Yono-class submarine

The Yono-class submarine (occasionally confused with Yugo-class) is a class of North Korean miniature submarines, produced for domestic use as well as for export. Also referred to as the Yeono class,[3] these submarines displace 130 tons, significantly less than North Korea's larger 1,800-ton Romeo-class submarines.[4] As of May 2010, North Korea is reported to operate ten of these submarines.[4] Iran is reported to have at least one Yono submarine and to have copied the design as the Ghadir-class.[5]

Class overview
NameYono class
BuildersYukdaeso-ri Naval Shipyards[1]
Operators Korean People's Navy
Preceded byYugo class
In service1965–present
In commission10
Building36
Completed36
Active<36 (most in reserve)
General characteristics
TypeMidget submarine
Displacement
  • 120 tons submerged[2]
  • 76–95 tons surfaced
Length20–22 m (65 ft 7 in – 72 ft 2 in)
Beam2.75 m (9 ft 0 in)
Draught1.6 m (5 ft 3 in)
PropulsionSingle-shaft MTU diesel engine with electric drive
Speed
  • 10–11 knots (19–20 km/h; 12–13 mph) surfaced
  • 4–8 knots (7.4–14.8 km/h; 4.6–9.2 mph) submerged
Range
  • 550 nmi (1,020 km; 630 mi) surfaced
  • 50 nmi (93 km; 58 mi) submerged
Complement2 + 6 or 7 special forces personnel
Armament

Design

The Yono-class submarine was first created in 1965.[6]

Combat involvement
Main article: ROKS Cheonan sinking

A Yono-class submarine is thought to have fired the torpedo attack which sank a South Korean Pohang-class corvette, ROKS Cheonan on 26 March 2010 in South Korean waters.[7] According to some investigators, the weapon used in the attack was a North Korean-manufactured CHT-02D torpedo, from which substantial propulsion parts were recovered. The device allegedly exploded not by contact, but by proximity 6 to 9 metres (20 to 30 ft) below Cheonan, creating a powerful pillar of water, called the bubble jet effect.[8]

High ranking North Korean military officials denounced the international investigation and said the North does not have the type of submarines that supposedly carried out the attack. They also dismissed claims regarding writings on the torpedo and clarified that "when we put serial numbers on weapons, we engrave them with machines." South Korea's Yonhap News quoted South Korean officials as saying the North has about ten of the Yeono-class submarines.[9]

A member of the North Korean cabinet who defected to South Korea in 2011, said on 7 December 2012 that the crew of the North Korean submarine which sank Cheonan had been honored by the North Korean military and government. The defector, known by the alias "Ahn Cheol-nam", stated that the captain, co-captain, engineer, and boatswain of the mini-sub which sank Cheonan had been awarded "Hero of the DPRK" in October 2010.[10]

References
  1. "North Korea – Military Industry". www.globalsecurity.org.
  2. "Yono Class". 3 March 2016. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016.
  3. Pappalardo, Joe (24 May 2010). "Is the U.S. Prepared to Face Midget Subs?". Popular Mechanics.
  4. North Korea rebuffs South Korea's evidence on Cheonan attack, Christian Science Monitor, 20 May 2010.
  5. Iranian Naval Forces: A Tale of Two Navies (PDF), Office of Naval Intelligence, February 2017, p. 31, ISBN 978-0160939686
  6. "North Korea and Asymmetric Naval Warfare". 15 February 2016.
  7. "S Korea Confirms North's Torpedo Sank Warship". Malaysian National News agency. 21 May 2010. Retrieved 21 May 2010.
  8. "North Korea condemned by world powers over torpedo attack". The Telegraph. 20 May 2010. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
  9. South Korea Faces Domestic Skeptics Over Evidence Against North, by Ben Richardson and Saeromi Shin, Bloomberg News, 30 May 2010
  10. JoongAng Ilbo, "N. Korean Sailors Awarded Hero's Title For Attack On S. Korean Warship: Defector", 8 December 2012
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