South Korea says it has developed a lithium-ion battery that can extend the operational hours of its submarines (Kim Jae-Hwan/AFP)
Defense News: New battery can double the operational time of submarines, says South Korea
SEOUL — South Korea says it has developed lithium-ion batteries that can double the operational hours of submarines compared to those with lead-acid batteries.
The lithium-ion batteries were created for the country’s next-generation attack submarines, expected to launch in the mid-2020s, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, or DAPA.
Following 30 months of development, the batteries passed a technology readiness assessment, a step toward integration on a weapons platform, the agency said in a news release.
“Development of lithium-ion batteries for submarines is a great achievement in the global submarine market,” said Rear Adm. Jung Il-shik of the DAPA’s next-generation submarine project group. “We expect this successful development of lithium-ion batteries to raise South Korea’s reputation as a submarine maker, as well as to have a great ripple effect through the commercial sectors.”
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WNU Editor: My first trade deal with Canada (many moons ago) was importing no-name batteries from South Korea to a major pharmaceutical chain. The South Koreans have always been innovative when it comes to batteries, and this breakthrough does not surprise me.