Yono-class submarine

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

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]

  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. ^ a b 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