DRASS DG550

FOREWORD
Drass DG550 continues the legacy of our Italian-made Compact Submarines, based on the traditional design which was a huge success worldwide.
The Compact Submarine’s success is due to the geniality of design, its simple hull construction, the reliability of the on-board equipment, as well as its ease of operability and maintainability.
Furthermore, with the Compact Submarine the end user is self-sufficient in the operation of a craft dedicated to operations in Brown and Blue Waters, and, thanks to the unique design also in its maintenance.

DRASS DG550 COMPACT DESIGN PRINCIPLE
The design of Drass DG550 is based on an operational concept which makes this craft extremely similar to an SSK conventional submarine despite its compact dimensions. The unique flexibility of the Drass Design allows the Final User to configure this craft for many missions covering the entire range dedicated to a conventional submarine. The craft is designed to spend almost 80% of its life in operation, limiting the maintenance period to 20% of the life span. As a significant evolution from the smaller Drass Midget Submarines e.g. DG160 Midget, the DG550 is designed to overcome the limit of Shallow Waters (200 mt. depth) with a significant increase in endurance and dive range. Drass DG550 is fitted with a wide range of weapons and equipment:

BASELINE CONFIGURATION

  • For Patrol and Attack Missions, 4 bow Heavy-Weight Torpedoes
  • For Special Operations Missions, Commandos & Special Forces transportation & deployment with possibility to lock out up to a team of 12 with additional payload of 1 SDV (Swimmer Delivery Vehicles E.g. Drass DS Class Craft) or 2 inflatable boats.

OPTIONAL CONFIGURATIONS

  • 2 additional bow Heavy Weight Torpedoes (deployable rack)
  • 2 additional bow Light Weight Torpedoes (deployable rack)
  • Capability to transport and deploy 8 Naval Mines (Drass Neutral Mine System)
  • Other configurations are available including 20/70 mm machine guns and minor accessories

The Compact Submarine hull is composed of a main pressure hull, divided into four parts with 6 separate battery containers (pods) and a Hydrodynamic Light hull in GRP (upper part) and in carbon steel (lower part).

DRASS DG550 COMPACT SUBMARINE OPERATIONAL TASKS
Despite displacing around one fourth of a conventional diesel electric submarine, Drass DG550 Compact Submarine provides similar attack potential, able to load and launch up to 4 latest generation 533mm wire-guided Heavy Weight Torpedoes.
It has been specifically designed for the following operational tasks:

  • Attack of strategic targets in open sea by special forces operators (e.g. oil platforms and terminals, sea lines, etc.)
  • Anti-ship and anti-submarine attacks with up to 4 wire-guided Heavy-Weight Torpedoes (up to 50 km range)
  • Patrol of coastal areas as a deterrent against enemy ships and subs approaching own coastal targets
  • Intelligence gathering of acoustic, electronic and communication information
  • SDV and inflatable boat deployment for Commandos & Special Forces Operators together with intelligence missions
  • Deployment of naval mines in shallow waters / harbor mouths.

EQUIPMENT CONFIGURATION

  • Submarine Steering Station
  • Submarine Platform Management System
  • Navigation / Combat Management System
  • Passive Sonar
  • Obstacle Avoidance Sonar
  • RWR Radar Warning Receiver
  • Two Optronic Masts
  • HF Transceiver
  • UHF/VHF Transceiver
  • Underwater Communication System
  • Sound Powered Telephone
  • Intercom Network
  • INS – Inertial Navigation System
  • Echo Sounder with Sound Velocity
  • Doppler Velocity Log
  • SWR Intercept Sonar (OPTIONAL)
  • ESM, DF– Electronic Support Measure, Direction Finding (OPTIONAL)
  • Countermeasures Launcher (OPTIONAL)