Korean submarine capabilities

[Anchor]

This is a series examining the competitiveness and challenges of our defense industry.

First, submarines are expected to become a promising new candidate in a market projected to open soon, worth tens of trillions of won.

Reporter Jo Hye-jin visited the research site focused on domestic submarines targeting this market.

[Report]

The largest submarine research center in the country.

This is a model of a 3,000-ton diesel submarine scaled down to one-tenth its size, measuring 80 meters in length.

As the propeller at the end spins and the rotation speed is increased from 15 to 25 revolutions per second, bubbles are generated, creating noise.

Since noise must be minimized underwater, it is important to reduce the bubbles produced by the propeller.

For this reason, they are exploring technologies to enhance the stealth of submarines by recreating water flow in a donut-shaped tank as tall as a seven-story apartment building.

In the country's only submarine-specific tank, they study sonar, a core technology of submarines for sound detection.

[Yoo Kwon-sik/Researcher at a shipbuilding company's defense technology research center: "We usually detect using sound, which serves as our eyes and ears..."]

Domestic submarines can stay submerged longer by using lithium-ion batteries that store more energy compared to traditional lead-acid batteries.

Additionally, they have increased their size to 3,600 tons by equipping submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), and we are the only country among submarine-exporting nations to have mass-produced and operationally verified this size.

[Kim Shin-hyung/Executive at a shipbuilding company's defense technology research center: "The Korean Navy has verified and improved the performance through actual operations. Currently, several European competitors, whom we consider our rivals, are still in the design phase."]

With countries like Canada, Poland, and the Philippines moving to introduce new submarines, the bids expected to come out in the next 2-3 years are worth 70 trillion won.

The key is diplomatic power.

Since submarine exports involve not only the hull but also the training system and operational capabilities, experts advise that government-level support to persuade shared security interests is essential, in addition to the efforts of the companies.

This is KBS News, Jo Hye-jin.