Singapore Navy's New Submarines - HDW Type 218SG

*** Please read the latest on the Type 218SG here. ***

RSN's Silent Service

The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) had been operating conventional diesel-electric submarines since 1995. Initially, as it was a completely new capability for a small navy, the RSN opted to purchase 5 decommissioned / used submarines from Sweden. These were the A-11 Sjöormen class submarines first commissioned in the late 1960s. Four of these boats were re-commissioned as the Challenger class and the fifth was to be salvaged for parts. They were extensively refurbished and upgraded by Kockums for use in tropical climate and came with personnel training agreements with the Royal Swedish Navy. They form the 171 Squadron based at Changi Naval Base.

The Challenger class submarines enabled the RSN to learn the trade of undersea warfare in an accelerated timeframe but they had one glaring shortcoming - they were not equipped with air-independent propulsion (AIP). AIP is simply an advanced underwater propulsion system in a non-nuclear submarine that did not involve access to atmospheric oxygen, eliminating the periodic need to surface or snorkel to recharge the batteries. ( see my previous blog AIP submarines for RSN )

In 2005 an opportunity to buy another 2 decommissioned submarines from Sweden came in the form of  two A-17 Vastergotland class boats. These were a generation newer than the Challenger class boats, having been launched in 1986 and 1987. They were extensively modified  and had their hulls sliced and lengthened to accommodate a proprietary Stirling AIP engine. They were eventually commissioned as the RSS Archer and RSS Swordsman.


 

RSS Archer during her launching ceremony in Sweden in June 2009. Source : Peter Nilsson Kockums AB.

 

 

The Stirling Conversion : From Vastergotland to Archer. Kockums picture

 

Submarine Shopping

Now that the submariners have honed their skills with AIP, it is time for the RSN to consider buying more potent and newer platforms. On 2nd Dec 2013 MINDEF made public the acquisition of 2 customized AIP capable submarines from ThyssenKrupp Marine System GmBH (TKMS). From the MINDEF press release " These submarines, together with the Archer class submarines, will replace the ageing Challenger class submarines. The Challenger class submarines were built in the 1960s and will be progressively retired from service. The replacement submarines will have significantly improved capabilities and be equipped with Air Independent Propulsion systems." With some background information, it would not be of too much a surprise that this time it would no longer be a Swedish design.

Boat Supplying Nations

There are not many countries that have the capability to design and build submarines. The United States have not looked back on conventional diesel-electrics ever since they commissioned the world's first operational nuclear submarine the USS Nautilus (SSN-571) in 1954. The Royal Navy similarly disposed off their Upholder class SSKs and are and all-nuclear force. What's left will be Germany, with their U-209s and U-214s, probably the largest exporter of conventional submarines in the free world, France, the supplier of Scorpenes, Spain, exporting their S-80 Scorpene variant, Sweden, with their ill-fated Collins-class project but enjoying better domestic success and in exporting to Singapore, and finally Russia, with the Project 636 improved Kilo class. Japan is just beginning to come online as a potential supplier, after ditching their post WWII pacifist Constitution. South Korea builds U-209s and U-214s under licence and exported a couple to Indonesia, and China builds but hardly exports. All said, if you are buying U-boats ( presumably non-nuclear ), your options are somewhat limited. If you are sourcing for nuke boats then your choice is simple, go to Uncle Putin, but be warned, you can get badly mauled like India did with its yet to be delivered INS Vikramaditya ( ex-Admiral Gorshkov ) carrier.

The Boote Yards

Kockums AB's Karlskrona shipyard has been producing first rate submarines for Sweden since the 1912. Apart from the A-11 Sjöormen class and the A-17 Vastergotland class SSKs already mentioned above, they also constructed three A-19 Gotland class submarines with air-independent propulsion for the Swedish Navy in 1990. Their next generation offering is the A-26 submarine, originally scheduled to replace the Vastergotlands as they are retired in 2020.

In a series of miscalculations by the Swedish government, the fortunes of Kockums began to change around the turn of the century (1999 to be precise) where, in a complicated web of industrial merger and acquisition, Celsius AB sold its subsidiary Kockums AB to German ship builder Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft GmBH (HDW) in an all-share swap for 25% of HDW, with an option to exit the business with a lump sum. The following year, SAAB bought over most of Celsius AB and opted to be paid and exited. And so Kockums become a part of HDW and then HDW was itself acquired by ThyssenKrupp Marine System GmBH (TKMS) in 2005.

HDW is of course most famous for submarines - their U-205, U-206 and U-209 series conventional diesel-electric submarines are in active service in many navies all around the globe, not to mention the Dolphin Class variant for the Israeli Navy. Their latest offering is the U-212A and its export version the U-214.

TKMS is a huge German conglomerate and in addition to Kockums which it acquired through HDW, owns several other shipyards in Germany and Greece. It now has two competing lines of submarines to sell in a limited post-cold war global market and the number of submarine exports are just not enough to keep the yards busy. It does not help when many customers also insist on local construction and technology transfer. It just not possible to maintain both the German HDW and Swedish Kockums to compete against its rivals like DCNS of France and Rubin Design Bureau of Russia. Understandably TKMS would favour its German shipyards over the other foreign ones.

So when the time came for Singapore to replace her Challenger class submarines, Kockums, the exclusive supplier of submarines to the Republic of Singapore Navy for the past 18 years saw its monopoly broken and was prevented from submitting a bid by its parent company. Instead, TKMS offered HDW's U-218SG, to be built in its Kiel shipyard in northern Germany.

On a separate note, TKMS had also successfully stalled Kockum's next-gen A-26 AIP offering to the Swedish government which industrial insiders believe is delayed by contract negotiations between Kockums and Sweden's Defence Materiel Administration. The two parties simply cannot come to a price agreement.

