The JMSDF or Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s said first Soryu-class diesel-electric attack
submarine (SSK) fitted with lithium-ion batteries, the JS Oryu, arrived at its new homeport in
Kure, Hiroshima prefecture on April 7.
As per reports, the JS Oryu will serve with the JMSDF’s Submarine Flotilla 1.
The JS Oryu was commissioned into service at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) facility
in Kobe, in Hyogo Prefecture in west-central Japan on March 5.
The boat is the 11th Soryu-class SSK commissioned into service and the sixth built by MHI.
JS Oryu was launched in October 2018.
In this video Defense Updates analyzes why Soryu-class submarine powered by lithium-ion
batteries could sink the Chinese Navy?
Let’s get started
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Japan has watched as the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has gone from a green water
navy capable of operating only in regional seas relatively close to home to a full-fledged
blue water fleet operating as far as the Indian Ocean and Baltic Sea.
China has maintained very high economic growth over the last 20 years & has become a major
economic power.
It has spent heavily on military buildup & modernized its military forces.
The PLAN is now considerably larger than Japan’s Maritime Self Defense Force in both overall
tonnage and number of vessels.
China’s rise, as predicted by many experts is not peaceful.
In recent times, China has been very aggressive in its posturing.
Its activities are far off from being a sensible nation.
China’s corrosive behaviors in the South China Sea and neighboring areas have not gone
noticed.
Japan has been increasingly conscious of the fact that its territory which is surrounded
by waters is vulnerable to naval strikes from Japanese undersea and surface combatants.
Keeping this in view, Japan is looking for ways to strengthen its submarine fleet.
The Sōryū-class submarines (16SS) are diesel-electric attack submarines.
The first boat in the class entered service with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
in 2009.
The design is an evolution of the Oyashio-class submarine, from which it can most easily be
distinguished by its X-shaped stern combination diving planes and rudders.
The Sōryūs have the largest displacement of any submarine used by post-war Japan.
The class displaces 2,947 tonnes when surfaced and 4,100 tonnes when submerged.
It has a beam of 9.1 meters and a hull draught of 8.4 meters.
The boats of this class have a crew consists of 9 officers and 56 sailors.
Sōryū-class is Japan's first air-independent propulsion submarine.
The first 10 submarines of this class are powered with Kockums Naval Solutions Stirling
engines license-built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, allowing them to stay submerged for longer
periods.
Sōryū-class has a maximum surface speed of 13 knots and a subsurface speed of 20 knots.
The maximum diving depth of the sub is around 650 meters.
The boats have an estimated range of 6,100 nautical miles or around 11,297 km
The Soryus have extensive active defense systems - the ZLR-3-6 electronic countermeasures suite
and two 3 inch underwater countermeasures launchers for launching acoustic devices.
It is to be noted that the entire submarine is covered in acoustic tiling to reduce both
the signature of enemy active sonar signals and sounds from the inside the vessel.
Soryu class is considered to be one of the most silent in the world.
Ōryū the 11th one is the world's first lithium-ion battery submarine.
The JMSDF is currently the only naval service in the world to have installed this technology
aboard a submarine.
Lithium-ion batteries have almost double the electric storage capacity of traditional lead-acid
batteries.
Lithium-ion batteries will enable the Oryu to shut off its diesel-electric propulsion
and operate on battery power alone for long periods underwater improving the underwater
endurance significantly.
Viewers may note that batteries are way less noisy than diesel-electric engines and reduce
the subs acoustic signature, making detection harder.
JMSDF believes that lithium-ion is the way forward and intends to 'trial' this new system
and compare it to the previous AIP system for operational effectiveness.
In November last year, Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) launched the 12th and final Soryu-class
SSK, the future JS Toryu.
Like the JS Oryu, the Toryu, slated to be commissioned in March 2021, will also be fitted
with lithium-ion batteries.
Each submarine has an optronic mast and ZPS-6F surface/low-level air search radar for the
detection of enemy Anti Submarine Warefare and maritime patrol craft.
To detect enemy warships and submarines, Oryu has bow-and-flank-mounted Hughes/Oki ZQQ-7
sonar arrays.
It is also equipped with a towed array sonar capable of detecting ships over 70 km or 37
nautical miles away.
The Soryu-class is fitted with six HU-606 533 mm torpedo tubes that can accommodate
Type 89 heavyweight torpedoes for anti submarine operations and UGM-84 Harpoon for anti-ship
role.
The Type 89 torpedo is a submarine-launched homing torpedo produced by Japan’s Mitsubishi
Heavy Industries.
It replaced the unguided Type 72 torpedo.
Development was done by the Technical Research and Development Institute, a department of
the Ministry of Defense, and began in 1970, with the design completed by 1984.
Developed from the Type 80 torpedo, it is similar in its capabilities to the United
States Mark 48 ADCAP torpedo.
After being formally approved in 1989 and named "Type 89", it entered service.
It is a wire-guided torpedo that features both active and passive homing modes.
Compared to Mk-48 torpedo, it is slightly longer and heavier, but has a marginally smaller
warhead (267 kg or 588 lbs compared to 295 kg or 650 lbs).
However, it can be used at a greater depth (900 m vs. 800 m for the Mk-48).
The Harpoon is an all-weather, over-the-horizon, anti-ship missile, developed and manufactured
by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing Defense, Space & Security).
The submarine-launched variant is fitted with a solid-fuel rocket booster and encapsulated
in a container to enable submerged launch through a torpedo tube
The missile has subsonic speed and capable of hitting targets more than 70 miles or
112 km away.
It must be noted here that China is already witnessing an economic slowdown and the recent
events will surely see a push back by many countries.
In this situation, China’s aggressive military posturing may come back to haunt it if Japan
restarts its militarization.
It must be noted that Japan already has a strong military though it has not gone all
out in its pursuit.
If Japan decisively takes that path, it could rise in a very short time.
Another important aspect is the U.S is Japan’s ally and is bound by the treaty of 'Mutual
Cooperation and Security' to come to Japan’s aid in case Japan faces aggression from an
external party.
So, if a conflict breaks out, Japan will need to hold off China for some time till full-fledged
American support is received.
Keeping this scenario in mind we can easily see that the fleet of Sōryū-class subs will
play a major role.
Sōryū-class is already considered to be one of the best and with the addition of Lithium-ion
battery tech, it will become even more deadly.
The submarine's sensors and weapons will enable them to track and hunt Chinese subs and warships.