Japan Just Launched Its First “Big Whale” Lithium-Ion Battery Powered Submarine
Japan is preparing to introduce an innovative new class of diesel-electric submarine, the largest it has built since World War II.
After around a decade of
research and development, Japan is now close to putting into service the first
of a new type of diesel-electric submarine, driven by an innovative propulsion
system using lithium-ion batteries. While the two most
recent examples of Japan’s Soryu class are fitted with a
similar powerplant, the Taigei, which means Big Whale in
Japanese, is the first of a class to feature it from the outset. Currently,
only Japan is known to have operational submarines with lithium-ion batteries.
The Taigei was launched on
October 14, 2020, at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) shipyard in the city
of Kobe, in the western prefecture of Hyogo. The event was attended by Japan’s
Minister of Defense Nobuo Kishi and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF)
chief Hiroshi Yamamura.
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Reports suggest that construction of the boat cost
around $710 million. The new submarine is 275 feet 7 inches long and with a
surfaced displacement of around 3,000 tons, it is also the largest post-World
War II submarine Japan has built. The existing Soryu class design has a
surfaced displacement of approximately 2,900 tons.
The Taigei can accommodate up
to 70 crew. At the launch, the JMSDF also noted that the new sub will offer a
“suitable environment for female submariners,” after the first woman entered
the Japanese submariners’ academy earlier in 2020.
However, by far the most innovative part of Taigei’s design is its
advanced diesel-electric powerplant, which as noted, makes use of lithium-ion
batteries. The last two boats in the previous Soryu class were completed
with a similar configuration, which is claimed to provide increased endurance
at high speeds when submerged. Charging is also said to be quicker and battery
life longer compared to lead-acid batteries, which have to be repeatedly
recharged by running the diesel engines. Besides, the lithium-ion cells are
less bulky and have reduced maintenance requirements.
On the other hand, lithium-ion batteries are more
costly than the lead-acid alternative. In the past, the JMSDF provided a
construction cost of $488 million for a standard Soryu-class boat, as opposed to
$608 million for the first of the lithium-ion subvariants.
Back in early 2017, The War Zone’s Tyler Rogoway looked at the benefits of lithium-ion batteries,
which not only offer advantages over traditional lead-acid cells, but could
challenge Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) technology for use in new-build
submarines overall.
At that time, it already
appeared that Japan was seeking to entirely replace AIP technology, which comes in multiple forms, with a new
propulsion arrangement centered around lithium-ion batteries that would still
retain the same advantages. A key consideration was further reducing the
submarine’s acoustic signature by eliminating the many moving parts typically
found in AIP systems, which are already generally very quiet.
In principle, this would result in an
exceptionally quiet boat, making it very hard for opponents to detect and
track, but with the added advantage of being able to accelerate much more
rapidly while submerged than existing AIP submarines. Those factors indicate
that the JMSDF could be prioritizing dash speed and stealth as a means to
counter the PLAN’s burgeoning nuclear-powered and AIP-driven submarines.
On the other hand,
potential problems with lithium-ion batteries include the fact they can be
prone to combusting, generating a lot of heat, plus toxic fumes and conductive
dust, all of which raise the risk of potentially deadly fires and other accidents.
As such, there is a need for an additional degree of safety to be built into
the submarine’s basic design.
It certainly seems that the JMSDF has greater
confidence that the new propulsion system will live up to its promise and that
any safety concerns have been addressed. The later Soryu boats incorporate a
specialized automated fire-extinguishing system and it can be assumed that
something similar is used in the Taigei too.
U.S.
NAVY/MASS COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST 3RD CLASS RANDALL W. RAMASWAMY
JMSDF
submarine Soryu is pulled away from a submarine tender off
Guam. The last two boats in its class are already equipped with lithium-ion
batteries.
Taigei will also be used to
further prove this propulsion concept, in general. In December 2018, the
Japanese government published a white paper entitled National Defense Program
Guidelines for Fiscal Year 2019 and Beyond that said the
submarine would be used primarily for testing of the new technology. This could
help explain the dramatic acceleration of Taigei’s development and
construction. MHI had announced plans to build a new type of diesel-electric
submarine in June 2019, initially known as the 29SS class. At that point, construction was
anticipated to begin between 2025 and 2028, followed by the launch of the first
vessel around 2031. After completing its fitting out and at-sea trials, plans
now call for the Taigei to deploy
operationally with the JMSDF in March 2022 in its testing-focused role.
The Taigei and the other future
submarines in its class are just one part of Japan’s broader efforts to bolster
its defenses in response to growing regional security concerns. This includes
the increasing threat posed by China’s military, especially its fast-growing navy, as well as by an
ever-more capable North Korea, which recently unveiled a slew of new weapons, including new intercontinental and submarine-launched ballistic missiles.
With an eye on a spike in
activity by the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) in both the East China Sea
and the South China Sea, as well as further out
into the Pacific, Tokyo’s defense plans include expansion of its submarine
fleet to 22 vessels by the early 2020s.
Currently, the JMSDF
operates nine 2,750-ton-displacement Oyashio-class submarines and 11
2,900-ton-displacement Soryu-class boats, the most
recent — and the first with lithium-ion batteries — being commissioned into
service in March 2020. A 12th member of
the Soryu class, named Toryu, is undergoing tests
before formally joining the fleet.
U.S.
NAVY/CHRISTOPHER MCCORD
The Japan Maritime
Self-Defense Force Oyashio-class
submarine Mocishio during the Rim of
the Pacific 2010 exercise north of Hawaii.
Beyond this 22-boat submarine fleet, Japan plans
to add at least another two Taigei-class submarines, one of
which was included in the defense ministry’s latest budget request.
It’s all part of a
military spending program that encompasses big-ticket items ranging from
the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to hypersonic missiles. Japan’s Ministry of
Defense has requested an annual budget increase for the last eight years now,
reaching $55 billion for the next fiscal year, starting in April 2021.
As well as spearheading a
maritime force that should help secure critical sea lanes in the East China Sea
and the South China Sea, there’s a possibility Japan’s new class of submarines
might also attract foreign interest. An offer of the previous Soryu-class boats to Australia
was unsuccessful, but Tokyo has reshaped
its national defense policy to include major arms exports. With an established
lead in lithium-ion battery technology, the Taigei class, or its subsystems,
could prove attractive. In the meantime, the propulsion concept is gaining
traction elsewhere, including in South Korea.
Whether this type of battery propulsion finds a
place on other navies’ submarines remains to be seen, but it’s clear that they
are here to stay, with the JMSDF undersea force, at least, now well on its way
to a lithium-ion-powered future.
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