In late 2023, H I Sutton kicked off a flurry of media speculation when he published an article on his Covert Shores blog about the DRASS DG-160 midget submarine. This submarine, or two, are separately or jointly under construction at the DRASS fabrication facilities in the Romanian towns of TimisoaraandGiurgiu . The Giurgiu assembly site is significant in that even though it is 600km away from the Black Sea a DG-160 could be barged on inland waterways to the Black Sea.
Map of the Black Sea. Note how shallow the seafloor is off the Romanian and Bulgarian coasts. Minisubs like the DG-160 are better suited to the shallows than medium sized SSKs. (Map courtesy Brittanica).
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This DG-160 is for an "Undisclosed Customer" claimed Sutton. It is for "Ukraine!" claimed a host of many pro-Russian media outlets. As will be explained below DRASS's assembling DG-160s at Giurgiu factory has politico-legal advantages if the intended customer is the Ukrainian Navy.
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| Artwork: DRASS --- |
I did some googling (without resorting to Gemini AI) and discovered a YouTube link, available on the DRASS website, to the actual TVR News Romania report that H I Sutton referred to for his article.
DRASS DG-160 Youtube here and above uploaded by DRASS in 2022.
See all DRASS underwater videos.
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As you can see, the above is basically an infomercial about DRASS producing the DG-160 midget submarine. So DG-160s are actually built at two Romanian factories - at Giurgiu and 500km away at Timisoara. The Timisoara Romanian factory also produces hyperbaric chambers, diving bells and swimmer delivery vehicles.
In a 2019 article published by European Defense Review Magazine, a prototype of the DG-160 was designed at DRASS's Livorno, Italy HQ. Actual production commenced into 2021 at Timisoara, Romania after a 2 year COVID delay.
The technical achievement of producing DG-160 subs in Romania was leveraged patriotically by the Romanian Defense Minister in the face of Romanian concern about Russia's February 2022 Ukraine invasion. The Minister envisaged exporting DG-160s as well as supplying them to the Romanian Navy.
Would 6 x DG-160s meet Romania's needs for the Black Sea? possibly. DRASS claims 6 could be bought for the price of a single modern SSK (presumably implying a Scorpene - see below) and they can provide a long-range delivery means for combat divers.
Under the 1936 Montreux Convention, Turkey has the right to block warships (including submarines) attempting to enter the Black Sea via Turkey's Bosporus and Dardanelles straits. At Ukraine's request Turkey exercised this right by blocking all warships on February 27, 2022. This resulted in the blocking of Russian Kilo submarines in mid 2022 and later two large Russian warships. Even two small Ukrainian warships (minehunters) were blocked in January 2024.
Under the Montreux Convention Turkey could even decide to block future imports of submarines to Bulgaria and Romania as both countries border the Black Sea. The Bulgarians have been looking for second-hand subs (likely Turkish Type 209s). Romania in July 2022 signed a letter of intent with Naval Group for 2 new Scorpenes. The possibility of a Turkish blockage could particularly be felt if the Ukraine-Russia War drags on through to the time that French built Scorpenes for Romania are ready. Even France shipping sections for assembly in Romania could be blocked.
Turkey attempting to use its Montreux Convention power to make itself a monopoly supplier of submarines to Romania, might make Turkey unpopular in international legal circles. Perhaps less so to Bulgaria if other submarine exporting countries accepted Bulgaria already wanted to buy Turkish submarines.
The Turkish Navy operates Type 209 class SSKs, as well as Reis-class (Type 214TNs) all located at Turkey's Black Sea Bartin Naval Base which features Submarine Shelters. As the Type 209s are already in the Black Sea Turkey could claim it is not breaking the Montreux Convention by supplying them to other Black Sea countries.
Romania supplying 'home' built DRASS DG-160s for its own navy and for possible export to other Black Sea countries (Bulgaria, Moldova and Ukraine) could be seen as a hedge. That is a hedge against Turkey conferring upon itself monopoly supplier of submarine status under the Montreux Convention.