The Japan Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) has commissioned its 12th and final Soryu-class submarine JS Toryu in a ceremony at Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) Kobe Works shipyard on March 24.
The diesel-electric attack submarine Toryu will be assigned to the 2nd Submarine Flotilla in the nearby port of Kure.
The last two submarines are slightly different from earlier boats in the class. Ouryu and the Toryu use lithium-ion batteries manufactured by GS Yuasa in lieu of Stirling-cycle engines that recharge traditional lead-acid batteries for submerged operations. The batteries used in the Ouryu and Toryu are lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide, or NCA, batteries. The technology requires less maintenance and is capable of longer endurance at high speeds while submerged compared to lead-acid batteries.
Name of “Toryu” means “a fighting dragon” in Japanese language.
JS Toryu (Soryu Class Submarine)
Soryu Class diesel-electric submarines have been built since 2005, first six submarines were built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and rest of them were Kawasaki Shipbuilding Corporation made.
Soryu Class carries a hydrodynamic design based on the Oyashio class submarine. It has a larger displacement than any other submarine class in JMSDF’s service.
The submarine is equipped with Stirling engines for increased propulsion performance and underwater endurance. The engine supports superior submerged operations. The high-performance sonar on-board improves surveillance capabilities. The submarine also features stealth capabilities and enhanced safety measures such as snorkel equipment.
Costing an estimated $500 million a piece, Soryu-class submarines have an overall length of 84m, a beam of 9.1m, and depth of 10.3m. The normal draft of the sub is 8.4m. It has a surfaced displacement of 2,950t and a submerged displacement of 4,200t. Soryu Class complements a crew of 65, including nine officers and 56 enlisted members. The submarine can sail at a surfaced speed of 13kt and a submerged speed of 20kt. It has a maximum range of 6,100nm at 6.5kt speed.
Specifications :
| Length | 84.0m |
| Width | 9.1m |
| Depth | 10.3m |
| Draft | 8.4m |
| Displacement | 2,950 Tons |
| Engine: | – Kawasaki 12V 25 / 25SB type diesel engine 2 groups – Kawasaki Kokkamusu V4-275R Stirling engine four |
| Propulsion motor | 1 |
| Number of propellers | 1 |
| Speed | 20 kts |
| Armament | 6 x HU-606 533mm torpedo tubes ( for Type 89 wire guided torpedoes and UGM-84 Harpoon) |
| Sensors | ZPS-6F navigation or surface search radar Sonar suite (integrates four low-frequency flank arrays, a bow-array, and towed array sonar) |
| ESM | ZLR-3-6 |
Check out Naval Library App to find out the specifications of the Soryu Class Submarines :
