BMT unveils Vidar-36 submarine design

BMT Defence Services, a subsidiary of BMT Group, has unveiled its Vidar-36 design for an extremely capable and flexible, 3,600 tonne, conventional (SSK) submarine.

BMT’s Vidar-36 offers navies:

• ocean-spanning reach, presence and persistence
• multiple-mission versatility in both ocean and coastal waters
• land-attack, anti-surface, anti-submarine and special operations capabilities
• silent and covert operation
• high levels of reliability, achieved through design excellence and by using proven commercial and military off-the-shelf technology

BMT’s naval architects and engineers have developed the innovative Vidar-36 whole-platform design in-house. BMT InSpira, BMT’s multi-disciplinary research and design development team, provided design guidance.

Roger Cooper, Managing Director of BMT Defence Services, says: “BMT has an ongoing investment programme in Research and Development and is committed to sustaining the UK submarine design capability. As part of this programme, and offering impressive capabilities and outstanding operational flexibility in an affordable SSK platform, Vidar-36 is a design for the times.”

Vidar-36 can be tailored to meet a navy’s particular requirements. Simon Binns, Vidar project team leader at BMT Defence Services, says: “From the start, Vidar-36 has been designed for flexibility and adaptability; for example modular spaces onboard include a payload bay, mast bays and a weapons stowage compartment.”

Options available include extended-range capabilities, a dry/wet deck hangar, reelable high-frequency communication systems, reelable towed array, and special operations mission packages. As another option, Vidar-36 can launch, operate and recover autonomous underwater vehicles and tethered unmanned underwater vehicles.

A diesel-electric submarine with an optional air-independent propulsion system, Vidar-36 has a length of 79 metres and a beam of up to 8.4 metres. Its other features include:

• a long range of 9,000 nautical miles
• a maximum operating depth of over 200 metres
• an advanced combat system
• six 21in torpedo tubes and space and delivery systems for a total of 18 torpedoes and missiles, or up to 36 mines
• a full suite of sensors including active and passive cylindrical, flank and intercept sonar arrays, and mine and obstacle avoidance sonar
• satellite communications, radar, and electronic warfare support measures
• communications interoperability and net-centric warfare compatibility
• superior standards of crew accommodation, facilitating extended patrols

UDT Europe/RINA Warship 2008: Naval Submarines 9 (10-12 June in Glasgow) – BMT Defence Services will present a paper at the RINA Warship 2008: Naval Submarines 9 conference setting out the technical capabilities of Vidar-36, and will also be exhibiting at UDT Europe.