Fortunately, this impasse may be about to change as Singapore's HDW purchase had finally whipped the Swedes into action to ( forcefully? ) buy back Kockums and regain control of their submarine building capability and put the A-26 acquisition back on tract. In what has come a full circle, on 29th Jun 2014 SAAB announced that it will buy Kockums back from ThyssenKrupp for SEK 340 million ( about USD 50.5 million) in a deal that is probably subsidized by the Swedish government. Still, the U-218SG purchase is a done deal and the A-26, severely undermined by ThyssenKrupp, will never be ready by 2020 even for its domestic client, the RSwN.





The Kockums next generation submarine the A-26 AIP that the RSN
was never meant to have in a computer generated image showing
 special forces deploy through the Multi-Mission Portal. Source : SAAB Kockums

 

 

The Mysterious U-218SG

All that we know about this submarine is that it is a customized design for Singapore. It is a conventional diesel-electric hunter-killer submarine with air-independent propulsion based on HDW's current designs, due for delivery in 2020. No other information is available in the public domain about this new boat. Unless you have insider information, right now everything is speculation.

Still, there is nothing to stop anyone from making an intelligent guess as to what this new submarine would turn out to be. A good start will be to understand Singapore's operational requirements and the currently available HDW U-boats designs.

The U-218SG will likely be involved in the following :

Anti-surface and anti-submarine operations

Special forces deployment

Unmanned vehicle deployment ( UUV and UAV )

Land attack missions with cruise missiles

Intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance ( ISTAR )

Carrier battle group ( CVBG ) escort - future Endurance-160 type large helicopter / F-35B carrier

Singapore's existing Challenger and Archer class SSKs are in the 1200 to 1400 ton range and are really too small to cope with all of the above functions. Even the existing HDW options, the Type 212A built for the Deutsche Marine ( German Navy ) and the Marina Militare ( Italian Navy ), as well as the export version the Type 214 are all in the 1500 to 1700 ton range.

Unlike European navies who operate in the relatively smaller and shallower Baltic Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, those in the Indo-Pacific region including Japan, South Korea, India and Australia would probably require bigger submarines with much longer range. The main role of the U-218SG will surely not be to play cat and mouse with the RMN in the narrow Straits of Malacca. It might have a bigger role in maintaining the SLOC open in the South China Sea and beyond, given the aggressive behavior of China in recent years. So it has to be bigger with a longer range and endurance. It also has to be faster, at least as fast as the carrier task group that it is supposed to protect. A bigger submarine will also have more space for more comfortable crew accommodation.

Fortunately HDW has exactly such a design concept in the form of the Type 216 AIP weighing in at 4000 ton. This is a double hulled two decked ocean-going monster was designed to fulfill the requirements for the Australian SEA 1000 Collins replacement project. However, it would be too big for the RSN if the design is adopted at face value. It would never safely transit the congested waters of the Straits of Singapore without being observed ( or bumped into )! So perhaps 2500 to 3000 tons would be a good compromise. A scaled down U-216 while retaining all the original bells and whistles. There is precedence in the Project Delta frigates - the Formidable class being an improved but smaller version of the La Fayette class stealth frigate.






The HDW U-216 SSK Source : ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems

 

 

This is the original U-216 technical specifications :

Length : approximately 90m

Pressure Hull Diameter : approximately 8.1m

Surface Displacement : about 4000 tons

HDW Fuel-cell Air-Independent Propulsion System

Lithium-Ion Polymer Battery Technology

HABETaS rescue system for personal rescue / free ascent at 300m

Endurance : 80 days at sea. 4 weeks without surfacing.

Range : 10000 nautical miles

Compliment : 33 officers and ratings. Extra capacity for divers and attached personnel

IDAS fibre-optic guided missile system for defense and attack against aerial targets ( ASW helos included )

Weapon Tubes : 6 x 533mm ( torpedoes, anti-ship missiles, mines, UUV? )

Vertical Launch System : Vertical Multi-Purpose Lock for launching cruise missiles

Torpedo Countermeasure System

Special Forces Swimmer Delivery Vehicle ( SDV )

In other words - the works. All that anybody could ask for in a submarine short of SLBM launch capability.

The innovative Interactive Defence and Attack System for Submarines (IDAS) is a

lightweight fibre-optic guided missile for submarines against aerial threats.
Photo : ThyssenKrupp Marine Syatems

                                

 

 

The MdCN ( Missile de Croisiere Naval ) or naval cruise missile can be

launched from the torpedo tubes of a submarine. Source : MBDA

 

 

The MdCN, aka naval SCALP, can also be launched from the
A70 Sylver vertical launch system of France's FREMM frigates. Source : MBDA

 

Whatever the final specs are, it will be a huge step forward for the RSN. Retirement of the Challenger class submarines will transform RSN's silent service into an all-AIP force, just like the Swedes and the Germans. No ship lasts forever. If all goes well, tranche one will be followed with a subsequent order to eventually replace the Archer class possibly by the year 2025 - 2028. This article may be updated as more information is forthcoming.

JMMS - Singapore's ( and South East Asia's* ) first Aircraft Carrier?

The Joint Multi-Mission Ship ( JMMS )

 

 

 

ST Marine Endurance-160 JMMS. Source : ST Marine

 

In his pre-SAF Day media interview 3 days ago, Singapore's Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen mentioned about the possibility of the RSN ( Republic of Singapore Navy ) acquiring a new class of large helicopter carrying support ship that could provide better aid during major humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations (HADR).

"While the Landing Ships Tank have served us (well), we are seriously considering a larger Joint Multi-Mission Ship (JMMS) that would have greater capacity and greater range to respond."
"When we responded to Typhoon Haiyan...the typhoon was so devastating that communications were knocked out."
"There was no centralised ability for command and control of the airspace. In that context, a ship like the JMMS would have been very useful."

