Germany to power its attack submarine with advanced lithium battery

Oct 19, 2024

The HDW Class 212A submarine has a length of approximately 190 feet (58 meters), and a surface displacement of approximately 1,500 tons.

Abhishek Bhardwaj

Class 212A submarine (stock image).

thyssenkrupp

German shipbuilder thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (tkMS) is installing its own lithium-ion battery system onboard the existing Type 212A submarine of the German Navy.

The submarine battery was developed by tkMS since 2015. It had first gone into testing in 2019, and it is only now that the company is planning to integrate the next-generation technology into one of the German vessels.

The HDW Class 212A submarine has a length of approximately 190 feet (58 meters), and a surface displacement of approximately 1,500 tons.

The submarine has six weapon tubes, and it can carry 28 crew members, according to the information provided by tkMS on its website.

The air-independent, diesel-electric attack submarine is compact and features high payloads for sensors, communication equipment, weapon control systems, and weapons.

It has an HDW fuel cell system linked to a PERMASYN motor – enabling long submerged operational periods and low indiscretion rates. It is being used by the German and Italian Navy.

Lithium-ion batteries are being increasingly used to store energy today, powering everything from electric vehicles to large-scale energy storage facilities.

tkMS states that the installation of the partial battery made by it for integration into Class 212A submarine has many additional benefits.

Firstly, it will allow for improved performance and also enhance the operations of the vessel. Secondly, it can offer better and enhanced battery capacities, better range at improved speeds, and also the much desired longer service life.

The research for the battery system had begun in 2015, and its completion happened in 2023. The research proved the efficiency of the lithium-ion battery system for integration on the submarine with minimal risk involved.

The hartpunkt article further mentions that the integration of the partial battery and the proof of technology is planned for the beginning of 2028.

With the integration and testing of the technology, tkMS will also receive the ‘Parent Navy Approval,’ which will allow for the integration of the lithium-ion battery system into other future and existing projects.

The lithium-ion battery integration will also lead to reduced snorkeling rates for the submarine.

China has a massive Navy and is considered a superpower in terms of the oceanic fleet, with an estimated 60 to 70 vessels. Way back in 2022, the Chinese PLA Navy initiated trials to integrate lithium-ion batteries into its conventional submarines.

The Chinese military had planned to replace the lead-acid batteries in its fleet of conventional submarines with lithium technology.

The lead-acid batteries on these submarines, which have not seen significant development since World War II, have proved problematic due to their poor energy storage capacity, delayed charging, limited power output, short lifespan, and harmful gas leaks, according to the paper.

Earlier, the Japanese Navy, too, had added the metal manganese to the lithium battery to improve safety of the submarine.

South Korea launched its first lithium-powered submarine using nickel and cobalt in 2021. Although the battery was functionally identical to those used in smartphones, the South Korean military claimed it had additional safeguards in place to ensure its safe functioning at sea.

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Abhishek Bhardwaj Abhishek brings a wealth of experience in covering diverse stories across different beats. Having contributed to renowned wire agencies and Indian media outlets like ANI and NDTV, he is keenly interested in Tech, Business and Defense coverage.

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