VIDAR~®-7-THE SMALL SSK FOR THE 21st CENTURY

摘要

The trend of the growing global proliferation of submarines is well recognised and many nations are seeking, or have acquired, small diesel electric submarines to defend sovereign interests. The market is dominated by the design offerings in the 1500-2000te range, however this size of submarine is often beyond the economic reach of many nations aspiring towards a submarine capability. A number of nations operate 'midget' submarines (less than 350te), however this size of submarine is often incapable of the range, endurance and truly independent operation of the more conventional sized submarine. Therefore there exists a gap in the spectrum of submarine designs for a small, affordable 'pocket' or 'utility' submarine of the order 700te. The solution space for this need has been explored through the generation of a large number of submarine concept design solutions, investigating the impact of potential design requirements on displacement, cost and risk. This paper concludes by presenting the output of the design space exploration and the subsequent concept design developed to address this need. The BMT Vidar-7 is a 700te submarine which offers signature performance, endurance, range and combat capability comparable with larger design solutions, at a much reduced size and cost.