China has been importing the German MTU 396 SE85 diesel engines since late 1980s, early 1990s. These engines are used to power submarines, specifically, the 039A ("Song") class.
Current MTU 396 TE54 series engines includes V8, V12 and V16 cylinder variants, respectively MTU 8V396 , MTU 12V396, MTU 16V396, ranging in power from 912 bhp (680 kW) to 2119 bhp (1580 kW).
https://www.mtu-online.com/india/pr...-and-diesel-electric-drive/?L=dttwtmegzigftpb
http://www.globalsources.com/si/AS/...-generator-and-parts-MTU-8V396/1050739290.htm
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the most strategic item obtained by China on its European shopping spree is below the waterline: the German-engineered diesels inside its submarines. Emulating the rising powers of last century - Germany, Japan and the Soviet Union - China is building a powerful submarine fleet, including domestically built Song and Yuan-class boats. The beating hearts of these subs are state-of-the-art diesel engines designed by MTU Friedrichshafen GmbH of Friedrichshafen, Germany."
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com...the-art-diesel-engines/slideshow/27794461.cms
Arms trade data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) to the end of 2012 shows that 56 MTU-designed diesels for submarines have been supplied to the Chinese navy.
High-performance diesels from MTU and French engine maker Pielstick also drive many of China's most advanced surface warships and support vessels, SIPRI data shows. Pielstick was jointly owned by MTU and German multinational Man Diesel & Turbo until 2006, when Man took full control.
Some military analysts remain skeptical about the quality of China's military hardware. They say the engines and technology the PLA is incorporating from Europe and Russia fall short of the latest equipment in service with the United States and its allies in Asia, including Japan, South Korea and Australia. This leaves the PLA a generation behind and struggling to integrate gear from a range of different suppliers, they say.
Others counter that China doesn't need to match all of the most complex weapons fielded by the United States and its allies. Even if it deploys less than the best gear, Beijing can achieve its strategic goal
Arms industry experts say dual-use transfers are almost certainly more valuable to the PLA than the actual weapons Europe has delivered.
MTU is a unit of Germany's Tognum Group, which is jointly owned by UK-based multinational Rolls Royce Group PLC and Germany's Daimler AG. Contracts with the PLA and powerful defense manufacturers give MTU and its parent influence in competing for contracts in China's massive civilian market. China's biggest arms maker, China North Industries Group Corporation, or Norinco, has been making MTU engines under license since 1986.
In 2010, Tognum opened a joint venture with Norinco to assemble large, high speed MTU diesel engines and emergency generators at a plant in the city of Datong in Shanxi Province.
MTU engines are also built under license at the Shaanxi Diesel Engine Heavy Industry Co Ltd, a subsidiary of one of China's two sprawling military and commercial shipbuilders.
Submarine diesel technology is hardly new, but these engines are built to exacting standards to ensure reliability under extreme conditions. MTU has been building them for more than 50 years.
The engine delivered to China for the Song and Yuan classes, the
MTU 396 SE84 series, is one of the world's most widely used submarine power plants.
Each of the Chinese submarines has three MTU diesels, according to technical specifications listed in Chinese military affairs journals and websites.
http://in.reuters.com/article/breakout-submarines-special-report-pix-g-idINL4N0JJ0FM20131219
Indonesia's DSME Type 209 submarines are powered by 4 V12-cylinder MTU 396 SE84 diesel gensets, each rated 700kW at 1800 rpm.
http://content.yudu.com/Library/A1yajq/MarinePropulsionAugS/resources/content/192.swf
I figure the correct designation of the diesel engines is MTU 12V396 SE84, with a power output of 700kW (939 bhp)
