The submarine was designed by Ingenieur Kontor Lübeck (IKL) headed by Ulrich Gabler and is largely based on previous German submarine designs (in particular the Type 206) with increased equipment.
Klassen blev designet af "Ingenieur Kontor Lübeck" (IKL) og er baseret på tidligere tyske ubådsdesigns (især Type 206) med moderniseret udstyr.