The March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in the Tohoku region of Japan
destroyed entire towns as this scene in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture
( 大船渡市, 岩手県 ) shows.
 Pretty nothing much is left standing after the double whammy
of earthquake and tidal wave. US Navy Photo.

So what exactly is a JMMS? To understand this ship, one has to go back to its precursor - the Endurance Class Landing Ship Tank.

The Endurance Class LST

RSS Persistence ( L-209 ) of the Republic of Singapore Navy. Photo : Wikipaedia

RSS Resolution ( LPDM 208 ) and USS Denver ( LPD 9 ) during
Ex Cobra Gold 2011. USN Photo

 

 

The ST Marine Endurance class Landing Ship Tank (LST) as the SAF calls it is actually not an LST! It should more accurately be described as an LPD - Landing Platform Dock in naval parlance. An LST is an amphibious transport ship that can beach itself and discharge its cargo of men and vehicles directly onto the beach head via a bow ramp. In contrast, an LPD has an internal well deck that can be flooded so that troops and vehicles can be transferred to the shore by landing crafts carried internally. It does not and cannot beach itself like an LST. Interestingly, ST Marine correctly labeled the Endurance Class as LPDs on their website. The following pictures shows how the well deck looks like and how crafts, vehicles and materials can be loaded and unloaded.

This is how a typical well deck looks like when dry. Japan Self Defense Force
vehicles line the well deck of the amphibious landing ship dock USS Tortuga ( LSD-46 )
16th Mar 2011 during relief operations in Northern Honshu. USN Photo

 

This is how it looks like from inside the well deck. A landing Craft Utility ( LCU )
enters the flooded well deck of the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship
USS Essex ( LHD-2 ). USN Photo

 

 

This is how the flooded well deck looks like from outside the ship.
The amphibious dock landing ship USS Gunston Hall ( LSD-44 ) transits
during wet well operations as part of landing craft utility ( LCU ) training and maintenance,
11th Apr 2014, Gulf of Oman. USN Photo.

 

 

Hovercrafts do not require a flooded well deck for entering an amphibious ship.
Landing craft Air Cushion ( LCAC ) 71 prepares to enter the well deck of the
San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS Mesa Verde ( LPD-19 )
23rd Mar 2014 in the Arabian Sea. USN Photo.
 

 

Here's another way of loading at sea without flooding.
Towed artillery being transferred from a landing craft utility ( LCU )
 into the lower vehicle area of the Austin-class amphibious transport dock ship
USS Denver ( LPD 9 ) in Okinawa, Japan 3rd Feb 2014. USN Photo.

 

The RSN used to operate 5 World War Two era ( think D-Day Normandy or Iwo Jima landings ) ex-US Navy County class LST since the 1970s. For more than 20 years they served as transports and training platforms especially for midshipmen ( naval officer cadets ). However, they had become harder and uneconomical to maintain with the passage of time and were eventually replaced by the indigenously designed and built Endurance class LPDs.

USS Holmes County ( LST 836 ), commissioned in 1944 and served
 in the Pacific Theatre during WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War and
was loaned to Singapore in 1971 and finally sold to Singapore outright in 1975.
 She was renamed RSS Endurance ( L-201 ),
 the first ship to bear that name in the RSN. Photo : Navsource.org

 

The Endurance Class - Specs and Capabilities

The Endurance class ships have a displacement of about 7600 tons, a length of 141m, a breath of 21m and a draft of 5m. They are capable of making 17 knots and have a maximum range of 5500 nautical miles. The aft helicopter deck can operate 2 medium-lift helicopters like the AS-332M Super-Puma simultaneously or 1 heavy-lift helicopter like the Boeing CH-47D Chinook. The internal well dock can hold 4 LCM / LCVP type landing crafts. The compliment is officially stated as 120 crew and 15 aircrew and each ship can carry in excess of 300 troops. They are armed with a 76mm OTO MELARA super rapid main gun, two 25mm M242 Bushmaster autocannons and 4 CIS 12.7mm heavy machine guns. Air defense is provided by Mistral missiles fired from two Simbad twin launchers.

RSS Resolution underway. Note the 76mm Oto Melara main gun. RSN Photo

 

 

RSS Endeavour during the Royal Australian Navy's International Fleet Review 2013
in Sydney. Note the bow doors. Wikicommons

RSS Endeavour entering Sydney Harbour during the
Royal Australian Navy's International Fleet Review 2013. Wikicommons
 

 

ST Marine has so far build 5 ships of this class, the first four, RSS Endurance, RSS Resolution, RSS Persistence and RSS Endeavour were commissioned between the years 2000 and 2001 for the RSN. The last ship HTMS Angthong was commissioned in 2012 for the Royal Thai Navy for a sum of SGD 200 million.

Royal Thai Navy's LPD 791 HTMS Angthong during
Cobra Gold 2016. Wikicommons

These LPD have since been actively involved with anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden and HADR missions in Aceh ( 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami ) and the Philippines ( Typhoon Haiyan ). They have proven themselves to be potent and capable platforms. Value-wise they also compare favourably with similar classed vessels from foreign navies like the LPD-17 San Antonio class which cost ten times as much to build ( to be fair these are 25000 ton vessels , 3 times bigger ) and yet still suffer from poor workmanship and many teething problems!





Anti-piracy duty : The aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush ( CVN 77 )
is underway with Singapore Navy tank landing ship
RSS Endeavour ( L210 ) in the Gulf of Aden 15th Nov 2011. USN Photo

The Endurance Family

ST Marine's website touts 3 different configurations for the Endurance type support ship. The Endurance-120, the Endurance-140 and finally the Endurance-160 based on the length of the ship. So the RSS Endurance which measures 141m belongs to the Endurance-140 sub-type and as far as anyone is aware this is the only type that has been built by ST Marine. The 120 and 160 are simply options for export or future consideration.

