In regards to the Shishumar-class, lead boat INS Shishumar (S44) was commissioned on September 22nd, 1986. She displaces 1,450 tons surfaced and 1,850 tons submerged and has an overall length of 211 feet, a beam of 21 feet, and a draught of 20 feet. Installed power is from 4 x Diesel-electric motors outputting 2,400 horsepower each, 1 x Siemens electric motor of 4,600 horsepower output, 4 x Siemens alternators of 2,400 horsepower each, and a single shaft astern. Maximum surfaced speeds reach 11 knots while submerged travel caps at 22 knots. Range is out to a healthy 8,000 nautical miles. The hull has been tested to depths of 850 feet (260 meters) giving the boat a strong deep-water capability.
Aboard is a crew complement of forty that includes eight officers (the entire crew can escape via the integrated emergency escape sphere - which is pressure rated to the exact specifications as the hull proper, holds an 8-hour oxygen supply, and its own communications system). Armament is 8 x 533mm (21") torpedo tubes at the bow and carries six to fourteen reloads (from the German wire-guided, active-passive AEG-SUT Mod 1 torpedo family). An external mine-carrying/dispensing capability is also built-in (a standard of the German boat design series). Up to 24 naval mines can be hauled in a single sortie.
Its design is largely standard and conventional for the period. The hull is well-contoured as expected and the sail sits at midships. The tailplane arrangement is of a basic cruciform pattern with the propeller unit extended out beyond the planes. The dive planes are positioned on the hull as opposed to the sail. A single, central bulkhead is used internally.
Onboard electronics consist of the Calypso surface-search radar, the CSU 83 active/passive hull-mounted sonar, the DUUX 5 passive ranging sonar, the Librascope Mk.1 Fire-Control System (FCS), AR700/Sea Sentry ESM, and C303 acoustic decoy system.
In 1999, Shishumar began a mid-life upgrade with new French sonar and an Indian data processing suite. Sister boats followed in modernization. In September of 2018, Thyssenkrupp of Germany was awarded a $151M program to refit the Indian submarine. The class will now be able to support the American Harpoon Block II anti-ship missile series as a standard weapon fit.
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