Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s first Taigei-class lithium-ion powered submarine on sea trials some 14 months after launch. Taigei was laid down at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Kobe Shipyard on 16 March 2018 as the 2017 plan 3000-ton submarine No. 8128 based on the medium-term defense capability development plan (26 medium-term defense), and in 2020. Scheduled to be handed over to the Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) in March 2022, the deployment destination is undecided.
According to the JMSDF, the JS Taigei (SS-513) has a crew complement of about 70, an overall length of 84 m, a beam of 9.1 m, a draught of 10.4 m, and a standard displacement of about 3,000 tonnes, meaning that it is almost the same size as the Soryu-class SSKs, which are 84 m long, 9.1 m wide, 10.3 m depth, and have a standard displacement of 2,950 tonnes. The submarine will likely use the Type 18 torpedo , which project name as “G-RX6” and UGM-84 Harpoon submarine-launched anti-ship missile.
The Taigei-class submarines (29SS), (Big Whale), is a new class of attack submarines developed for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. It is the successor to the S?ry? class. The Taigei class is equipped with a large amount of lithium-ion batteries, as is the case with the eleventh and twelfth submarines of the S?ry? class (?ry? and T?ry?), making it possible for the submersible to travel longer and at higher speeds under water than conventional diesel-electric submarines.
The hull design of the Taigei class is said to not differ too much from the operational S?ry? class but will be 100 tons heavier than its predecessor. However, the Taigei-class submarines will be more advanced as they are equipped with newer equipment such as sonar systems, snorkel power generation system. The Taigei class will use lithium-ion batteries much like JS ?ry? and JS T?ry? of the S?ry?-class submarines. The new submarine is powered by a diesel-electric engine generating 6,000 hp.