The Endurance-class LPD brochure from ST Marine

The Endurance 120, 140 and 160. Image : ST Marine

 

Apart from the length, the main difference between the Endurance-120 and the Endurance-140 is the load capacity. So the 120 is a miniature version of the 140 that carries only one medium-lift helicopter and less landing crafts and less troops.

The Endurance-160 however, is a different kettle of fish. It is only 20m longer but is twice as big as the Endurance-140 in terms of tonnage - in the 14500 ton range. It has a through flight deck that can accommodate five helicopters and an island superstructure that immediately screams "Helicopter Carrier". The top speed is increased to 22 knots and its range listed as 7000 nautical miles. It has a well deck and carries landing crafts just like her smaller siblings. Since 2010, ST Marine has been showcasing scaled models of this ship at major defense exhibitions like the Singapore Airshow but there has been no foreign or domestic sales so far. The equivalent USN designation would be Landing Helicopter Dock ( LHD) and a good example would be USS Wasp ( LHD-1 ) class amphibious assault carriers, though these are 40000 ton monsters.

USS Bonhomme Richard ( LHD 6 ), a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship transits
the East China Sea 22nd Apr 2014. Sailors and Marines onboard conducted
SAR operations at the Korean ferry disaster site near Jindo Island. USN Photo

 

 

 

The Multi-Role Assault Carrier

 

 

So what value can an amphibious assault carrier add to a small navy like the RSN? After all you cannot possibly be assaulting your neighbour's beach all the time, can you? Though I must say the temptation would certainly be there especially if your neighbour is intent on reclaiming land and creating new beach heads near your maritime boundary all the time. 

 

First, let's get the records straight. An amphibious assault ship is an offensive weapon system and is not used for defense. Its main role is that of force projection over the seas and across the surf zones to land an amphibious force onto a beach head as efficiently as possible. Depending on the aviation assets embarked ( AH-64D Apache gunship ), it may even provide fire support for the landing force.

It can be a platform for airborne mine countermeasures missions, again if there are helicopters like the MH-53E Sea Dragon embarked.

 

Last but not least, it can also potentially be a potent anti-submarine platform as long as the appropriate mix of ASW helicopters are carried.

 

At the same time, the very characteristics that enable an amphibious assault ship to provide good support to an amphibious landing on a hostile beach also makes it an ideal platform for a HADR mission. The large capacity for cargo means more relief supplies can be carried. Heavy vehicles and mechanized equipment can be embarked and disembarked with relative ease. A large warship also tends to have more advanced communications suite and can be used as a command and communications centre for the relief mission. Its medical and surgical facilities can provide treatment to those in need. Most importantly its fleet of medium and heavy-lift helicopters can provide sustained airlift capabilities when roads and airfields are completely destroyed in major disasters.

 

However, HADR missions, although they are becoming increasing common for the Singapore Armed Forces, can never be the main justification for acquiring a new capability as major as an assault carrier. You will be silly to spend several hundred million dollars on a ship just to play the Good Samaritan and be in the good books of your neighbours! So the real motive or rationale for having a helicopter carrier is still not immediately obvious to the public but perhaps one could speculate? Could this be a respond to the increasingly aggressive and belligerent behavior of China in the South China Sea?

 

 

The South China Cauldron

 

The South China Sea is a hugely volatile area with many Pacific Rim nations having claims on its numerous shoals and island groups. The Spratly Islands for example, is simultaneously claimed by China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines and Brunei. Until not so long ago, regional powers have largely played by the rules and avoided serious armed confrontations. The rise of China as an economic and military power in recent years have changed the status quo. Having utterly modernized its airforce and navy and with the commissioning of a brand new aircraft carrier the Liaoning, China has upped the ante by unilaterally declaring an air defense identification zone ( ADIZ ) over the East China Sea and have been seen engaging in thuggish behavior like fire control radar locking on a Japanese ship, ramming a Vietnamese patrol boat, spraying water cannons on fishing vessels, blockading Pilipino resupply ships from relieving an island outpost, buzzing Japanese aircrafts and intrusions into Japanese airspace to test their scrambling response etc. Although Singapore does not have any territorial disputes with any country in the South China Sea ( not counting Pedra Branca as the dispute has been settled in the ICJ in Singapore's favour ), any escalation of tension in the region will still disrupt trade and communications, thus potentially threatening its independence and survival.  

 

How To Tame A Dragon

 

So what could be done about China who is blatantly disregarding international norms and law? What if China claims the entire South China Sea as its own and restrict passage? Even the combined forces of all ten ASEAN nations is probably no match for China. And please do not put too much hope with the new Japanese not so pacifist Constitution as it does not really change anything. The US is not too keen to get involved in anybody's business nowadays and would be more than happy to lead from behind. Obama took more than a year before reaffirming that the US would come to Japanese aid should her territories be violated. Further afield nothing was done when Crimea was taken from Ukraine except sanctions and more useless sanctions. All this means that you can't really depend on others to protect you when shit hits the ceiling ( and why should they? ). At the end of the day, it still pays to be self-sufficient, whether in defense, resources or other things.

 

Endurance-200?

 

How about a light aircraft carrier capable of carrying half a squadron of F-35B Lightning II stealth fighters? That surely would be a game changer. Dr Ng was referring to an Endurance-160 type helicopter carrier in his pre-SAF Day speech and he did mention that SAF is still in the preliminary feasibility stages and the design has not been finalized. Now it would not need too much imagination to think that what if an Endurance-180 or better still an Endurance-200 type hull be acquired and you can have instead a light aircraft carrier like the Giuseppe Garibaldi shown below?
 

