In peacetime, the inability to find a potential enemy submarine is a headache for military sailors. During an armed conflict, this pain turns into a deadly danger. In 2018, the American fleet in the Atlantic tried unsuccessfully for several weeks to locate the Severodvinsk nuclear-powered vessel, the lead ship of the Yasen project. However, low visibility is only one of the advantages of the newest Russian submarine, writes The National Interest.
After the Severodvinsk was commissioned, the head of the Pentagon's submarine program, Rear Admiral Dave Johnson, ordered its model for his office - in order to constantly have a reminder in front of his eyes what the US submarines have to fight.
- We will face serious potential opponents. It's enough to look at Severodvinsk," he repeated more than once.
The Ash-type submarine is a good example of combining the latest technologies with the breakthrough achievements of Soviet engineers. A spherical sonar antenna is installed in the bow of the ship - this configuration is considered extremely sensitive, work on it was carried out back in the 80s. Because of the massive antenna, torpedo tubes: standard caliber 533 mm and heavy 650 mm, migrated to the middle part of the hull, where they are located sideways.
The hull of the ship is made of non-magnetic steel - this seriously complicates the search for a submarine using electromagnetic sensors. Soviet submarines used a two-hull scheme, the Ash Trees are built according to a combined one - a light hull covers a strong one only in the bow and in the superstructure area (the launch shafts of cruise missiles are also located.
A high degree of automation has made it possible to reduce the crew of the submarine, and its main weapon is a set of missiles for various tasks - including (for the first time in world practice) hypersonic "Zircons".
- Severodvinsk is a completely new class of submarines. It is very dangerous due to its low visibility. And this is the most important thing in submarine warfare," Admiral Johnson believes.
Do not forget that Severodvinsk is the lead and only ship built according to the 885 Yasen project. All subsequent submarines are created according to the improved Yasen-M project and have improved characteristics. The Kazan submarine was recently named the quietest in the Russian Navy.
Anton Valagin
