France brings Scorpene submarines to Malaysia ready to "confront" China
At the DSA-2018 Defense Exhibition recently held in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), French defense companies for the first time displayed almost all of their most advanced weapons for Southeast Asian countries, including the Scorpene submarine.
Accordingly, the Scorpene submarine brought by France to DSA-2018 this time is the S-BR version. This is the version with a displacement of 2000 tons, about 30% larger than the original version with a displacement of only 1565 tons.
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| French S-BR version of Scorpene submarine. Photo source: Sina. |
SubmarineScorpene S-BR versionEquipped with an API-based diesel-electric engine and high-capacity batteries, the ship can travel at a maximum speed of 20 knots when submerged (equivalent to 37 km/h). When surfaced, the ship can travel at a maximum speed of 12 knots, equivalent to about 22 km/h.
Compared to the original version, the S-BR version is about 15 meters longer and has a total length of 75 meters. The ship is capable of operating with a maximum range of 12,000 km when surfaced and 1,000 km when submerged.
| Video: Close-up of the "swimming" ability of the French-made Scorpene submarine. |
France's bringing of the Scorpene submarine to DSA-2018 shows Paris' ambition to expand its arms market in the Southeast, which is "in the hands" of Russia, the US and China. Close-up of the generator system, diesel engine, electric motor and energy battery in the engine compartment of the Scorpene submarine.
Besides, submarines are a weapon that has received special attention from Southeast Asian countries in recent years, and French defense companies clearly see this.
With the S-BR variant, France is trying to make the Scorpene submarine more attractive to demanding customers in the region, and the DSA-2018 is not a bad start. It is known that the French Scorpene submarine has the ability to operate continuously for about 70 days (combined with AIP engines) along with a maximum diving capacity of 350 meters.
The Scorpene submarine is equipped with a total of 6 torpedo tubes, all of which are located at the front of the ship. The ship is capable of carrying a maximum of 18 torpedoes of various types. In addition, these torpedo tubes can also deploy Exocet anti-ship missiles or mines.
At this defense exhibition, France also displayed a series of its torpedoes.
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| French MU90 torpedo. Photo source: Sina. |
The most prominent of these is the MU90 torpedo, a lightweight anti-submarine torpedo that weighs 304 kg, is 2.85 meters long and has a diameter of 323 mm. This torpedo can operate at a range of up to 23 km, a maximum depth of 1000 meters and has a maximum speed of 50 nautical miles (equivalent to 93 km/h).