 

Italian light aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi with AV-8 Harrier
STOVL jets and helicopters on the flight deck. Wikipaedia

 

 

The short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) version of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) designated the F-35B needs 168m of real estate for take-off. Less if a ramp is available. So a 25000 ton Endurance-200 could well be constructed to be able to embark more than just five helicopters and a ramp could be included in the design for fixed-wing operations. A large hangar bay would have to be included in the design, together with bigger aircraft elevators and most importantly, a jet blast proofed flight deck. Nobody would want a repeat of what the brand new USS America is going through - 40 weeks of additional yard time for modifications to the flight deck because it could not withstand the heat from the F-35B, an aircraft it was originally designed to operate! Of course the F-35B is currently not quite yet ready for mass production but it would hopefully be ready when the Endurance-200 is commissioned.  

A F-35B Lightning II lands aboard the amphibious assault ship
USS Wasp ( LHD 1 ) during the second at-sea F-35
developmental test event, Atlantic Ocean, 14th Aug 2013. USN Photo.

 

F-35B Joint Strike Fighter aircraft BF-3 with inert AIM-9X sidewinder missiles
over the Atlantic test range Sep 2012. The F-35B variant is designed
for the US Marine Corps as well international partners including the UK and Italy
and is capable of short take-offs and vertical landings to enable
air power projection from amphibious ships, ski-jump aircraft carriers
and expeditionary airfields. USN Photo

F-35B of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron VX-23 during the
first ever ski jump launch of the JSF at NAS Patuxent River
19th Jun 2015. Wikicommons

The U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA-6)
conducts flight operations off the coast of Southern California (USA)
during the ship's recertification of the flight deck after
completing a 10-month Post Shakedown Availability (PSA). USN Photo.

 

HMS Invincible ( R-05 ) of the Royal Navy, now decommissioned,
with her Ski-jump ramp for STOVL fixed wing operations in 2005
during the 200th Anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar celebrations. Wikipaedia

 

 

MV-22 Ospreys : Having a couple of these folding wing tilt-rotors
will be really NICE. The amphibious assault ship USS Boxer ( LHD 4 )
is underway during Ex Dawn Blitz 2013. USN Photo.

 

With her air bases easily within artillery range from her closest neighbors ( both Malaysia and Indonesia possess the Astros II multiple launch rocket system ), an added benefit of having a carrier for Singapore would be that of mitigating the effectiveness of a pre-emptive strike from taking out the entire air force.

 

CVBG - Carrier Battle Group

 

We are all aware that aircraft carriers are high value targets and they never operate alone. Therefore with the Endurance-200, more frigates, corvettes and submarines will be required to form its protection group. Oilers and supply ships will be needed too. Most of these assets the RSN already owns or is in the process of acquiring, like the Type 218SG hunter killer submarine with air-independent propulsion, scheduled for delivery in the year 2020.

 

When that happens, Singapore will be the first in the region to have an operational aircraft carrier battle group and the RSN will be transformed into a true Blue Water Navy, offering credible deterrence to any nation intent upon disrupting her sea lines of communications (SLOC). I suspect it would be named RSS Singapura or perhaps RSS Temasek, because, why would anyone want to name a capital vessel after some nondescript province or some peasant ward??!

* Not counting the Thai-tanic HTMS Chakri Naruebet which, in 1999, barely 2 years after commissioning, had only one serviceable Matador ( Harrier VTOL ) to play with, and none after 2006. 

 

 

 

Malaysia's Submarine Woes



 

 

 

Malaysia's Scorpene SSK are also known as the Perdana Menteri ( Prime Minister ) class. Photo : LIMA 

 







 

 Keeping Up With The Joneses?

Ever since Singapore's acquisition of the Challenger-class ( Ex-Sjoormen-class SSK ) diesel-electric submarines from Sweden beginning in 1995, Malaysia has been dying to lay her hands on a couple of submarines too. It might have something to do with the fact that Malaysia does not want to be seen to be inferior in terms of military hardware and capability compared to her much much smaller but far richer neighbour Singapore. But really, to be beaten to anything by a tiny nation which one had evicted out of the Federation ( of Malaysia ) 45 years ago can be very hard to palate if not down right humiliating, especially with an ego as big as Malaysia's.

Need For Submarine

To be fair, Malaysia does have very long coastlines and many islands and maritime interests to patrol and protect. The Straits of Malacca on the west coast is one of the world's busiest sea lanes and a pirate hotspot. There are disputes with Indonesia over gas fields in the Anambas Islands and sovereign issues over the diving paradise Sipadan Island. Submarines will definitely be a valuable asset to any navy required to oversee all that territorial waters. In fact, one can argue that two submarines can hardly be considered adequate to patrol such a large expanse of ocean, even when manned by competent submariners.

Money, The Root Of All Evil

The main reason for the near decade delay in Malaysia's submarine buy was insufficient funds. Well, maybe I have to qualify by saying insufficient to pay for the arms and at the same time fill the pockets of middlemen, admirals and politicians. You see, Malaysia has one of the oddest way to purchase military weapons. It has to go through middlemen from state approved companies. These middlemen are usually good-for-nothing cronies of powerful politicians who earn millions of dollars in commission in each arms deal.

So instead of getting the best weapons platform for the country, the typical deal would go to the supplier would pays the most bribes.

The Scorpene Deal

The submarine contract was awarded in a non-competitive tender to DCNS of France in 2002, for two Scorpene diesel-electric submarines plus one refurbished Agosta-B submarine for training purposes. The total cost of the contract was estimated to be worth USD972 million or MYR3.68 billion ( MYR = Malaysian Ringgit ) . The boats were to be partially constructed by DCNS in France and partially by DCNS's now estranged Spanish partner Navantia.

