DAPHNE CLASS (SSK)
SUBMARINES, South Africa
Displacement, tons: 869 surfaced; 1,043 dived
Dimensions, feet (metres): 189.6 × 22.3 × 15.1
(57.8 × 6.8 × 4.6)
Main machinery: Diesel-electric; 2 SEMT-Pielstick 12 PA4 V 185 diesels; 2,450 hp(m) (1.8 MW); 2 Jeumont Schneider alternators; 1.7 MW; 2 motors; 2,600 hp(m) (1.9 MW); 2 shafts
Speed, knots: 13.5 surfaced; 16 dived
Range, miles: 4,500 at 5 kt snorting; 2,700 at 12.5 kt surfaced
Complement: 51 (6 officers)
Torpedoes: 12-21.7 in (550 mm) (8 bow, 4 stern) tubes. ECAN E15; dual purpose; passive homing to 12 km (6.6 n miles) at 25 kt; warhead 300 kg; or ECAN L3 to 9.5 km (5.1 n miles). No reloads.
Countermeasures: ESM: ARUD; radar warning upgraded by African Defence Systems (ADS).
Weapons control: ADS weapon control system. DCSC-2 fitted.
Radars: Surface search: Thomson-CSF Calypso II; I-band.
Sonars: Thomson Sintra DUUA 2; hull-mounted; active/passive search and attack; 8.4 kHz active.
ADS; passive rangefinding.
ADS; passive search; medium frequency.
Programmes: Ordered from France in 1967.
Modernisation: Weapon systems upgrading (including sonar) as well as improved habitability as part of a mid-life improvement programme. Umkhonto completed in July 1988, Assegaai in late 1990. Assegaai completed a four year refit on 19 May 1999, and Umkhonto became operational again in early 2001 after a short refit to install the new DSCS-2 combat management system.
Structure: French Daphne design, similar to those built in France for that country, Pakistan and Portugal and also built in Spain. Diving depth, 300 m (985 ft).
Operational: Training requirements for the new submarines may affect operational availability.
Displacement Dived (tonnes): 1059.6
Displacement Surfaced (tonnes): 882.9
Length (m): 57.8
Beam (m): 6.8
Draught (m): 4.6
Range (nm): 4500
Speed (knots): 13.5
Contracts secure South Africa's submarine programme
Romer Heitman
Date Posted: 18-Sep-2000
Signing of contracts means commitment - and moving from the process of ideas to reality, Helmoed-Romer Heitman reports.
The second phase of the South African Navy's (SAN's) modernisation plans has passed a crucial stage. The government gave formal authorisation to acquire three Class 209 Type 1400 MOD diesel-electric submarines on 7 July, and the initial payment to the German Submarine Consortium followed on 12 July.
This follows the contract with the German Frigate Consortium for four Meko A200 patrol corvettes. Both programmes are part of the "strategic packages" announced at the Dexsa exhibition in late 1998. The first submarine is scheduled to be delivered in mid-2005, with the two others following at one-year intervals. There is an option for a fourth boat, funding permitting.
The SAN had earlier considered the four ex-RN Upholders, but was not able to obtain political approval at the time. That followed after the defence review, completed in 1998, set out an approved force design that included four submarines. That enabled the SAN to formally begin its submarine replacement programme. One early decision was to select an "off-the-shelf" type, both to get it operational quickly and to avoid unnecessary "growth pains". The former aspect was particularly important because the SAN's three Daphne-class submarines, delivered in 1970 and 1971, were fast approaching the end of their useful life. Another early decision was to ensure that "everything, but everything, goes through the main contractor", to avoid system integration problems and their accompanying disagreements and delays.
The evaluation process had meanwhile already begun, with the SAN studying five main contenders: The ex-RN Upholders, the French Scorpene (proposed by both France and Spain), the German Class 209 Type 1400 MOD, the Italian S-1600 (based on the Longobardo-class), and a variant of the Swedish A-19 Gotland-class. The French government also offered the alternative of two modernised Daphnes and one spares hulk as an interim solution, pending the availability of Scorpene. The evaluation process considered the naval-technical aspects of the submarines, including their long-term supportability in South Africa, their through-life cost, and the long-term economic value of the industrial participation (IP) "packages" that formed part of each bid.
The German Submarine Consortium was announced at Dexsa 98 as the preferred bidder, subject to the detailed contract negotiations. Those took rather longer than expected, with most of the delay caused by protracted negotiation around the IP proposal to build a stainless steel plant at the new Coega harbour complex in the Eastern Cape.
The primary role of the submarines in SAN service will be to prevent any disruption of South Africa's sea trade routes by any future enemy. Their secondary roles will include deterrence, the disruption of an enemy's sea traffic, anti-submarine warfare, and surveillance and reconnaissance. They will also play a part during operations short of war, and in the enforcement of state authority in time of peace, particularly in a surveillance role.
The SAN's Class 209
The Class 209 Type 1400 MOD that will be built for the SAN has a displacement of 1,594 tons, and will be 62m long and 7.6m in beam. It will have a diving depth of better than 200m, with a submerged speed better than 20kt, and a surfaced speed of 10kt. Its cruising range will be better than 10,000nm, with a 45-day endurance. It will have a complement of 30 officers and ratings, compared with 51 in the Daphnes, which has been achieved by making maximum use of automation - and which means the end of "hot bunking" (whereby crewmen take it in turns to sleep in one bedspace).
The Combat System
The combat system will be a variant of STN-Atlas' ISUS-90 system similar to that of the Israeli Dolphin-class submarines. This is a modular system, which integrates the sensors (sonar, optronic, optical, radar, electronic support/surveillance measures and communication/intelligence) with the navigation system and the weapon system. The integrated navigation system has tactical navigation support functions. The overall system has a datalink capability for simultaneous reception, filtering, reformatting and transmission on multiple datalink nets. It is optimised for attack with torpedoes and missiles and the use of decoys, and can also control mine-laying operations.
