SMX-22 - 2004

At the 2004 European Navy Show, DCN first introducedthea concept submarine called SMX-22. Among submarines capable of transporting submarines, the most prominent is the SMX-22 mini submarine transport system. The system has three submarines, including a mother ship with a displacement of 2,700 tons and two mini submarines with a displacement of 480 tons.

The mother ships are equipped with AIP dynamics and various technical measures to enhance stealth in the process of ship transport. When approached near the combat zone, it will drop two mini submarines and use computer networks to control them.

The SMX-22 design is comprised of a mother boat and two mini-submarines in a networked system. The SMX-22's design was first unveiled at the Euronaval 2004 exhibition, and combines three submarines into one underwater vessel with a 3,700-tonne displacement. It comprises a command unit nicknamed NCW, and twin operational units nicknamed OPS. The NCW unit centralises tactical data, exchanges information with a Navy's Fleet Command HQ, sails the OPS units towards the operational theatre, and ensures energy production. It is also the base for the OPS unit crew between two missions. Each OPS submarine, displacing less than 500 tonnes, is fitted with a mission-specific modular payload before leaving the harbour. With no energy production facility, the OPS unit, equipped with an AIP module, is thus extremely silent. Each mission is limited to a few days.

DCN after years of market research, found that Navies hoped that a single purchase would maximize the benefits, so a new generation of submarines must strive to maximize the flexibility of tasks. In addition, according to experience, submarine design implementations focused on a certain particular task may have other irrelevant capabilitie that are often redundant. Therefore, the concept of SMX-22 was for highly modular mission equipment is to meet these new needs. The sub-boat concept allows SMX-22 to perform a wider range of tasks, and modular design can be based on carrying different task modules. In addition, DCN also said that the concept of the sub-boat will enable customers to have greater flexibility. The Customer does not have to buy the entire group SMX-22 (a mother boat + two boats) as a procurement unit, but the purchase may be one to two mother submarines with four to six smaller boats. The purchase of the right task module will enable meeting the minimum purchase cost to combat needs.

Each group SMX-22 unit consists of the mother boat and two submarines, the mother boat called the network combat center command boat (NCW), with a length 84.3m, width 8m, floating displacement 2,750 tons, maximum submergence depth of more than 250 meters, shaft propulsion and X-shaped rudder. Through the hull body are installed weapons modules to carry 18 to 30 or more than all kinds of weapons, including anti-submarine torpedoes, mines, anti-ship missiles, or land attack cruise missiles. In addition, it can carry underwater unmanned vehicles. Derived from the MICA air-to-air missiles, anti-air missiles can be carried, a newly developed product of MICA's infrared guide version. The 533mm torpedo tube can fire SM-39 submerged torpedo and anti-ship missile. After the launch of the missile, the effective range to the helicopter is about 15km, and the range of fixed-wing aircraft is about 20km.

The NCW mothership has a capacity of 65 people living space, but the actual operation of the staff only 25, the rest of the space is used to carry the two boat cress. And the two boats connected with the mother boat is called OPS combat submarine. The boat length is 36 meters, diameter 5.3 meters, the displacement of 480ton, submersible depth of more than 250m, the power system for small diesel / battery and power generation, propulsion motor, with up to 25 days of self-continuous operation capacity and one to two days underwater continuous navigation capacity. The maximum underwater speed is 17 knots (equipped with two weapons launchers, can carry about six torpedoes / missiles or 18 ~ 24 mines (and each complete SMX-22) child.

The parent unit can carry up to 50 weapons in total. In addition, each boat can also add two modular package, can carry underwater unmanned vehicle (AUV). Submarine mission equipment using modular design, the base can be prepared according to the task and choose to install a different module. Each sub-boat can carry a total of 10 staff, two boats each prepared two staff, a total of 40, in addition to the implementation of the task of two classes a total of 20, the remaining 20 to stay on the mother boat waiting for shift to take over. The boat after about 80 hours per job will return to the mother ship. As the submarine compact and operating time is not long, the need for energy consumption and living space is not great, so with low noise, low cost characteristics.

In terms of power, DCN said that the long-term submersible operation capacity, long speed nuclear energy for the best, but based on export considerations, SMX-22 is still the traditional diesel electric power with the company MESMA gas propulsion system (AIP) The traditional PMO + AIP system, the SMX-22 can continue to sail 8,700 nautical miles with a snorkel tube at 8 knots, with AIP driving at 4 knots for 12 days underwater and can continue to operate at sea more than 50 days.

NCW motherboat usually provides operational support, including task allocation, personnel replacement, charging, fresh water supply, waste discharge, maintenance and so on. During operations, the submarine will have two boats on both sides while sailing to the operating area. After the two OPS submarine left the mother to carry out their own operations, the boat and the sub-boat through the underwater joint network technology, combined with the joint maritime combat command system (JMCIS) and the operational command system (CCS) to form a submarine C4ISR system, which is the submarine warfare communication support system (SCSS) and the submarine platform regional network system.

So the mother ship and even the friendly units between the units of intelligence exchange between the full, to achieve the greatest synergistic combat effectiveness. In order to facilitate the convenience of the combination of sub-boats, SMX-22 on both sides of the small auxiliary propulsion to increase the low-speed flexibility, docks use expansion rubber seal shock ring. But DCN said frequent child boat y underwater docking will be a big technical test. In addition, DCN is further researching the concept of SMX-22, such as the installation of a more complete diesel-electric power system on OPS submarines to enable it to have more independent operational capability and to study the use of OPS submarines movement.

Under the underwater network transmission technology support, SMX-22 sub-boat can significantly increase the mother's environmental awareness and operating range. In the shallow waters of the task, SMX-22 of the mother boat in the safe range of OPS submarine cast to the mission area operations, the implementation of mine deployment, special operations, environmental investigation and other work, and submarine sensor Of the detection information can be transmitted through the Internet transmission to the submarine combat communications support system, to the carrier or other friends of the ship to share the share, or through the satellite communication system to the rear of the friendly high-level command units. In the underwater operations, SMX-22 can be cast out OPS submarine, the use of coordinated multi-base main / passive sonar technology and submarine joint combat network for cable and communication coordination, equal to three attack Submarines in the field operations.

SMX-22 innovative concept can be said to meet the future development trend of underwater combat products. Due to the silence of the new submarine and the diversification of future submarine missions, the new generation of underwater operations is bound to improve the network transmission technology with a variety of real-time deployment of someone, no man, underwater and air vehicles (instead of SOSUS submarine sonar such a huge fixed facilities), and strive to detect the antenna into the underwater battle every corner, so quiet enemy submarine no escape.

In addition, the shallow sea of ??mine, mine counter, environmental investigation and special operations, nor for a large submarine personally visit the operation, navies need a variety of underwater unmanned vehicles to carry special operations personnel of small diving vehicles, From the submarine to carry around to the operation area, no single underwater vehicles can carry out all the needed tasks. The submarine itself can be in a relatively safe area standby for command support.

The United States and other leading advanced navied have not followed a similar concept of combat methods and equipment to reform. DCN said that a SMX-22 unit consisting of a mother ship and two OPS sub-boats has a combined operational benefit equivalent to an existing tonnage underwater submarine clan, but the acquisition and maintenance costs are far below the latter. However, DCN also admitted that SMX-22 concept was ahead of the existing national naval operational concept too much, most countries still need a long time to accept this concept, and must first complete the C4ISR infrastructure behind, in order to really play SMX-22 concept On the advantage.