Japan's Kamikaze Klasse (29SS) Future Submarines

With the Covert Shores - Popular Mechanics articles yesterday what can we learn about Japan's Future Submarine class, classified 29SS?:

29SS (see Table below) with a little more color, will be the lead boat in the new Japanese Kamikaze
 (神風 - "Divine Wind") class. The Kamikaze were 2 "divine winds" or storms said to have saved Japan in the 13^th century from 2 Mongol/Chinese fleets. This clearly has renewed relevance to the Chinese naval threat to Japan today. Such mythical winds follow Japan's Oyashio 
(mythical currents ) and Soryu (mythical dragon) class submarines.

Japan relied on (overly) brave Japanese pilots in Kamikaze aircraft to sink or damage allied ships in WWII, in part because of inadequate use of Japan's submarine force (see page 2, paragraph 1 of this source). It is therefore fitting that Japan's new submarines, faced with overwhelming Chinese submarine numbers and Chinese SSN qualitative superiority, will carry on such sacrifice. 

Popular Mechanics advises:

"The designation “29SS” is derived from the 29th year of the reign of Emperor Akihito, otherwise known to everyone else as 2017, and SS is the international shorthand for non-nuclear attack submarine

... 29SS retains the general hull form of earlier submarines but with some important changes. The sail is substantially reduced and blended into the hull, which should reduce hydrodynamic drag. This will make the submarine quieter, perhaps a little faster, but also more energy efficient. Non-nuclear powered submarines, operating underwater under combat conditions, must carefully manage their power or risk being forced to surface. The dive planes have also been moved from what’s left of the sail to the hull.

...The research and development phase will take place from 2025 to 2028, and the first ship of this class will probably hit the water around 2031."

The Kamikazes will, with the benefit of heavier, more voluminous, NCA formula Lithium-ion Batteries (LIBs) have longer (maybe 10 day) fully submerged performance .

Of course the Kamikazes (like the Australian Under Attack class) will be as good as sunk against the superiority of Chinese and Russian nuclear propelled attack submarines (SSNs).

Japan and Australia currently, and out to 2040, will be totally reliant on the whims of increasingly isolationist US SSN management to take on Chinese and Russian SSNs.

China's and Russia's increasingly sensitive fixed and mobile anti-submarine sensors demand more discrete performance from these Japanese and Australian diesel-electric submarines. But even with LIBs, these Japo-Aussie subs still need to loudly snort with supercharged diesel engines every 10 days. Thus blowing their residual discretion out of the water.

What might the new Kamikaze - 29SS class look like (courtesy H I Sutton's Covert Shores and anticipated by Submarine Matters on June 14, 2017 ):

With a pumpjet/propulsor and (Alfa, Akula slightly Type 212A) smaller, faired fin/sail on a Soryu looking hull (above). Inspired by artwork released by "Kobe Shipyard" (KHI, MHI, Japanese MoD)  via Covert Shores (below): 

Putting 29SS in Japanese sub evolutionary context:

TABLE.  Japanese Soryu and Oyashio Programs as at June 27, 2019 

SS No. Diesel Type Motor	Build No Name	Pennant No.	MoF approved amount ¥ Billions FY	LABs, LIBs, AIP	Laid Down	Laun -ched	Commi ssioned	Built By
5SS Oyashio 2 Toshiba motors	8105 Oyashio (mythical currents)	SS-590/ TS3608	¥52.2B FY1993	LABs only	Jan 1994	Oct 1996	Mar 1998	KHI
6SS-15SS Oyashios  10 subs 2 Toshiba motors SMC-7?	8106 -8115 various	SS-591-600	¥52.2B per sub FY1994-FY2003	LABs only	15SS Feb 2004	15SS Nov 2006	15SS Mar 2008	MHI & KHI
16SS Soryu Mk I 12V25/25SB SMC-8	8116 Sōryū (mythical dragons)	SS-501	¥60B FY2004	LABs + AIP	Mar 2005	Dec 2007	Mar 2009	MHI
17SS	8117 Unryū	SS-502	¥58.7B FY2005	LABs + AIP	Mar 2006	Oct 2008	Mar 2010	KHI
18SS	8118 Hakuryū	SS-503	¥56.2 FY2006	LABs + AIP	Feb 2007	Oct 2009	Mar 2011	MHI
19SS	8119 Kenryū	SS-504	¥53B FY2007	LABs + AIP	Mar 2008	Nov 2010	Mar 2012	KHI
20SS	8120 Zuiryū	SS-505	¥51B FY2008	LABs + AIP	Mar 2009	Oct 2011	Mar 2013	MHI
No 21SS			No 21SS built
22SS	8121 Kokuryū	SS-506	¥52.8B FY2010	LABs + AIP	Jan 2011	Oct 2013	Mar 2015	KHI
23SS	8122 Jinryu	SS-507	¥54.6B FY2011	LABs + AIP	Feb 2012	Oct 2014	7 Mar 2016	MHI
24SS	8123 Sekiryū	SS-508	¥54.7B FY2012	LABs + AIP	15 Mar 2013	2 Nov 2015	13 Mar 2017	KHI
25SS	8124 Seiryū	SS-509	¥53.1B FY2013	LABs + AIP	22 Oct 2013	12 Oct   2016	12 Mar 2018	MHI
26SS end of SMC-8s	8125 Shoryū	SS-510	¥51.7B FY2014	LABs + AIP	2014	6 Nov 2017	18 Mar 2019	KHI
27SS First Soryu Mk II 12V25/25SB  diesel first SMC-8B motor	8126 Oryū	SS-511	¥64.4B FY2015	LIBs only (NCA type)	2015	4 Oct 2018	Mar 2020?	MHI
28SS  Second Soryu Mk II 12V25/25SB SMC-8B	8127	SS-512	¥63.6B FY2016 "2,900t" surfaced	LIBs only (NCA type?)	2016?	Oct 2019?	Mar 2021?	KHI
29SS New Class 12V25/31S SMC-9?	8128	SS-???	¥76B FY2017 large budget rise for sub of larger "3,000t" surfaced class page 3 implies many new features. New class?	LIBs only	2017? or 2025?	2020? or 2028?	2023? or 2033?	MHI
30SS New Class 12V25/31S	8029?	SS-???	¥71.5B FY2018	LIBs only	?	?	?	KHI?

Table from information exclusively provided to Submarine Matters. LABs = lead-acid batteries, AIP = air independent propulsion, LIBs = Lithium-ion Batteries. ¥***B = Billion Yen. MHI = Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, KHI = Kawasaki Shipbuilding Corporation of Kawasaki Heavy Industries. 

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Pete