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May 1, 2002
   
Germany has named its first new Type-212A submarine the U31. This boat has an air independent propulsion system using fuel cells that gives it five times the underwater operating capability of a conventional diesel-battery submarine. This will be the first new submarine for the German Navy since 1975. The Germans plan to buy twelve submarines in three batches of four. The second batch is to start entering service in 2009 and the third in
2015.--Stephen V Cole