Japan launches first Li-ion submarine
A new submarine for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) was launched on 4 October. The launch of a Soryu-class submarine is not an unusual event in itself, but this occasion was significant as it is the first Japanese submarine to be powered by lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries.
Not only that, it will be the world’s first naval submarine to be thus powered.
The 2,950t vessel, to be christened Oryu (SS 511), measures 84m in length and will be able to reach a submerged speed of 20kt. Its builder, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), will deliver this eleventh
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