Japanese Navy Commissions 4th Taigei-Class Submarine

The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) held a ceremony to officially commission the 4th Taigei-class submarine.

This was announced on the official Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force page on X (formerly Twitter).

The flag-raising ceremony for the JMSDF submarine JS Raigei took place at the Kawasaki Heavy Industries shipyard dock in Kobe, the very site of its construction.

During the ceremony, the newly formed crew officially accepted the submarine, and the high command inspected it and wished them a successful service.

Following the ceremony, the submarine JS Raigei set sail for its home port in Kure, where it will be assigned to the 1st Group of the 1st Submarine Flotilla.

Notably, unlike the first three Taigei-class submarines, JS Raigei is equipped with upgraded Kawasaki 12V2531 diesel engines, offering enhanced fuel efficiency. The Taigei-class sonar suite features the high-performance ZQQ-8, developed by Oki Electric Industries.

In October 2023, Militarnyi announced the launch of a submarine. The company began construction of the submarine in March 2021. At the construction stage, the boat received lithium-ion batteries, which are used as an air-independent propulsion system for long-term underwater operation.

As of now, the Japanese Ministry of Defense has financed the construction of eight submarines of this type, with the latest order included in the 2025 fiscal year budget, which traditionally begins on April 1st in Japan.

Japan is notably actively modernizing its submarine fleet, including the construction of new Taigei-class submarines. The construction of each submarine takes two years, with a total timeline of four years from the start of construction to commissioning.

Kawasaki is also developing a new class of submarines with enhanced firepower. These next-generation submarines will feature vertical launch systems for both anti-ship and cruise missiles.

They are expected to be equipped with the cutting-edge 12SSM-ER cruise missiles, currently undergoing testing, and are set to be deployed by land-based units in 2026.