From the Malaysian side, negotiations were made through a company known as Perimekar Sdn. Bhd., for which it was paid a commission of €114.96 million, approximately 11% of the purchase price of the submarines. Interestingly, this commission was paid by the buyer, the Malaysian government, and not the seller, DCNS/Navantia. Was the Defence Ministry so inept that it cannot even carry out a tender evaluation and perform its own negotiations??

Officially, the Defence Ministry stated that the money was paid to Perimekar Sdn. Bhd. for providing " support and coordinating services " over a period of 6 years. But what services can a civilian company provide that the Defence Ministry cannot provide for itself?

Now Perimekar, as far as anyone knew, is a subsidiary of another company KS Ombak Laut Sdn Bhd., which is wholly owned by a well connected political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda. In fact Baginda is a close friend ( read crony ) of the then Minister for Defence ( now Prime Minister cum Defence Minister ) Najib Razak. The problem was, both Perimekar and Ombak Laut do not seem to have any expertise in the area of defence equipment. So one wonders how on earth they could provide any form of support and coordination services to the Defence Ministry.




Malaysia's Scorpene submarine KD Tunku Abdul Razak arriving at the naval Base at Klang, 3rd Sep 2009. Source : Wikipedia.

More Scandals

To make matters worse, Abdul Razak Baginda was charged with abetting the murder of his assistant and lover, the French and Russian speaking Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaaribuu who was directly involved in the negotiations for the Scorpenes and the Sukhoi Su-30MKM multi-role fighters. Altantuya allegedly tried to blackmail Baginda for US$500000 but was murdered by members of the Police anti-terrorism special unit and her body was blown into bits by C-4 explosives, probably from the Police arsenal. Welcome to Bolehland, the country where the police can be instruments of murder and where the majority Bumiputera population needs and receives special privileges and protection from the minority races. The scandal itself can be the basis for many independent blog entries but I digress.

The Scorpene SSK

The Scorpene is a conventional diesel-electric hunter-killer submarine or SSK. Nuclear powered hunter-killers are designated SSN. It is a joint project by the French and Spaniards. It comes in three flavours - Basic, Basic-AIP and Compact. It can be fitted with the MESMA (Module d'Energie Sous-Marine Autonome ) air-independent propulsion system ( AIP ) to increase the underwater endurance of the submarine. The ones selected by Malaysia are the Basic versions and do not have air-independent propulsion technology incorporated in them. They are still quiet and capable contemporary designs despite the lack of AIP and are armed with 6 533mm bow torpedo tubes with 18 torpedoes or 30 mines and the submarine launched SM39 Exocet anti-ship missile.
According to Wikipedia, the MESMA system costs US$50-60 million each. Now if only the Malaysian politicians were an honest bunch and did not try to pocket the €114.96 million ( currently equivalent to US$158 million ), the Royal Malaysian Navy could have had 2 Scorpene Basic-AIPs PLUS a spare MESMA engine!!!!

Imagine what two new build AIP Scorpenes could do. They would probably thrash the 2 Singapore Navy rebuilds, the Archer Class AIP submarines. In case you did not know, the Archer Class of the RSN started life as the Vastergotland Class SSK of the Royal Swedish Navy. They were non-AIP and had to be literally cut into two and then lengthened mid-ship to accommodate the Stirling AIP engine during refurbishment. I am not even certain if the Singaporean submarines have the sub-Harpoon anti-ship missiles, but it is highly unlikely. But Nooooooooo .... 3 MESMA engines stolen from under the noses of the RMN, not a surprise at all after news broke out that 2 spare F-5 Tiger II jet engines worth RM50million each were smuggled out of a RMAF base and were sold to some South American Banana Republic now thought to be Uruguay.

From the pages of DCNS's Scorpene 2000 brochure.

Defects! Defects! Defects!

The first Scorpene, KD Tunku Abdul Rahman, was delivered to Malaysia in 2009. It has been reported that shortly after the welcoming ceremony at Port Klang on 3rd Sep 09, defects have already been discovered. Some of these have been played down by Royal Malaysian Navy Chief Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Jaafar as "teething problems" and included a defect in the submarine's Forward Sea Water Cooling System ( discovered on 17th Dec 09 ) and the High Pressure Air Blowing System ( detected on 17th Jan 10). Teething or not these defects have prevented the brand new submarine from diving for the past three months until they have been recently rectified by DCNS. They have forced the RMN to delay the tropical waters sea trials of KD Tunku Abdul Rahman which were originally scheduled to be completed in Jan 2010. This will also delay the achievement of IOC ( Initial Operational Capability ). DCNS even had to extend the warranty which was due to expire in Jan 2010 as a result. The delivery of the second Scorpene KD Tun Abdul Razak has also been postponed by a few months presumably as a result of the defects discovered in the first Scorpene.

Malaysia's Scorpene SSK underway. Source : LIMA

Lack Of Submarine Rescue Capability

In addition to all those high profile teething problems highlighted by the media, the RMN has another less obvious woe - lack of a submarine rescue vessel with a DSRV. DSRV is the abbreviation for Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle - a sort of mini-submarine capable of docking with a downed submarine underwater and off-load the trapped sailors. The DSRV type vehicle is usually small and portable and can usually be air-lifted if necessary. They should be standard inventory for any modern Navy with a submarine force.

Typical of any Malaysian venture which tends to be executed without much careful long term planning or sensible calculations, the procurement of the most modern submarines came without the consideration for submarine rescue capabilities. Total cost of ownership? What's that? Economy of Scale?? Never heard before. Insurance ? Hedging?? For what Ahhh??

Maybe that was the real reason why the KD Tunku Abdul Raman cannot dive after just "teething problems" affecting the high pressure air blowing system - if the submarine cannot surface after a dive, the RMN will have no choice but to beg the RSN to save their submariners, since the RSN is the only regional navy with a submarine rescue ship and submersible rescue vehicle. Something which the Malaysians would loath to do. It is all about "Face".

