DSME 2000 Concept Submarine, Specifications, Potential Customers

Jane's Navy International and Naval News have both provided details of the “DSME 2000” medium sized diesel-electric concept submarine. It was displayed, around October 24, 2019 at the International Maritime Defense Industry Exhibition (MADEX) 2019 in Busan, South Korea.

South Korea's DSME 2000 is a concept (paper) submarine targeted for the export market, particularly to Southeast Asian and South American nations. 

Pete Comment 

Potential customers DSME may particularly be looking at are:
-  the Philippines (becoming relatively wealthy, modernising its fleet, has no submarines but wants to 
   acquire some) 
-  Chile (2 of its 4 subs are old, commissioned in 1984) 
-  Columbia (several very old submarines)
-  Argentina (its 2 active subs very old entering service in 1974 and 1984) 
-  also Mexico (in North America) is relatively wealthy but has no submarines. 

See list of Latin American countries by nominal GDP and GDP per capita - financial indicators on  whether they can afford new submarines. The above potential customer countries might mainly use subs for surveillance against non-state actors (drug, arms and people smugglers, pirates, illegal fishing, separatists and terrorists).

DSME 2000's Indicative Specifications  

Drawn from Jane's Navy International and Naval News.  Preliminary design work was completed by DSME in January 2019, but the final variant can be tailored (with varying specifications) according to customer requirements.

2,180 tonnes (submerged displacement) 
71.1m long
6.5 m beam, diameter 
single-hulled

20 knots (maximum submerged speed)
10 knots (maximum surface speed)

10,000 nautical miles at cruising speed

40 crew + 10 special forces or intelligence linguists/monitors

Lithium-ion batteries
[2+ diesel engines]

AC propulsion motor.
Lengthened version could incorporate an AIP plug

Incorporates a seven-mast configuration The masts suite includes optronic, radar, ESM, SATCOM, Snorkel and up to two communication hoistable masts. The sensor suite is based on Cylindrical Hydrophone Array, Intercept Detection and Ranging Sonar, Own Noise Analysis, Flank Array Sonar, Passive Ranging Sonar, Active Operation Sonar and Towed Array Sonar.

Flexible weapon launching system depending on customer requirements. Standard fitout can be 8 torpedo tubes with a total of 16 torpedoes/missiles/[UUVs] [or typically 32 mines].

Utilizes foreign technologies and local technologies developed for South Korea's KSS-III program. 

DSME’s new diesel-electric attack submarine concept targeted for the export market, DSME 2000. (Courtesy IHS Markit/M Boruah)

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DSME 2000 class submarine scale model at MADEX 2019. Blue "boxes" may depict combat system and propulsion computers/work stations and yellow boxes lithium-ion batteries 
(Courtesy Naval News)

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DSME 2000 design features a flexible weapon launching system. (Courtesy Naval News).

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Pete