéret, the Mesma programme manager at DCNS's Nantes-Indret centre. "The first module was delivered in June 2002. Knowledge sharing and lessons learned have played an important part. We have now started testing module n° 3. This time, the test teams will include Pakistan Navy engineers."
Read more: Second Mesma AIP Ready for Shipment to Pakistan | Navy News at DefenseTalk
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