@Sandhi Yudha, this news on the Scorpene was posted on the January 29th, 2009, in this thread. Please do search the thread before posting, as it would make your posts more interesting.
gf0012-aust said:
Correction. It's taken delivery of 1 (One) Scorpene Sub
Yup, the RMN had taken delivery of the
KD Tunku Abdul Rahman at the French naval base in
Toulon. The two submarines were procured for
RM3.4 billion. The Royal Malaysian Navy placed a contract for two Scorpene submarines in June 2002.
The first vessel, KD Tunku Abdul Rahman, was launched at DCNS Cherbourg in October 2007 and commissioned in January 2009. The second, Tun Razak was launched at Navantia Cartagena in October 2008 and to be commission in October 2009.
The
Scorpene submarine has been jointly developed by DCNS of France (formerly DCN) and Navantia (formerly Bazan, then Izar) of Spain.
According to
Mokhzani Zubir of the Maritime Institute of Malaysia:
"...For the first time in history, Malaysia will possess the ability to wage underwater surprise attack. Indeed, with its high ability to elude detection thus blunders the enemy’s intelligence, the Scorpene submarines would provide Malaysia with an element of strategic surprise. This would leave the adversary wondering when and where the submarines will strike. Clearly the strategic surprise element will provide a force multiplier effect to Malaysia’s capability in waging conventional warfare..."
Congratulations to the RMN on the establishment of a submarine command headed by a one-star rear admiral. According to the earlier report posted above, the RMN's first submarine crew became operational on 25 January 2009.
During the 1982 Falklands War, the Argentine Type 209 diesel submarine (Indonesia's Cakra and Nanggala are Type 209) that operated against the Royal Navy (RN). The Type 209 made a number of attacks against surface and submarine contacts but failed to damage any RN ships. IIRC, in 1982 the RN, expended nearly its entire inventory of anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapons against the boat without sinking or disabling it. However,
ASW technology has changed and there are better submarine detection sensors and systems available now.
I have been informed by
gf0012-aust in another thread that:
"...the original swedish design is not exactly what singapore now runs - it is subtley but significantly different (it would be like comparing an Iranian Kilo, Indian Kilo and a PLAN Kilo to each other, superficially they look the same, technologically they are very very different beasts)."
Save that the
Challenger class (formerly the
Sjöormen class) have been upgraded and a tropicalisation programme was carried out prior to their acquisition in 1997 (the last of this class was
launched in 2001), I make no further comment on the capabilities of the Challenger class. I also make no attempt to compare Malaysia's Scorpenes against the Challenger class. This is because I do not have the necessary information to make a comparison and I am a layman in naval matters.
IIRC Malaysia's Scorpene submarines are not AIP equipped. You many want to check this with Malaysian sources or other Malaysian forum members.
AIP diesel submarines have an extended ability to stay submerged compared to other diesel submarines. But the fact the a diesel submarine is AIP equipped does not change it's other capabilities - which is a function of a navy's specifications. It is necessary to factor in the capabilities of a particular submarine hull type (and the signature management tools used), plus the sophistication of the equipment and senors installed in the various submarines.
Diesel submarines like the Scorpene can conduct effective operations against an opposing navy and merchant fleet when they are used offensively. I believe that Malaysia's Scorpene submarines will provide your navy with better corporate knowledge in ASW. However, let us not over rate both Singapore's and Malaysia's diesel submarines. Diesel submarines must remain submerged, where their battery capacity forces them to hunt at 4 to 5 knots. Further, they must also transit slowly to locations where enemy vessels might eventually deploy, be it at geographic choke points, sea-lanes, and the waters around enemy harbors and naval bases. A diesel submarine can, if equipped with appropriate torpedoes, attack another submarine, but it is not that easy.
IMHO, both our countries' diesel submarines are limited to low speeds in a tactical environment (compared to nuclear powered submarines). They will take a considerable amount of time to search large areas effectively, compared to maritime patrol aircraft and ASW helicopters. Furthermore, the hunting diesel submarine might well be itself detected and attacked by the hunted boat. Therefore, Mokhzani Zubir in article cited above, may be mistaken in his belief that:
"...It is a known fact that to hunt and detect a submarine effectively requires another submarine. For now, Singapore’s submarine fleet reigns supreme in underwater warfare, ‘unchallenged’ by other Southeast Asian countries. Indeed, without submarines, Malaysia’s and Indonesia’s ASW capability is limited..."
Some sources have suggested that certain types of diesel submarines are not seen as effective ASW platforms and really specialists in anti-surface warfare, mining, and intelligence gathering.
I am not sure if what I have just posted make sense and would appreciate comments.