Final Words

Malaysia finally acquired a modern submarine force, after a prolonged period of delay. However, the choice of the platform is less capable than what could have been possible if not for unscrupulous channeling of funds into the hands of private companies and individuals. The non-competitive nature of the tender could also mean that Malaysia probably paid much more for the submarines when it could have been cheaper in an open tender. The lack of Air-Independent Propulsion and Submarine Rescue Capabilities could well be the Achilles' Heel of Malaysia's Silent Service. The imminent introduction of RSN's Sikorsky S-70B anti-submarine helicopters onboard the RSS Formidable-class stealth frigates would make life even harder for the Malaysian submariners in the near future.

Malaysia's Scorpene SSK and the visiting Los Angeles-class nuclear submarine SSN-721 Jacksonville at Sepanggar Naval Base, Sabah, 2010. Photo : RMN / USN 

AIP Submarines For RSN



The New Archer-Class ( ex-Vastergotland Class ) Submarine



HMS Sodermanland was a Vastergotland-class SSK that was upgraded in 2003 with AIP.
Seen here in a 2010 photo. Photo via Wikicommons




In case you do not know, RSN stands for the Republic of Singapore Navy. The RSN has been operating submarines since 1995, when a total of 5 ex-Swedish Navy A-11 Sjöormen Class SSKs ( Diesel-electric Attack Submarines ) were acquired when they were being retired by the Swedes. These old boats were all launched between the years 1967 to 1968 making them more than 25 years old when they were sold to Singapore.

However, they were extensively refurbished and modernised by Kockums AB of Sweden ( now SAAB as of 2015 ) for operations in tropical climate before being re-commissioned for the RSN as the RSS Challenger Class submarines. Four of these boats form the backbone of the 171 Squadron while the fifth boat is cannabilised for spares.

The RSN subsequently acquired another 2 submarines from Sweden in late 2005, the A-17 Vastergotland Class SSK, which had been retired from service by the RSwN ( Royal Swedish Navy ). Again, Kockums AB was engaged to refurbish these submarines. At that time little else was announced about the deal, especially whether the refurbished boats will have Air-Independent Propulsion (AIP) technology*. Today, 16th Jun 2009, the public learnt from the daily newspapers and MINDEF releases that these two boats are the RSS Archer and RSS Swordsman. RSS Archer has been launched at Kockums AB yard at Karlskrona by Mrs Teo Chee Hian, wife of the DPM / Minister for Defense.

Swedish newspapers reported that the Vastergotland deal was worth SEK 1 billion, then equivalent to US$135 million.
 



Launch of the RSS Archer at Kockums Shipyard in Karlskrona 16th Jun 2009.
Photosource : Kockums AB Photographer : Peter Nilsson 

What is Air Independent Propulsion?

AIP is simply a non-nuclear submarine propulsion system that works without requiring an external supply of air. It allows a conventional ( non-nuclear ) submarine to remain submerged for a longer period of time compared with their diesel-electric cousins as the AIP engine negates the need for an external supply of air / oxygen.

 

Diesel-electric submarines have batteries that need to be recharged by their diesel engines every now and then when they are depleted. Running the diesel engines require air / oxygen that can only be supplied when the submarine is either on the surface or when it is snorkeling. When snorkeling, the submarine stays submerged just beneath the surface but sticks its snorkel mast up to suck in air and expel diesel exhaust.

These activities put the submarine at increased risk of being detected by visual or infra-red sighting, radar reflection from the snorkeling mast or conning tower, magnetic anomaly disturbances or by the acoustic signature of the noisy diesel engines.

With AIP, all of the above risks normally associated with battery recharging will be eliminated. It allows the submarine to remain submerged for 2 weeks or more and makes the AIP submarine much stealthier than its diesel-electric counterpart.

The AIP Integrator

Kockums AB is the Swedish shipyard owned by Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems after a series of mergers and acquisitions starting from 1999. They have been building quality submarines for Sweden since 1912 and were the first in the world to produce a purpose-built AIP submarine the A-19 Gotland-class. While the RSwN retired the HMS Vastergotland and her sister ship HMS Halsingland, it chose to upgrade the newer two ships, the HMS Sodermanland and the HMS Ostergotland to being AIP capable using Kockum AB's proprietary AIP Stirling Engine. Kockums basically cut the submarines into two at mid section and lengthened the hull to accommodate the new Stirling Engine. The Stirling AIP uses diesel and oxygen in a closed system. The upgrade is so radical that the 2 boats are considered a new class of their own - the Sodermanland Class.

 

 

Royal Swedish Navy : All AIP Fleet

 

With the completion of the Sodermanland-class upgrade, the Royal Swedish Navy became the only navy in the world to have an entirely AIP capable submarine fleet. Nobody else could have that claim. Who else better to turn to when you need AIP submarines than the Swedes? They are the experts!

The A17 HMS Vastergotland ( left ) and the more advanced
A19 Gotland-class HMS Uppland  along side at Malmo, Sweden.
Photo taken in 2003 before the Vastergotland was sold to Singapore. Wikicommons



HMS Sodermanland and the submarine rescue ship A-214 HMS Belos in 2003. Wikicommons

 

Blue Water vs Brown Water

The US Navy commissioned the world's first operational nuclear submarine the USS Nautilus (SSN-571) in 1954 and never looked back. Their last batch of conventional diesel-electric submarine, the Barbel-class, was ordered between 1955 to 1956 and all had been retired by 1990. They now have an exclusively nuclear underwater fleet which is extremely effective for blue water ( open ocean ) operations which require long endurances. The Swedes however, have vastly different requirements where they have huge swaths of coastlines with deep narrow fjords to patrol. The salinity and temperature of the Baltic Sea are also very different from that of the open oceans and therefore the Swedes have long settled with conventionally powered submarines.
 

