The Malachite Design Bureau (KB) is actively working on the creation of a multi-purpose small-displacement nuclear submarine "Gorgon" and a small non-nuclear submarine with an air-independent power plant (VNEU) Serval, reports "Interfax", referring to the company's report for 2020.
"On an initiative basis, technical proposals have been developed and the appearance of [submarines] has been determined," the document says.
The Design Bureau is also working on a new deep-sea vehicle that will be able to dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench. "In 2020, the company launched work on the creation of a unique ultra-deep-water habitable complex with a device capable of diving and working at depths of up to 11 thousand meters," the report says.
In July 2019, the lead designer of the Malachite, Igor Karavaev , said that the projected Russian small non-nuclear submarine of the Piranha family of the P-750B project with VNEU is capable of being under water for up to 12 days.
In April 2018 , TASS, referring to Malachite, reported that the company had tested a sample of VNEU for small non-nuclear submarines.
In Russia, VNEU for non-nuclear submarines is also being created in the Rubin Design Bureau.
VNEU allows a non-nuclear submarine to swim for a long time under water without having to rise to its surface (that is, to work without access to atmospheric oxygen). Similar projects are underway in France, Sweden, Germany, Japan, Spain, China, India and the United States.
Ivan Potapov
