Italian Midget Submarine under Construction In Romania For Undisclosed Customer
The Italians have a reputation for building small submarines. Having invented the modern notion of naval special forces over 100 years ago, there is a natural affinity to sneak attacks. So it is no surprise that more than other submarine building nations, they develop smaller submarines optimized to special operations. Leonardo’s new S800 design is one higher-profile example, but there is another which is already under construction.
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The Drass DG-160 is an interesting design. And in Italian arms sales tradition it is shrouded in mystery and speculation. Although we know of the project, and that it is being built deep inland in Romania, we do not know of the customer. The construction site, on a nondescript industrial estate in a Romanian town, is 375 miles (600 km) from the Black Sea.
DG-160 Construction in Romania, TVR/Drass
DG-160 Specification
Displacememt: 141 tons surfaced, 169 tons submerged
Length: 32.24 m
Width: 2.5 m hull diameter, 4.12 m with hydroplanes
Height: 6.45 m
Crew: 7 + 8 PAX
Range: 2,000 nm, 160 nm on batteries
Speed: 10 kt max, 5 kt cruising, 8.5 kt surfaced
Operating depth: TBC
Armament: 2 x 533mm torpedoes standard, plus 2 x 533mm torpedoes or 6 x mines in lateral tubes as mission-specific load
Other: 2 x SDVs or up to 6 x inflatable boats
Equipment: Passive sonar, active sonar, SWR Intercept Sonar, Radar Warning Receiver, TV periscope, Underwater Communications, Ring-Laster gyrocompass, echosounder, doppler velocity log, Electromagnetic log
DG-160 control room mock-up. Drass
The design lineage back to famous Cos.Mo.S company is clear. Drass' latest submarine bears a strong family resemblance to the unbuilt Cos.Mo.S X-201 SWATS (shallow water attack submarine) concept but with a more conventional ‘+’ tail section based on the MG-120 design.
DG-160. TVR/Drass
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