Song class

Song class

Ship data country  China Shipyard Wuhan Shipbuilding Jiangnan Shipyard Units built 10 period of service Since 1997

Ship dimensions and crew length 74.9 m ( Lüa ) width 8.4 m Draft Max. 5.3 m displacement surfaced: 1,727 t submerged: 2,286 t   crew 60

Machine system machine diesel-electric , 3 × diesel MTU 16V396SE84 Machine performance 3,500 kW (4,759 hp) propeller 1

Mission data submarine Immersion depth, max. 300 m Top speed submerged 22 kn (41 km / h)

Armament 6 × torpedo tube Ø 533 mm (18 rounds or 36 mines) YJ-8 - anti-ship missiles (not used)

The Song class , ( NATO classification, Chinese name Type 039 ), is a diesel-electric submarine type used by the Chinese Navy . The first Song class boat entered service in 1997.

Design and construction

Song class boat, type 039G

After initially only replicas of the Soviet Romeo class had been produced in the People's Republic of China , the 039 (Song class) was the first submarine design to be completely constructed in China.

The boats are intended both for fighting enemy submarines and for attacking surface ships. The teardrop-shaped hull is equipped with four oars and a single propeller. To reduce noise, the ship's propulsion system is mounted in shock absorbers and the shell is covered with sound-absorbing rubber elements. The long test phase of the first boat 320 indicates the problems with noise levels and underwater operation that arose during the development period, which resulted in only one boat being built according to the original design Type 039.

The original design had a stepped command tower raised at the rear. The individual improvements ultimately led to the Type 039G, built in seven units, which can be recognized from the outside by its stepped command tower. In addition, there is the Type 039A, which is largely similar to the Type 039G, but does not have a down elevator on the command tower.

The exact number of boats in the class in service is unclear. More recent estimates put up to ten boats in 2010 that were built in Wuhan and possibly also in Shanghai .

Armament

Song class boat, type 039G

The main armament of the Type 039, which is equipped with six torpedo tubes, is the 533 mm Yu-4 torpedo , with which surface targets can be attacked up to a distance of 15 kilometers. A Yu-6 wired torpedo can be used to attack other submarines . It is believed that the type 039 with YJ-8 - anti-ship missiles can be fitted, which would increase his attack km radius on the 80th Instead of the maximum of 18 torpedoes, up to 36 sea ​​mines can be taken on board and laid out through the torpedo tubes. Although tests with the CY-1 -ASROC system are also known of type 039 , its use is questionable.

Location

sonar

The main location system for attack and search is a mid-frequency sonar located in the bow of the boat , with passive and active functions. In addition, the sonar can be used for underwater communication and as a warning system in the event of a torpedo approach. The sonar developed in China is based on the French Thomson CSF TSM 2233 sonar, which, depending on its function, can track four to twelve targets simultaneously. To improve the passive location options, a device comparable to the French low-frequency sonar Thomson-CSF TSM-2255 is installed on both sides of the fuselage, which can track four more targets within a radius of at least 30 km. There is also a Chinese H / SQG-04 sonar. A small I-band radar is used for surface location.

Electronic warfare

The Song class boats are equipped with a range of electronic devices that were first installed in Chinese submarines. These include electronic support measures , radio direction finders and the SRW209 radar warning system.

Kitty Hawk incident

On October 26, 2006, a previously undiscovered Song-class boat appeared about five nautical miles away - i.e. within its possible torpedo range - next to the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk .

Units built

• Type 039: 320
• Type 039G1: 315 , 316 , 318 , 327
• Type 039G: 314 , 321 , 322 , 323 , 324

export

China offered the 039 to Thailand for sale in 2007. The offer is currently pending as the Royal Thai Navy has not yet maintained any submarine infrastructure.

Web links

Commons : Song class  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Song Class, Type 039 Diesel Electric Submarines at sinodefence.com (English)

Footnotes

1. ↑ Stephen Saunders: Jane's Fighting Ships, Edition 2015-2016 . United Kingdom, 2015. p. 133.
2. ↑ Ji You: The armed forces of China. Tauris & Co Limited, 1999, ISBN 1860644996 , p. 191.
3. ^ ^{A b} Andrew S. Erickson, Lyle J. Goldstein, William S. Murray: China's future nuclear submarine force. US Naval Institute Press, 2007, ISBN 1591143268 , p. 153.
4. ↑ Jerald D. Finn: China – US Economic and Geopolitical Relations. Nova Science Publishers Inc, 2008, ISBN 1604560525 , p. 177.
5. ↑ Michael Goldfarb: Red China & Red Lines. The Weekly Standard , January 12, 2007
6. ↑ Jonathan Howland: Iran, China Intent on Countering Navies. ( Memento of the original from June 24, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. JINSA Online , January 18, 2007 (English)  
7. ^ Richard Fisher, Jr .: Chinese Aspects of Singapore's IMDEX Naval Technology Show. ( Memento of the original from May 22, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. strategycenter, June 20, 2007 (English)