The French DCN's new star product has been shown for the first time at the Euronaval Fair. This sub follows the Scorpene, whose future now seems compromised because of the growing gap between the DCN and Navantia, its Spanish ex-partner.
The Scorpene, which enjoys considerable exprt success with sales to the navies of Chile, Malaya, and India, seems to be the first victim of Navantia's decision to develop a strategic partnership with Lockheed Martin to build the new S80 boat which should be bought by the Spanish navy. The S80, whose model was on display at Navantia's stand, is now proposed to foreign navies as a direct competitor of the Scorpene.
This caused the DCN to develop the Marlin, that will be 100% domestically built. The French shipyard goes the whole nine yards to show the gap between the Scorpene and its new product. The influence of the Barracuda-class on the Marlin design emphasized in the dive controls, in the combat system which will resemble the SYCOBS used both aboard the "Le Terrible" SSBN and the new SSNs, and in the possibility to include optronic masts.
Another difference between the Marlin and the Scorpene : the Marlin has been designed to be equipped with an anaerobic module. This could be the Mesma, whose performance has already been tested on land and is now being tested at sea aboard the last Agosta A90B boat that had been sold to Pakistan and is undergoing trials. One striking difference, though, will be that the Pakistani Agosta AIP system will run on ethanol while the Marlin will run on the same gasoil that is used on diesel boats.
DCN stated that the autonomy of its Mesma system, regardless of the type of fuel used, will double a diesel boat's. DCN also says the Mesma's autonomy equal that of the U-214 boats that are equipped with fuel cells, and be easier to refuel. The only limiting fqctor of the Mesma at sea in terms of autnomy should be the boat's capacity to embark liquid oxygen.
Later, the Mesma system could be complemented by a fuell cell with a system producing hydrogen from gasoil, without any need to stock it on board. DCN will probably show a "fuel cell / hydrogen" kit at the next Euronaval fair. The expected result should be to double the performance of current AIP systems.
DCN is currently having talks with the Pakistani navy to sell several Marlins
