KD Tunku Abdul Rahman

The Story of KD Tunku Abdul Rahman

KD Tunku Abdul Rahman is a conventionally powered attack submarine currently in service with the Royal Malaysian Navy. The vessel was ordered in June 2002 and laid in December 2003. It was launched in October 2007 and officially commissioned in January 2009.

The builders are DCNS Cherbourg from France and Navantia from Cartagena, Spain.

KD Tunku Abdul Rahman is a Scorpene-class submarine developed jointly by France and Spain. Currently (2014) there are 4 ships in the whole class, and about 19 ships are planned at a time. At the time of writing, four of them have been cancelled and two are currently under construction.

Since the Scorpene class doesn't have the power and longevity of its competing nuclear-powered brethren seen by the world's naval powers, it can be seen as a "budget" attack submarine solution, marketed for the more "budget-conscious" world of the naval world . It is adopted by the navies of Brazil, Chile, India and Malaysia.

When built, KD Tunku Abdul Rahman had a displacement of 1,600 tons when it surfaced and 1,740 tons underwater. Propulsion is through 2 x SEMT-Pielstick 12 PA4 200SM DS diesel engines and 1 x Jeumont industrial electric motor producing 4,700hp on a single axle. This arrangement gives the boat a top speed of 12 knots when surfaced and close to 21 knots when underwater.

The range is approximately 6,000 nautical miles (6,900 miles) above the water and 360 nautical miles (410 miles) underwater. The boat can reach depths of nearly 1,000 feet. Her crew consisted of 32 sailors and officers. The processing system includes an I-band navigation radar system, sonar and Thales DR3000 tactical electronic support measures (ESM) receivers.

ESM is used to detect, identify and locate sources of radiated electromagnetic energy from potential underwater, marine and overseas threats.

Externally, the ship adopts the traditional submarine shape, with a rounded bow, a tubular hull and a tapered stern. The dive plane is mounted on the side of the sail, which fits nicely into the upper part of the hull and contains various communication and sensor trunks. She has a length of 217.9 feet, a beam of 20.3 feet, and a draft of 17.8 feet. The rudder system is located at the rear of the boat, where the propeller is also located.

The finish of the entire boat is an all black finish.

As an attack submarine, KD Tunku Abdul Rahman is equipped with 6 x 533 mm torpedo tubes and 18 "Black Shark" torpedoes built by Whitehead Alenia Sistemi Subacquei. These can be replaced with SM supplies. 39 Flying Fish anti-ship missiles or up to 30 mines (as required).

KD Tunku Abdul Rahman arrived in Malaysia in September 2009 and has continued to be a vital, forward component of the Malaysian Navy.

Specification

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