【大鯨級潛艇】日本最大噸位常規潛艇“大鯨”號正式入役，22艘潛艇體制已然成型|日本最新“大鯨”級潛艇爲何放棄先進的AIP系統，青睞鋰離子電池

With the continuous development of the times, the military strength of all countries in the world has developed rapidly , and the military strength of Japan has also been improved with the strong support of the United States, and has increased the research and development of various new weapons and equipment and the transformation of "aircraft carrier". On March 9, 2022, the Japanese Ministry of Defense announced that Japan's new conventional submarine "Owhale" was officially commissioned and set a new record for Japan's conventional largest tonnage, with a displacement of 3,000 tons. It is reported that the Japanese government proposed to increase the submarine from 16 ships. The plan to 22 ships has been completed , and the "Owhale" will be deployed at the Yokosuka military base . It is mainly responsible for the surveillance and monitoring around Japan. Today we will talk about the latest submarine of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force "Owhale" class submarine "Owhale" class The submarine is a new type of attack submarine developed by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force after the "Soryu" class. There are currently two submarines in this class. The entry ceremony for the "Owhale" class submarine was held this time. The first boat "Owhale" No. 2 "" Moby Dick will be named and launched at Kawasaki Heavy Industries Kobe Shipyard in October 2021, and will be incorporated into the Maritime Self-Defense Force " Owhale " in March 2023 Whale-class submarine carrier This class of ships has only one ship, the "Da Whale", which was transformed into the aircraft carrier "Dragon Phoenix" in 1942 and deregistered in November 1945. In fact, there are other ships in Japan that also use the names of ships during World War II, such as The destroyer "Kaga" used the name of the aircraft carrier "Kaga" , one of the attack aircraft carriers in the Pearl Harbor incident in World War II, while the destroyer "Izumo" used the name of an armored cruiser of the Japanese Navy during World War II. It was sunk by the US in 1945. Japanese submarines are usually named in three ways. For example, "Koshio" class submarines are named after marine phenomena of currents and tides, "Soryu" class submarines are named after marine legendary creatures, and "Owhale" is named after underwater creatures. Better To reflect the purpose and performance of submarines, the naming of military equipment in various countries in the world follows certain rules, but there is only one country like Japan that likes to name the equipment of World War I and World War II . It will take 20 years to complete the test of all main components until the first boat is launched in 2020. As a new type of submarine that has adopted a lot of new technologies, the "Big Whale" class submarine has high performance indicators in all aspects, so that the cost of a single boat soars to 760 100 million yen, about 720 million US dollars It is almost the most famous AIP submarine in the world today. It has introduced the Swedish "Stirling " engine. It is the first submarine in Asia to use the AIP system. The world's largest operational conventional submarine can dive to a depth of 5 00 meters is the conventional submarine with the largest diving depth. At the same time, it is also known as the strongest combat capability in the world. Therefore , the "Canglong" class submarine is known as the pride of Japan, especially since the 11th "Phoenix Dragon", the "Canglong" class is equipped with lithium-ion batteries. Another design of the world's first "Whale" class submarine is very similar to the "Canglong" class. It adopts a streamlined hull, and the tail plane adopts an X-shaped layout. Its displacement reaches 3,000 tons. It is about 84 meters long and 9.1 meters wide. 10.4 meters , which can accommodate 70 crew members . In order to maximize noise reduction and sound reduction, this type of submarine has laid sound-absorbing tiles on the outer hull. The interlayer between the inner and outer hulls has added new noise suppression coatings to enhance underwater stealth capabilities. In the power system In terms of "Whale" class submarines, high-performance lithium-ion batteries have been used to replace the original lead-acid batteries and the current mainstream AIP system has been abandoned . The energy density of lithium-ion batteries is more than twice that of lead-acid batteries, and the maintenance required for operation is less. At the same time, it is equipped with two large- stroke Kawasaki 12V25/31S diesel engines, and the power generation is 25% higher than that of the "Cangryu" class. This high-performance combination enables this type of submarine to travel at a surface speed of up to 20 knots and underwater at high speeds. The speed can reach 4 Up to 5 knots, continuous underwater endurance for at least 3 weeks , and less noise during sailing. In terms of weapon system, the "Whale" class submarine is equipped with 6 newly developed type 18 heavy 533mm torpedo tubes for the first time. It can launch 89 types. Heavy torpedoes can also launch submarine-launched "Harpoon" anti-ship missiles, carrying a total of 30 bombs . Although the appearance of the "Big Whale" class submarine is not much different from that of the "Canglong" class, its interior is almost completely different . The "Whale" class submarines use lithium-ion batteries instead of the original lead-acid batteries. Secondly , the function of its sonar and battle command system has been improved , and it uses new sound-absorbing materials and a floating floor structure to make it quieter. Sonar system Yes The "eyes" and "ears" of the submarine The " Whale" class takes advantage of the large displacement and higher payload to have more space and load, arrange the sonar system more calmly, and use the most suitable bow conformal sound. Compared with the "Canglong " class, the nanoarray has doubled the detection distance of the unit, plus the sonar and auxiliary towed sonar arranged on the side of the boat. Torpedo countermeasures can eject decoys to evade enemy torpedoes, thereby increasing survivability, and the small size of the wheelhouse is partially integrated into the hull. This has the advantage of reducing fluid resistance and thus reducing the drain on the submarine 's battery. In addition, the submarine provides "Environment suitable for female submariners" prepares female crew members to board submarines Significantly improved , and more importantly, the "Big Whale"-class submarines also have the ability to launch torpedoes and cruise missiles, which will be the basis for Japan's future development. Intercontinental missiles, or even similar series of missiles, are integrated into air defense, anti-missile, and anti- satellites to provide the possibility of technology. At present, there are no more than 7 countries in the world that can independently produce AIP submarines. So what exactly is AIP technology? Air propulsion, as the name suggests, refers to a technology that does not require access to oxygen in the outside air and can still drive the submarine forward for a long time, but this does not mean that submarines equipped with AIP power units do not need to float for air. Generally, it can be more than double the length of conventional powered "diesel-electric submarines", but it is still inferior to nuclear powered submarines. However, submarines equipped with AIP power units can still have the ability to submerge underwater for a long time. The upgraded version of the power submarine and the corresponding AIP power plant is not cheap, it is between the conventional power submarine and the nuclear power submarine. Generally speaking , the batteries of conventional submarines are mainly lead-acid batteries, which have the advantages of reliable performance and stable discharge. However, the volume is large and the power is limited, so it needs to be charged frequently . Lithium batteries are an emerging field in recent years. Their advantages and disadvantages are just the opposite of the old lead-acid batteries . They are small in size and high in unit energy. After a full charge, the submarine can theoretically be guaranteed for about 10 days. However, its shortcomings are also very obvious , that is, the reliability is obviously insufficient, and it is very easy to spontaneously ignite and explode. The reason why Japan took the risk of canceling the AIP system and switching to lithium batteries is because the AIP system itself has an obvious defect , that is, whether Sweden Stirling power system or fuel cell system of other countries, its use of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen is always limited, and the submarine itself has no regeneration ability. In other words , once the liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen are used up, the AIP system will completely fail, and the submarine will become Ordinary submarines and lithium batteries can theoretically be used for unlimited times. It can be seen that lithium-ion power batteries have considerable potential in improving the endurance, high-speed maneuverability and concealment of conventional submarines. As for whether they will become conventional submarines in various countries in the future The commonly used main power system still needs some time to prove. However, cost is an important factor that must be considered in the development of military equipment. Lithium -ion batteries are more expensive than lead-acid batteries . US$488 million has been raised to US$608 million, while the "Big Whale" class submarine is as high as US$720 million. Therefore, defense costs will also become a factor to consider in the technical route. According to the plan , Japan will build 7 new submarines on the second boat "Beluga". After the launch, Japan has already started construction of the third "Owhale" class submarine and has received approval to build two more. At the same time, when the first "Owhale" class submarine was launched, Japan was ready to start the development of the next generation submarine. As the follow-up model of the "Big Whale" class, this issue 's introduction to the "Big Whale" class submarine is here . Welcome to the comment area to interact . See you in the next issue.