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From what I’ve been able to glean the plan was to build the Type 209s at Sandock Austral in Durban. Production of the first hull was to have started around 1990. The delay in starting production from the acquisition of plans was because of the need to develop a combat system and ship control system for the submarine. These programs were apparently quite successful and the boat was going to be built to a high standard. But the peace in Angola/Namibia and the end of Apartheid resulted in a huge cut to defence spending and the submarine project and many others (Project Carver jet fighter, nuclear weapons, etc) were cancelled.As to the subsequent acquisition of Type 209s from Germany this order came 10 years later by which the domestic capability to build the ships and their combat systems had atrophied. Quite simply South Africa couldn’t do it without considerable additional investment. However possessing a copy of the design and their past experience with Howaldtswerke would have made the SAN a very well informed customer able to get the most from this contract.
From what I’ve been able to glean the plan was to build the Type 209s at Sandock Austral in Durban. Production of the first hull was to have started around 1990. The delay in starting production from the acquisition of plans was because of the need to develop a combat system and ship control system for the submarine. These programs were apparently quite successful and the boat was going to be built to a high standard. But the peace in Angola/Namibia and the end of Apartheid resulted in a huge cut to defence spending and the submarine project and many others (Project Carver jet fighter, nuclear weapons, etc) were cancelled.
As to the subsequent acquisition of Type 209s from Germany this order came 10 years later by which the domestic capability to build the ships and their combat systems had atrophied. Quite simply South Africa couldn’t do it without considerable additional investment. However possessing a copy of the design and their past experience with Howaldtswerke would have made the SAN a very well informed customer able to get the most from this contract.
