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Type 212CD (Common Design) / 212CDE [Export]

The Type 212CD, with "CD" standing for "Common Design," represents an ambitious collaborative submarine development program between Germany and Norway, engineered by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS). This partnership emerged from a 2017 Norwegian decision to pursue extensive naval cooperation with Germany and TKMS for their Ula-class replacement project, culminating in a €5.5 billion contract signed in July 2021 for the development and initial procurement of six submarines. The program reflects a broader NATO strategic cooperation, with both nations establishing a German-Norwegian Building Program Office in Kiel to oversee design, construction, and acceptance of the vessels.

The Type 212CD represents a substantial evolution from its predecessor, the Type 212A, with the new design featuring approximately 65% greater surface displacement, reaching around 2,500 tons, and measuring 73 meters in length with a 10-meter beam. The submarine features four 533mm DM2A4 IDAS torpedo tubes, providing capability to target both submarines and surface vessels, and will be equipped with Naval Strike Missile (NSM) Block 1A anti-ship guided missiles capable of engaging marine and land targets with precision. The National Interest One of the most distinctive features is the revolutionary diamond-shaped hull design, incorporating flat, sloping sides that deflect active sonar emissions from modern anti-submarine warfare ships, significantly enhancing stealth characteristics compared to conventional submarine designs.

The Type 212CD incorporates cutting-edge propulsion and power systems that substantially extend its operational capabilities. The submarine utilizes an air-independent propulsion (AIP) system powered by hydrogen fuel cells, allowing for extended submerged operations without surfacing. Army Recognition TKMS has developed advanced lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries in collaboration with French company Saft, with approximately 250 DHW-1 cells planned for installation in the battery compartments, significantly extending underwater endurance beyond the two-week capability of the Type 212A. Global Security Combined with two MTU diesel engines, the Type 212CD can achieve top speeds of approximately 20 knots. The National Interest This dual propulsion architecture allows for high-speed transit using diesel power while maintaining silent, long-duration patrol capability through the AIP system and advanced battery technology.

The submarine features the ORCCA (Operations Room Combat and Control Architecture) combat system, developed by Atlas Elektronik in collaboration with Norway's Kongsberg, which has been characterized as the most advanced combat system available for non-nuclear submarines. The National Interest ORCCA enables integrated data analysis from multiple onboard systems through a single multipurpose interface, facilitating rapid decision-making and allowing operators to function as part of unified missions with NATO or EU forces. Naval Technology The sensor suite includes two optronics masts featuring Hensoldt OMS 150 and OMS 300 sensors, replacing the hull-penetrating periscopes used on earlier designs, along with a Hensoldt panoramic surveillance system and Kongsberg's SA9510S MKII Mine Avoidance and Navigation Sonar. The National Interest The extensive sonar system encompasses bow and conning tower antennas, active high-frequency sonar for mine detection, passive side antennas with very large aperture, and towed sonar arrays.

The Class 212 CD submarines are a joint procurement program of the Norwegian and German navies. The letters "CD" stand for "Common Design". With a length of around 73 m and a displacement of around 2500 t, the Class 212 CD submarines would be significantly larger than the Class 212 A boats on which they are based. As a new generation, the Type 212CD submarines go far beyond the current 212A boats. With advanced capabilities for situational awareness, enhanced networking with allied units and a reduced signature featuring advanced "Stealth Shaping" for significantly reduced target echo strength (attributed to a unique diamond shape outer hull), use of amagnetic steel for the pressure hull (to prevent localisation by amagnetic anomaly sensors), the new submarines not only place increased demands on production due to their size, but also require state-of-the-art production lines for the outfitting with high-tech systems.

The 212 CD gets a greater range and probably lithium iron phosphate batteries (there is no German manufacturer). The battery technology is to come from Saft from France. The result is 20% performance increase at low speeds and 200-300% at maximum speed. At the 2018 the trade fair for marine technology, Euronaval, takes place in Le Bourget in front of Paris. The German system supplier for submarines and naval vessels, ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (tkMS), is presenting the prototype of a new lithium-ion battery system for submarines, which has been developed in collaboration with the French company Saft (Société des Accumulateurs Fixes et de Traction).

The battery was presented in conjunction with the upgraded submarine class 212 Common Design (CD), from which Germany and Norway would own two and four submarines in the future. When the lithium-ion batteries were installed in the submarines, they were among the world's first with this technological equipment.

