SHAH ALAM: It appears that both KD Tunku Abdul Rahman and KD Tun Abdul Razak , the two Perdana class submarines – were equipped with new equipment during their major refit a few years back.
From the post on KD TAR refit:
By all accounts – a refit or overhaul – extends a submarine’s life by repairing its hull and modernising its combat capability. It involves examining, repairing and even replacing parts of the hull; replacing worn-out cabling and piping ; and replacing or upgrading major weapons, sensors and communication systems.
Work on Tunku Abdul Rahman started in 2016 and it was likely completed in 2019 while Tun Abdul Razak went into the yard in 2019 and it came out in 2021.
As RMN (as other navies) never announced whether it had fitted new equipment on both boats during the refit, we must rely on pictures published by RMN itself to spot the new things (though not on the first time). After seeing a number of photographs of both submarines I can surmised that they now have horizontal bumps on the rear of both sides of their conning towers.
I have no idea what it is. It is likely a sonar array of some sorts or even something more benign. Updated. It is an exhaust diffusers. The bumps had never been seen on both submarines prior to their refits. Anyone visiting the Eastern Fleet Command Open Day (today and tomorrow) at the Kota Kinabalu naval base can see the bumps on Tunku Abdul Rahman and other things displayed at the jetty (see picture below).
— Malaysian Defence
View Comments (27)
Being right at the top end of conning tower I am guessing it could be either a surface radar or a ASW search radar detector.
There are antennas for those which lowered and raised from the conning towers like the periscopes
No I have worked it out. They are exhaust diffusers that are also fitted on the Indians Scorpenes. Just Google them.
Yes I Google and the hump only appeared from the third submarine....
Apparently helps to diffuse the diesel fumes when the sub is recharging its batteries. Maybe the RMN has also got the snorkel hose that DCNS talked about some years ago. With the snorkel hose, you can stay deeper underwater and still recharge the batteries. Maybe they got this exhaust diffuser with the snorkel hose, maybe..
The snorkel is raised on the latest picture taken at the open day
Anyway, this is an improvement. Can’t complain about it. Now, they only need to raise the snorkel tube/hose when recharging. No need to have a smokey exhaust tube too..
When will they install AIP? Since anwar is buddy with Erdogan maybe we can ask for LMS batch II and AIP installation for a friendly price.
Throw in propeller diffuser installation as well since all new SSK (Turkish U214, Germany U212 and Singapore U218) use one
that exhaust diffuser it same with indian scorpene kalvari class.
Reference -
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/ins-vagsheer-last-of-the-scorpene-submarines-under-project-75-launched-2903252
http://www.hisutton.com/Scorpene-Class-Submarine.html
It's a French submarine, the Turkish people won't do anything on it
Alex - ''since anwar is buddy with Erdogan''
Why do we keep hearing about this ''best buddy'' shite? One doesn't have to be ''best buddies''; merely to have the cash and a genuine desire to buy something. Also; at the small quantities we buy do you think that Erdogan would be willing to provide a ''friendly price''. All this talk about Anwar being supposedly ''best mates'' with Erdogan has been repeated and overplayed. Erdogan is ''best buddies'' with a lot of people.
Not only that but how can a Turk company provide an AIP to a French made submarine? Integration/certification comes into play...
Why need to have the turks do anything for the scorpenes?
What can malaysia do?
1. Piggyback Kalveri Batch 2 plan to get 1-2 more Scorpenes for RMN. Get india to finish them, or we could buy the complete modules and assemble them in Kota Kinabalu. Not much difference between undertaking complex overhaul and to assemble new modules on site.
2. With Turkey, concurrently get the STM500 submarine from them. Probably 3-6 of them.
3. Where is the money? There is planned for the LMS Batch 2. Instead of the LMS Batch 2, yes submarines for RMN, but who is going to do surface patrols? Thats what MMEA supposed to do.