Article Posted on : - Mar 16, 2017

The Soryu-class conventional attack submarine. A file photo

TOKYO (BNS): The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) has received the eighth Soryu-class conventional attack submarine from the Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) last week.

The new sub, named Sekiryu, was handed over on March 13 during an official ceremony held at KHI's facility in Kobe, media reports said quoting a company statement.

The SSK is the fourth Souryu-class underwater vessel built by KHI. It was laid down in March 2013, and launched by the shipbuilder in November 2015.

The Japanese Navy has so far inducted seven Soryu-class subs which are being built separately by KHI and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. (MHI).

The Soryu-class submarines are the world's largest conventionally powered submarines.

They are equipped with state-of-the art technologies, including air-independent propulsion (AIP) systems that enable them to remain fully submerged for long periods of time, and advanced stealth technologies that make them extremely difficult to detect.

Japan had last year offered a variant of the Soryu-class SSKs in its bid to design and build the next-generation submarines for the Australian Navy under a contract worth AUD 50 billion, but lost the contest to France's DCNS.