Rolf Wirtz, Managing Director of tkMS, points out that the use of new battery technology offers enormous tactical advantages. For example, the submarines can travel at maximum speed regardless of the state of charge of the battery. "We were in the process of initiating a new era of submarine construction. Compared with conventional lead acid batteries, lithium-ion batteries were significantly less maintenance-intensive and have a much longer service life, "states a press release published by tkMS at the same time as the trade fair. The new submarine batteries were subject to extremely high safety requirements, because a fire underwater can have catastrophic consequences. Thyssenkrupp reports that "extremely successful" tests have been performed at the cell and system level and the required test program is expected to be completed within one year.

IDAS is provided and controlled by an independent notebook (no FüWES integration) - NSM, however, as usual, once not. A new "diamond cut" outer shell shape is planned for stealth, which is why the flank array sonar is attached at an angle. Still in dispute as of late 2018 was the rescue system, ie whether a pressure-resistant center bulkhead bisects the boat, makes it longer and heavier and makes redundant system necessary for both halves. The German side would like to renounce this international standard. It is also being considered to update the 6x 212A's FüWES (from "kta naval systems") and to bring it together, and in the course of which to exchange sonar.

IDAS is an option. Nowadays, anti-submarine warfare (ASW) is mainly carried out by airborne units – mostly helicopters equipped with dipping sonar and lightweight torpedoes. Submarines remain vulnerable to these threats. Usually, the only available option is to hide at greater depths or even leave the area of operations. Especially when restricted by coastal or shallow waters, differing salt content or temperatures, this typical avoidance of detection is frequently not an option. The mere presence of an airborne ASW unit already limits the submarine's operational options. That is why Diehl Defence and thyssenkrupp Marine Systems cooperated in the IDAS Consortium to develop the IDAS weapon system – Interactive Defense and Attack System for Submarines – to enable a submerged submarine to actively defend itself against airborne ASW threats.

The shape and proportions of the ship were surprising in the new 212CD E graphics. The "diamond" cross-section of the hull immediately catches the eye. It could be viewed as deliberate misinformation, were it not for the fact that in the description of the features of the new design, it is clearly emphasized as a method of limiting the effective reflection surface of the signals of active sonar stations. The fact is that the latest submarines, both conventional and nuclear-powered, have appropriately sloped walls of the light hull (outer deck), and the Swedish A26 even a specially shaped kiosk casing, but the 212CD E - if it would look like that - surprises with the radical nature of this solution.

The unusual "diamond" shape of the 212CD E hull has flat, sloping sides and a break in the middle of their height are clearly visible. The visualizations also show the significantly elongated casing of the kiosk, its wider than the protoplast's width and lower height (so it is "stout") and the considerable width of the hull, largely due to the unusual cross-section.

The unit would be conventionally powered, and the sources of electricity would be lithium-iron-phosphate cells and the AIP system. Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems offered Lithium Iron batteries for the new Norwegian submarines, as an optional alternative to traditional lead acid batteries. The lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery, also called LFP battery is a type of lithium-ion battery. LFP batteries have somewhat lower energy density (the amount of energy stored per unit volume or mass) than the more common lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2) battery found in consumer electronics. But compared to other Lithium-ion batteries, the LFP battery are inherently safer, and this if of course a crucial characteristic for a battery planned for use in a submarine.

Compared to a traditional lead acid battery a lithium ion battery offers several benefits. Most important is perhaps that a Lithium-ion battery is one-third the weight of a similar capacity lead acid battery, and a Lithium ion battery can be recharged 5000 times or more, compared to 400-500 times for a lead acid battery. In addition, a lithium Ion battery can be discharged 100%, while a lead acid battery should never be discharged more that 80%; in fact, most lead acid batteries are recommended not to exceed 50% depth of discharge. But despite all benefits of Lithium ion batteries compared to lead acid batteries, the lead acid batteries are significantly more safe, witness the stories of smart phones with lithium Ion batteries catching fire on airplanes.

A similar battery fire in a several hundred kilos battery package on board a submerged submarine, would of course be a total disaster. This is why all submarines were equipped with traditional lead acid batteries. But by offering an alternative battery package for the Norwegian submarines, based on LFP batteries, thyssenkrupp Marine Systems was taking a step into the future, coming up with an alternative that offers many of the huge benefits of the Lithium-ion batteries, while still retaining an acceptable level of safety.

New batteries have been developed by tkMS and the French company Saft since 2015. Three years later, Germany showed the DHW-1 cell to the public at the Euronaval show in Paris. The external dimensions of the DHW-1 are the same as conventional EnerSys-Hawker sodium sulfur cells used on the Type 212A. About 250 DHW-1s would go to the battery compartments of 212CD and probably 212CD E units, significantly extending their immersion time. These batteries would also be offered on export markets as a replacement for the conventional cells used today on ships of types 209 and 214.

