The Type 214 is a class of diesel-electric submarines developed exclusively for export by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft GmbH (HDW). It features diesel propulsion with an air-independent propulsion (AIP) system using Siemens polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) hydrogen fuel cells. The class combines the design principles of the Type 209 submarine family and the features of the Type 212A submarine. However, as an export design, it lacks some of the classified technologies of the Type 212 such as the non-magnetic steel hull that makes it difficult to detect using a magnetic anomaly detector.
Due to improvements in the pressure hull materials, the Type 214 can dive nearly . It can also carry food, fresh water and fuel for 84 days of operation.
A contract to build four submarines for the Hellenic Navy was signed 15 February 2000 and a fourth unit was ordered in June 2002. The first submarine was built at HDW in Kiel, Germany and the rest at the Hellenic Shipyards Co. in Skaramangas, Greece. The Hellenic Navy named them the Papanikolis class.
The Republic of Korea Navy has ordered nine Type 214 submarines, designated as Son Won-Il class, to be built in Korea by Hyundai Heavy Industries and Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering; three first batch models entered service since 2007, and six second batch models entered service from 2012.
General characteristics
Displacement: 1,690 t surfaced / 1,860 t submerged
Dimensions: length 65 m (213 feet 3 inches ) / beam 6,3 m (20 feet 8 inches) / draught 6 m (19 feet 8 inches) Pressure hull: HY-100 Armament: 8 x 533 mm torpedo tubes, 4 subharpoon-capable Propulsion: low noise skew back propeller Diesel engines: 2 x MTU 16V-396 (3.96 MW) Charging generators: 2 x Piller Ntb56.40-10 0.97 MW AIP system: 2 x HDW PEM fuel cell module BZM120 (120 kW x 2) Electric motor: 1 x Siemens Permasyn (2.85 MW) Speed: 10 kn surfaced / 20 kn submerged Speed on fuel cells: 2-6 kn estimated Range surfaced: 19,300 km (12,000 miles) Range submerged: 780 km @ 15 km/h (420 nmi @ 8 kn) Range on fuel cells: 2,310 km @ 7 km/h (1,248 nmi @ 4 kn) Mission endurance: 12 weeks Submerged without snorkelling: 3 weeks Operating depth: more than 250 m (820 feet) officially, 400 m estimated (1312 feet) Complement: 5 officers + 22 crew Navigation radar: SPHINX-D with 4 kW pulse and tactical LPI radar sensor [Thales Deutschland Kiel]
Operators
Greece
The Hellenic Navy ordered four Type 214 submarines to be known as the Papanikolis class. The first, Papanikolis, was built in Germany; the following three were scheduled for construction at HDW's Hellenic Shipyards in Greece. In December 2006, StrategyPage reported that Papanikolis was found to have numerous technical problems. Among the reported problems with the submarine were excessive propeller cavitation, overheating of the air-independent propulsion system's fuel cells, and excessive rolling in bad weather when surfaced. Seapower magazine reported the Hellenic Navy refused to accept Papanikolis; additional problems noted were inadequate air-independent propulsion system output power, inappropriate periscope vibration, sonar flank array problems and seawater leakage into the ship's hydraulics.
The Hellenic Navy officers in charge of the testing program at the Kiel shipyards in Germany made their case clear in a 2007 investigative journalism program called "Neoi Fakeloi" on Skai TV (Greece). Retired Rear Admiral M. Simionakis, who had been in charge of the Papanikolis program for the navy, told the interviewer that the manufacturer had made two attempts to fix a severe balance problem in the submarine, including shifting 21 tons of material from the top to the bottom, yet the vessel continued to heel as much as 46 degrees in sea trials. Photographic evidence of the severe heeling was presented. In the same TV program, the officer replacing Simionakis in Kiel, Capt. K. Tziotis, listed seven ongoing, serious problems with the vessel, including balance problems when traveling on the surface, problems with the AIP system, problems with the weapon system, problems with the periscope, and problems with flooding.