KD Tunku Abdul Rahman is a Scorpène-class submarine built for the Royal Malaysian Navy by Naval Group, formerly known as DCNS in Cherbourg, France and Navantia in Cartagena, Spain.

Tunku Abdul Rahman at Port Klang, September 2009
KD Tunku Abdul Rahman at Port Klang in September 2009
History
Malaysia
NameKD Tunku Abdul Rahman
NamesakeTunku Abdul Rahman
OrderedJune 2002[1]
BuilderNaval Group & Navantia
Laid downDecember 2003
LaunchedOctober 2007[1]
CommissionedJanuary 2009[1]
HomeportSepanggar
StatusActive
General characteristics [2]
Class and typeScorpène-class submarine
Displacement
  • 1,577 long tons (1,602 t) surfaced
  • 1,711 long tons (1,738 t) submerged
Length67.4 m (221 ft 2 in)
Beam6.2 m (20 ft 4 in)
Draft5.4 m (17 ft 9 in)
Propulsion
  • 2 × SEMT-Pielstick 12 PA4 200SM DS diesels
  • 1 × Jeumont Industrie motor
  • 4,700 hp (3,505 kW)
  • 1 shaft
Speed
  • 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) surfaced
  • 20.5 kn (38.0 km/h; 23.6 mph) submerged
Range
  • 6,000 nmi (11,000 km; 6,900 mi) at 8 kn (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) surfaced
  • 360 nmi (670 km; 410 mi) at 4 kn (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depthMore than 300 m (980 ft)
Complement32
Sensors and
processing systems
  • I-band navigation radar
  • Hull mounted, active/passive search and attack, medium frequency sonars
Electronic warfare
& decoys
Thales DR 3000 tactical ESM receiver
Armament6 × 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes for 18 Whitehead Alenia Sistemi Subacquei Black Shark heavyweight torpedoes and SM-39 Exocet anti-ship missiles and 30 mines in place of torpedoes

Development and design

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The fore section was built at Naval Group and joined to the aft section, which was built by Navantia.[3]

On 3 September 2009, Tunku Abdul Rahman arrived in Malaysia 54 days after sailing from Toulon for her new home.[4] According to a September 2009 report in Malaysia's English-language The Sun, the submarine was expected to be formally commissioned into the Royal Malaysian Navy in October 2009.[5]

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "SSK Scorpene Class Attack Submarine". naval-technology.com. 2012. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  2. ^ "KD Tunku Abdul Rahman". Royal Malaysian Navy Official Portal. 2012. Archived from the original on 31 August 2012. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  3. ^ "Royal Malaysian Navy". GlobalSecurity.org. 13 August 2009. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
  4. ^ "Malaysia's first ever submarine arrives to acclaim". Agence France-Presse. 3 September 2009. Archived from the original on September 8, 2009. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
  5. ^ Dass, Maria J. (3 September 2009). "M'sia's first submarine arrives home". The Daily Sun. Retrieved 8 September 2009.