In addition, these units would receive the next generation of the AIP system known from its predecessors - PEM FC (Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell, fuel cell with a polymer membrane). Already at 212A, it allows staying under water without the need to take air from the outside for about two weeks, without generating heat, noise and increasing other physical fields, negative from the point of view of the submarine.

However, the configuration of the draft rudders would remain unchanged - the bow rudders would go to the conning tower, and the stern ones would be in the shape of the letter "X". The advertising film showed the ship can be equipped with an extensive sonar system, including bow and conning tower antennas, active high-frequency sonar for detection of mines and underwater obstacles, two passive side antennas with very large aperture (similar to those used on the type 212A of the second series) as well as towed sonar.

Little is known about the combat system. In addition to the obvious torpedo launchers and other ammunition, the type 212CD ships would also use drones of various categories.

However, a bit more information was revealed about the Orcca combat management system. It is being developed jointly by Atlas Elektronik (a subsidiary of tkMS) and the Norwegian concern Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace, which for this purpose established a joint venture kta Naval Systems in October 2017. Interestingly, the world premiere of this system took place in Poland, during the 15th Baltic Military Fair Balt Military Expo 2018 in Gdansk, where it even received one of the awards, though slightly exaggerated, because this was an unfinished product. At that time, a prototype operator console was shown in an innovative vertical layout with a touch screen, resembling - not only in appearance, but also in the way the application was operated - a great smartphone. This is an obvious tribute to the young generation of submarines, brought up on computer games and, in general, on the Internet. Earlier, this was followed by French companies.

Work was underway to optimize the consoles, their applications and the entire system, which is to be delivered to the "joint" German-Norwegian submarine, as well as probably its potential export variants. Orcca would enable the operator to perform integrated data analysis from a wide range of the ship's technical observation and communications systems through one multi-function console.

The program has experienced significant expansion beyond its original scope. In December 2024, the German Parliament approved procurement of four additional Type 212CD submarines at an estimated cost of 4.7 billion Euros, bringing Germany's total order to six boats. Naval News Norway initially ordered four submarines, with reports indicating consideration of two additional vessels, potentially bringing the combined German-Norwegian fleet to twelve submarines. The design review phase, involving examination of over 100,000 pages of documentation over three years, was completed in August 2024 through the Critical Design Review, enabling intensified production with initial tests expected by 2027. Norway is scheduled to receive the first Type 212CD in 2029, with German deliveries planned for 2031 and 2034.

A specialized maintenance facility at Haakonsvern Naval Base in Bergen, Norway, is being constructed to support up to nine Type 212CD submarines simultaneously. This joint German-Norwegian facility will handle all maintenance and repair operations for the submarine fleet, with one-third of the Lifetime Management Program Office staff being German personnel. The substantial infrastructure investment includes underwater construction, pier facilities, test areas, and specialized workshops, demonstrating the long-term commitment both nations have made to this collaborative program extending through the 2060s.

The Type 212CD attracted considerable international interest, positioning it as a potential standard for NATO conventional submarine forces. Canada has been offered participation in an Arctic protection partnership that includes the Type 212CD, with the submarine being shortlisted in August 2025 alongside the South Korean KSS-III for Canada's submarine procurement program, which envisions up to twelve boats. Greece and Poland have also expressed interest in the program, with Poland considering the Type 212CD for its Orka program, which seeks three attack submarines. UDT 2025 The Netherlands initially showed interest but ultimately selected Naval Group's Barracuda family in April 2024, though TKMS had proposed an expeditionary variant designated Type 212CD E, featuring a surface displacement exceeding 3,100 tons and length over 80 meters.

The submarine measures 73 meters in length, accommodates a crew of 30, and features reduced acoustic signature due to its diamond-shaped hull, modern sensors, and significantly increased computing power compared to the Type 212A. Various advanced effectors are being integrated, including the Black Shark Advanced torpedo manufactured by WASS Submarine Systems, the DM2A5 torpedo, Naval Strike Missiles from Kongsberg, and a new co-developed supersonic strike missile (3SM) with significantly extended range. The program emphasizes operational availability and capability over cost considerations, with both nations prioritizing the creation of a larger combined fleet that delivers enhanced individual vessel availability through shared logistics, training, and maintenance infrastructure. The Type 212CD is specifically optimized for all NATO operational areas including the challenging high Arctic environment, reflecting contemporary strategic priorities regarding Russian activities and NATO's northern flank security.