Singapore is a littoral state with plenty of shallow, murky waters and busy, noisy sea lanes. The small Swedish SSKs are well suited for this kind of underwater environment. Besides, modern diesel-electric submarines, like the Russian Type 636 improved Kilo Class SSK, can be extremely quiet especially when they are drifting or moving very slowly ( less than 5 Knots ). In fact, the RSwN HMS Gotland was "leased" to the USN for 2 years between 2005 to 2007, complete with crew, for bilateral anti-submarine exercises. Uncle Sam will not need to practice ASW with HMS Gotland if it was not quiet!

Growth of RSN's ASW Capabilities

The Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) capabilities of the RSN has grown in leaps and bounds ever since its early days of operating the Seawolf-class missile gunboats ( since retired ). In the 80s came the Victory Class missile corvettes with their variable depth sonar and Whitehead Alenia torpedoes. The 90s saw the addition of the Fearless Class ASW Patrol Vessels and of course, the best ASW platform, the Challenger Class SSKs.
The missile corvettes and the patrol vessels are both too small to accommodate any ASW helicopters. That glaring deficiency has since been rectified with the purchase of the Formidable Class stealth frigates which will carry the Sikorsky S70B Seahawk ASW helicopter, assumingly with magnetic anomaly detectors and towed array sonars plus offensive weapons like the mk46 torpedoes.
With the commissioning of the RSS Archer and Swordsman due in ?2010/2011, the RSN will have AIP technology among its submarine fleet and significantly increase its reach.
We must also not forget the aerial assets of the RSN, the Fokker F50 maritime patrol aircraft, in operation with the 121 Squadron since 1993, which acts as a force multiplier when dealing with naval threats.




What Singapore's Neighbours Have or Are Acquiring

The Malaysians have received their first of 2 Scorpene Class SSK earlier this year, the KD Tunku Abdul Rahman. These Scorpenes are not AIP endowed, unlike their more capable Spanish S-80 / S-80A cousins with the MESMA AIP engine which uses ethanol and compressed oxygen. They have another older Agosta B SSK based in France for training purposes. Since these were bought in 2002 during Malaysia's M-Era, the officially stated RM3.4billion package came with certain landing rights at the Charles de Gulle Airport for MAS as well. Maybe they could have had 3 scorpenes for the same price ( or 2 scorpene basic-AIPs ) had they not insisted on those landing rights, or having to pay the hundred over million ringgit of brokerage fees, or.... I digress. The second boat KD Tun Razak is due to be commissioned later this year.

The Indonesians have 2 ageing Type 209 / 1300 Cakra Class SSK since 1981. They have been recently upgraded by the South Koreans who also operate the Type 206 / Type 209 submarine. The Type 209 is one of the most widely exported submarine from the West. They have made an agreement with Putin in 2007 to buy among other things, 2 Type 636 Kilo Class SSK plus options for another 8 more. These orders have yet to be fulfilled.

Thailand has no submarine fleet but are eager to acquire one. Earlier efforts by Sweden to sell them the A19 Gotland Class submarine have failed to materialise. Most of the money could have gone into financing their purchase of the 12 SAAB JAS-39 Gripen fighters and the 2 SAAB S-1000 Erieye AEW. Air Force 1 Navy 0.

Vietnam has 2 ex-Yugoslav minisubs for special forces operations and has recently ( Apr 09 ) agreed in principle to buy 6 Russian Type 636 Kilo Class SSK. Pegged at USD1.8Billion these are said to be originally the ones ordered by Venezuela, but with Hugo Chavez's falling oil fortunes are now going to Vietnam.

Australia has 6 Type 471 Collins Class Diesel-electric SSK designed by Kockums AB. These are among the world's largest non-nuclear submarines displacing 3350tons submerged suited to patrolling the vast coastlines of Australia. They are quiet and capable boats with a large weapons load including the Boeing Sub-Harpoon anti-ship missile and the Mk48 ADCAP torpedoes. They can be retrofitted with AIP engines. Following a bad start with lots of delays and deficiencies, these boats have been upgraded with a combat control system from Raytheon similar to the one in the Virginia Class SSN of the US Navy.

The New Zealanders are on good terms with the Aussies and do not have any perceived threats in their immediate vicinity. The Helen Clarke Government retired the last of their 1950 era McDonnell Douglas A-4Ks without any replacement. Their air force now only operates helicopters and transports. The RNZN does not own any submarines.

The Future

What next after the RSS Archer? The RSN will probably retire part of its Challenger Class fleet upon arrival of the RSS Archer and RSS Swordsman. They can be mothballed or be used as a training submarine or be cannibalized for spare parts. Once its AIP operational experience has been gained, it can either look to acquire the A-19 Gotland Class when the Swedes are ready to retire them or consider other advanced options like the German HDW U212 / U214 AIP SSKs or the Russian Amur 1650 / Amur 950 / Kilo SSKs or God forbid, the DCNS / Navantia Scorpene SSK.

Update 2013

RSS Archer and Swordsman have both been commissioned. The 4 older Challenger Class submarines are still operational. There are now rumours that RSN could be interested in the latest Swedish A26 Class submarine.

The Collins Class SSKs of Australia is still plagued by generator and sonar problems. Only one out of six ship is currently operational. The RAN is looking to acquire 12 new enhanced-Collins type submarines as their replacement.

Indonesia bought 3 Type 209 / 1400s from South Korea.

Malaysia has received Exocet missiles with land attack capabilities for their Scorpene submarines, range about 180km .....

Update 3rd Dec 2013

In the Straits Times : The Republic of Singapore Navy will be acquiring 2 customized Type 218SG AIP submarines from HDW Kiel. They are likely to be ready by 2020. Two of the older Challenger class non-AIP submarines will be retired.