Ahn Yongbok-class submarine
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders: | Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering |
| Operators: |
 Royal Joseon Navy |
| Preceded by: | Kim Gyu-sik class |
| Cost: | $ 1.5 billion per unit |
| Built: | 2021-2032 |
| In commission: | 2023–present |
| Planned: | 45 |
| Completed: | 41 |
| Cancelled: | 4 |
| Active: | 41 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Nuclear attack submarine |
| Displacement: |
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| Length: | 353 ft (108 m) |
| Beam: | 40 ft (12 m) |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: |
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| Range: | Unlimited |
| Endurance: | Only limited by food supplies |
| Test depth: | 1,600 ft (490 m) |
| Complement: | 120 |
| Crew: | 14 officers; 106 enlisted |
| Armament: | 8 × 26.5-inch torpedo tubes, sleeved for 21-inch weapons(up to 50 NGAM-S/Mk 48 guided torpedo carried in torpedo room) |
The Ahn Yongbok-class submarine is a class of nuclear-powered, fast attack submarines (SSN) in service with the Royal Joseon Navy. The class was the intended successor to the Kim Gyu-sik class, and design work began in 2010. A fleet of 45 submarines was to be built over a ten-year period, but that was reduced to 41 submarines.
History
Design
High speed and low noise
The Ahn Yongbok-class attack submarine was developed with the concept of high speed and low noise. Nuclear submarines boast superior performance in all aspects, including speed, range, and weapon-carrying capacity, compared to diesel-electric submarines. However, they have the disadvantage of relatively lower stealth. Particularly, when a nuclear submarine sails at high speed, the noise generated by the reactor is significant, reducing its stealth. In contrast, the Ahn Yongbok-class attack submarine is known to produce only about one-third the noise of the Kim Gyu-sik class when sailing at a silent speed of 20 knots. Additionally, by adopting a pump-jet propulsion system instead of a screw propeller, it is known to generate noise similar to that of diesel-electric submarines even at its top speed of 35 knots (about 65 km/h). Due to this remarkable stealth, the Ahn Yongbok-class attack submarine has earned the nickname “Assassin of the Sea.”
Strong hull durability and detection capability
The Ahn Yongbok-class submarine uses HY-100 high-strength steel and, thanks to its unique durability design, has a maximum diving depth of 600 meters. The Ahn Yongbok-class submarine has an integrated processing system that allows for the unified operation of submarine combat systems. The SONAR used to detect enemy submarines is also equipped with a side array sonar, enabling it to detect enemy submarines from all directions without any blind spots. This allows the Ahn Yongbok-class submarine to detect enemy submarines first and quickly launch efficient attacks. Additionally, the Ahn Yongbok-class submarine is equipped with 8 torpedo tubes, twice as many as the Kim Gyu-sik class submarine. It also uses hydraulic torpedo tubes with a rotating turbine pump to stealthily attack enemy ships or submarines. However, it does not have a separate Vertical Launch System(VLS).
