The Type 209 is a range of diesel-electric attack submarines developed exclusively for export by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft of Germany. Five class variants, including modifications thereof, have been successfully exported to 15 countries, with 68 submarines being built and commissioned to five different variants between 1971 and 2021. More boats have been built to modified designs.
Chilean Navy's Type 209/1400 Simpson (SS-21) pulling into port at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in 2004.
Colombian Navy's Type 209/1200 Pijao (S-28) in Naval Station Mayport, Florida for Exercise Smart Search 2005.
Rear view of a replica of the Turkish Naval Forces' Type 209/1400 TCG Gür (S-357)
Venezuelan Navy's Type 209/1300's Sabalo (S-31).
An attack submarine or hunter-killer submarine is a submarine specifically designed for the purpose of attacking and sinking other submarines, surface combatants and merchant vessels. In the Soviet and Russian navies they were and are called "multi-purpose submarines". They are also used to protect friendly surface combatants and missile submarines. Some attack subs are also armed with cruise missiles, increasing the scope of their potential missions to include land targets.
HMCS Windsor, an attack submarine of the Royal Canadian Navy
USS K-3 with BQR-4 sonar dome
K-5, a Soviet November-class SSN, the threat that made Western conventional SSKs obsolete
USS Thresher, the first high-speed deep-diving SSN optimized for both ASW and surface attack
