The Ministry of Defense of Japan received the second ship of the latest "Great Whale" diesel-electric submarine "Moby Dick" on the 20th.

(Taken from the official website of Kawasaki Heavy Industries).

[International News Center/Comprehensive Report] Japan is quietly upgrading its submarine combat power in order to maintain its competitive advantage over China and prevent Chinese submarines from entering the Pacific Ocean in the event of a crisis in the Taiwan Strait.

On the 20th, the Ministry of Defense received the second ship "Hakugei" of the latest "Taigei-class" diesel-electric submarine from the Kobe plant of Kawasaki Heavy Industries (Kawasaki Heavy Industries), and will join the Maritime Self-Defense Force of Hiroshima Prefecture Wu base.

The ship is equipped with lithium-ion batteries, which can carry out underwater operations for a longer period of time, and its stealth is unique in the world.

Nikkei Asia (Nikkei Asia) 21 reported that the diesel-electric submarine operates like a gasoline-electric hybrid car, which can simultaneously charge the battery system while being propelled by the diesel engine and switch to battery power at depths underwater.

When running on batteries, the engine is virtually silent, unlike nuclear submarines where the reactor cannot be shut down.

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This stealth capability, coupled with Japan's tradition of excellent underwater noise analysis, gives Japan an advantage over Chinese submarines.

Once a crisis breaks out in the Taiwan Strait, American analysts call on Japan to dispatch submarines to guard the main throats and stop Chinese submarines from entering the Pacific Ocean in the East China Sea and the Sea of ​​Japan.

Restricting the freedom of movement of Chinese ships is seen as one of the key ways Japan can assist U.S. forces in the event of a regional emergency.

Japan is the only country known to have lithium-ion batteries on its submarines.

Lithium-ion batteries are currently used on four Japanese submarines, including two of the Taiwase class and two of the newest Soryu-class submarines.

GS Yuasa, a Kyoto-based battery supplier, said lithium-ion batteries charge faster than lead-acid batteries and have a higher battery discharge rate and energy density, contributing to greater stealth and Longer underwater working time.

Beluga's pressure hull structure uses high-strength steel to allow the ship to operate in deeper waters.

The total production cost is about 72 billion yen (about 16.9 billion Taiwan dollars).

Collin Koh, a naval affairs expert at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, pointed out that lithium-ion batteries can not only extend the underwater endurance, but more importantly, provide higher underwater endurance. Burst speed (underwater burst speeds).

Xu Ruilin said that in the face of the ever-expanding Chinese naval fleet, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force will face pressure to increase the number and quality of submarines in service; Class" submarines, including old Chinese submarines.

However, the Chinese navy is said to have made great strides in submarine development, such as the introduction of an air-absorbing propulsion system (AIP), which allows submarines to generate oxygen underwater for diesel engines.

China is also reportedly interested in introducing lithium-ion batteries.

American experts suggest that Japan extend the service life of submarines from the current 22 years to 30 years, so that Haizi will eventually have a fleet of 30 submarines without adding new ships.

Japanese submarines are built alternately at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries.

The third ship of the Great Whale class, "Jingei", was launched in October last year and is scheduled to be delivered to Haizi in 2024.

The Taiji-class submarines are expected to replace the remaining nine "Oyashio-class" submarines over the next 10 years.