One proposed submarine concept for the Philippine Navy is the Shallow Water Attack Submarine (SWATS). While the Philippines has long relied on the US as its traditional military supplier, the high costs of US equipment, Vietnam War hand-me-downs and possible restrictions on the sale of military equipment due to human rights violations have forced it to rely on alternative suppliers of NATO-standard equipment, such as South Korea, Israel and Turkey.
The mini subs will also potentially be inviting for countries that wish to adhere to NATO standards but lack the budget to purchase pricier US or Western-made equipment, such as the Philippines and Ukraine. Turkey is thus the only NATO member that can check Russia’s naval force projection from the Black Sea into the Mediterranean Sea. In this connection, Russia’s Black Sea Fleet has a sizeable number of warships with six Kilo class subs. Article 12 of the Montreux Convention prohibits non-Black Sea powers from deploying subs in the region. Turkey’s mini sub program will be useful for counterbalancing Russia in the Black Sea and as a tool for pursuing its wider great power ambitions.Ĭurrently, Turkey is one of three NATO members along with Romania and Bulgaria that is able to legally deploy subs in the Black Sea.
The Reis boats are AIP-equipped with hydrogen fuel cells, which increases considerably their submerged capabilities. The type is designed to accommodate 18 crewmembers and a six-member special forces team, stay submerged for 30 days and carry 4 torpedo tubes, with an armament of eight heavyweight torpedoes or cruise missiles.Ĭurrently, Turkey operates 12 Type 209-derived boats and is in the process of building more modern Reis class subs, derived from the Type 214 class. The mini subs can also be equipped with an optronic periscope and electronic warfare support measures (ESM) antenna.
They can be fitted with various types of sonar, such as cylindrical array and a cylindrical transducer array, as well as passive ranging, passive intercept array and own-noise array systems. The class can be fitted with an optional air-independent propulsion (AIP) system, which when combined with diesel propulsion can extend the boats’ range to 4,000 nautical miles. The mini subs will have a range of 3,500 nautical miles running on its diesel engines, and 75 nautical miles when fueled by batteries. It has a planned maximum speed of 18 knots, cruise speed of 5 knots, and can dive up to 250 meters. It has a submerged displacement of 540 tons, length of 42 meters and a maximum beam of 8.5 meters. Upon starting production this year, the STM500 mini sub will be the smallest boat built by Turkey. Turkey is developing mini attack submarines to operate in its surrounding seas and for potential sale on global weapons markets, a weapon at least one expert quoted in media reports sees as a possible “game-changer” for the future of naval combat.ĭespite being smaller and with less range than larger vessels, mini subs are extremely effective in littoral operations because they present smaller magnetic and acoustic signatures, which can be further masked by background noise such as shipping traffic.
0 kommentar(er)