The command and control element handles track management, signal analysis, classification, threat analysis, and target motion analysis. The weapon control element handles system and weapon status, attack planning, the weapon engagement plan, pre-setting and launch of weapons, and the control of wire-guided torpedoes.
Fully integrated support functions include on-board simulation, data recording, built-in test functions, and the diagnostics for both hardware and software failures. Critical functions, such as target motion analysis and weapons signal processing, are fully supported by 'hot-stand-by' computers, and there is multiple redundancy in the overall system.
The system uses common multi-function consoles with twin high-resolution flat-panel displays. Key MMI features include common terminology on all displays - including abbreviations - common handling of all message displays, and the use of identical data fields in the same display area and in the same sequence.
An ethernet dual databus system handles computer communications with a fibre-optic data transfer system for sonar stave data and beam data. Process computers are integrated in all subsystems as real time control processors. Standardised signal processing is used throughout the system, with a minimum of dissimilar assemblies. The software is written in ADA and C, with an eye to the ready accommodation to upgrades and changes to the system.
Much of the electronic hardware will be manufactured in South Africa and then integrated in Germany. Most of the hardware work will be handled by Tellumat, while CCII will develop the command and control software for the SAN.
The Sensors
The sonar suite will be the CSU-90 system, with flank arrays, a passive bow sonar, an intercept sonar, a passive ranging sonar an active sonar and an underwater telephone. The boats will have own noise monitors integrated as part of the sonar suite. They will also be fitted for a `clip-on' towed array sonar, which can be fitted later when funding allows. The ranging sonar will have a wider detection arc than that of the Daphne. The hydrophones and transducers of the sonars will be supplied by Mattek, a unit of South Africa's Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), and will be installed and integrated in Germany.
The surface sensors will be carried on three masts:
- A Zeiss non-penetrating optronic mast, with an integrated ESM head. The optronic sensors will include a thermal imager and a television, both having video and "quicklook" capability.
- A Zeiss optical attack periscope with an optical range-finder and with a television and a low-light-level television, both having video and "quick-look" capability.
- A radar mast mounting a Thomson Scanter navigation radar.
Zeiss will transfer the necessary technology to Denel's Eloptro division to enable it to support the optronic and optical masts.
Eloptro has previously handled the periscope upgrade for the SAN Daphnes, and has also upgraded periscopes for one other navy.
The EW suite will be provided by Grintek Avitronics, who are also providing the ESM and ECM suites for the patrol corvettes, and for the current upgrades of the Warrior-class strike craft and the Daphne-class submarines. The new EW suite for the Class 209s will comprise ESM, ELINT and RWR elements.
The Weapons
The SAN's Class 209s will have eight bow tubes, with a total of fourteen torpedos on board. They will be fitted for a submerged launch missile, but will not receive any at this stage. If the the SAN does decide to acquire such weapons, it may well select the SM39 Exocet, given that the MM40 will be in service with the patrol corvettes. The SAN is also looking at the possibility of fitting them for the Triton fibre-optic guided missile, which would arguably be more useful over the near-to-medium term. The boats will be able to lay mines using their torpedo tubes, and will be be able to launch and recover divers while submerged.
Communications
The communications sub-system will be the latest variant of the SEACOM communications suite developed by Grintek Comms, which is currently fitted to most SAN ships in its SEACOM 1 form. This is a modular, fully integrated communications system, that provides data communications and simultaneous operation of more than one radio channel in each of the HF, VHF, UHF and SATCOM bands. The new variant will also use the new data-link system developed for the SAN. Integrated with this suite will be a FOKON 32 internal communications suite, supplied by Signaal but manufactured in South Africa.
The Programme
The first members of the project team deployed to Germany in the course of July to set up a small project office there. They will be joined by some additional personnel to form a Navy acceptance team that will be responsible for contractual issues, and that will monitor the building of the submarines. The ships will be accepted in Germany, the logistic and training support elements in South Africa.
A programme to train the trainers will begin in mid-2004, after which they will train the first crew. All personnel selected for the new submarines will be qualified submariners who have served in the operational Daphnes, which should result in a relatively flat "training curve". The first and second Class 209 crews will be fully trained in Germany to operate the new submarines, and will sail them to South Africa as operational boats. The third crew will be trained entirely in South Africa.
The training programme will be phased to address first equipment training, and then system, pier and sea training. The latter may not be to a full "go-to-war" standard, but will enable the crews to sail the new ships home as operational ships, and go straight into full-scale combat training on arrival. The major training challenge is expected to lie in developing the systems knowledge of the crews. With that in mind, the command team and control room simulators, supplied by STN-Atlas, will be delivered in 2005, to ensure a smooth training flow from the arrival of the first new submarine.
The project team have also put considerable time into logistic integration, and to ensure that the full infrastructure is ready by 2005. To the extent that "the submarines themselves are among the last of the deliverables". The focus here has been to ensure the smoothest possible transition from the Daphnes to the Class 209s, with the least disruption of the operational submarine capability.
An in-country GSC support team of four engineers will be based in Simon's Town from two years before the first submarine is due for delivery, until the expiry of the warranty on the last boat to be delivered
The Daphnes
Two of the SAN's Daphnes will be fitted with the full `Nickles' combat system developed by ADS. They will be kept operational to ensure a continuous submarine capability until the new boats are in service, and will be phased out as the Class 209s are phased in. The third Daphne will be used as a source of spares.
A programme to train the trainers will begin in mid-2004, after which they will train the first crew.
