NATO calls this Russian submarine a "Black Hole" for one frightening reason
The basis of the Russian non-nuclear fleet consists of submarines of the "Project 877", which the West calls Kilo-class submarines, writes TNI. The US Navy gave them the nickname "black hole" because they are very invisible.
Kyle Mizokami
Unlike the US Navy, which has completely relied on nuclear engines, Russia keeps both diesel and nuclear submarines. Russia uses nuclear submarines for long-term patrolling of the open ocean, and its diesel fleet is quite enough for conflicts in Europe, the Middle East and the near abroad.
The basis of the Russian non-nuclear fleet consists of submarines "Project 877" ("Halibut"), which NATO and the West call Kilo-class submarines. The US Navy gave them the nickname "black hole" because the improved models of "Halibut" are very invisible. These submarines have been produced more or less continuously for 30 years, which indicates their effectiveness at sea.
Initially, Kilo-class submarines were created to serve the naval forces of the Warsaw Pact countries, replacing the old Whiskey-class boats ("Project 613", — approx. perev.) and "Foxtrot" ("Project 641", — approx. perev.). The length of the submarine is only 238 feet (about 73 meters), width — 32 feet (about 10 meters), underwater displacement — 3,076 tons. Her crew consists of only 12 officers and 41 enlisted men, and can also go 45 days without resupply.
These boats are equipped with two diesel generators and an electric drive, which provides them with enough power to move at a speed of 10 knots on the surface and 17 knots underwater. They are not fast. They have a range of 6,000 to 7,500 nautical miles, which means they can patrol a thousand nautical miles from the headquarters of the Russian Northern Fleet, and then go to Cuba.
They can't dive particularly deep either. According to the book "Warships of the World", Kilo-class submarines can dive to a maximum of 984 feet (350 meters). These boats work particularly well in shallow water, as a pair of tunnel propellers powered by low-speed engines allow them to operate closer to the seabed.
These submarines use a variety of noise-damping technologies. The descriptions state that its body has a shape roughly resembling a drop, which greatly reduces the resistance of water when moving compared to older models from the Second World War. The power plant is insulated with a rubber base and therefore does not touch the hull, which prevents vibrations from turning into noises that can be heard outside the boat. The submarine has an anechoic coating that does not allow noise to be reflected from it, which sometimes gives the submarine a ponderous appearance in photographs. The air regeneration system can supply the crew with oxygen for up to 260 hours, which means that the submarine can be under water for almost two weeks.
The sensor equipment consists of a hydroacoustic complex MGK-400 "Rubicon" (according to the NATO classification: Shark Gill — "Shark gills"), detecting low-frequency and sound range noises, as well as a radio direction finder with a passive antenna array on the body. Also, these submarines are equipped with a high-frequency radar MG519 "Mouse Roar" (MG519 Mouse Roar) in order to classify targets and avoid mines. For normal navigation on the surface of the sea, Kilo-class submarines have an MRK-50 "Albatross" radar.
Finally, these submarines have six torpedo tubes of standard 533 mm diameter, which were originally designed to carry homing torpedoes and 18 anti-submarine missiles of the Vyuga complex (SS-N-15A Starfish according to the NATO classification). On the last released boats of this class, two of the torpedo tubes are capable of releasing remotely controlled torpedoes. Also, a unique feature of this class was the presence of a place where a sailor can be accommodated with a portable anti-aircraft missile system "Igla", designed to defeat low-flying air targets.
The Soviet Union had 24 Kilo-class submarines in use, 11 of which are still used by Russia. One was sold to Poland, and it is still in working condition, the other, sold to Romania, has already failed. Ten were sold to India: nine of them are still in use, and one caught fire and sank in August 2013. Iran has three submarines of this class and Algeria has two. China bought two such boats after the end of the Cold War.
These submarines became one of the first warships that Russia began to build after the collapse of the USSR. An improved version of the Kilo—class submarines, known as "Project 636.3" or "Varshavyanka" (according to the NATO classification - "Improved Kilo"), was developed to upgrade the flagship submarine forces of Russia and get hard currency from exports.
"Project 636.3" compared to the previous version has been improved in all respects. The dimensions of the submarine remained almost the same, but the bending of the hull was changed in order to improve its hydrodynamic properties. It has become even more silent thanks to better isolation of the mechanisms, some of which have been moved to other parts of the boat, where they make less noise. In addition, compared to previous versions, the range of the submarine has increased by 25%. Most of the sonar systems, however, remained the same as in the original version of the Kilo class.
One of the main improvements of the submarines of the "Project 636.3" was that it became possible to launch Kalibr cruise missiles from them, which received the export name "Club".
The People's Republic of China became one of the first buyers of submarines of the "Project 636.3", having acquired ten pieces in the 1990s. They were apparently divided between the Eastern and Southern Fleets. Another buyer was Algeria, which bought two updated Kilo-class submarines in addition to a pair of original ones.
Russia itself has ordered six such submarines to strengthen its own submarine fleet. The last of them, the Kolpino submarine, left the Admiralty Shipyard in St. Petersburg in 2018. Russia has apparently suspended further purchases of Kilo-class submarines in an effort to switch to the Lada class.
The Kilo class proved to be very successful both in technical and export terms. The submarine, which was something secondary to the Soviet allies, became a legend in the eyes of NATO. In 33 years, 53 submarines were created, which often provided vital work to Russian shipyards, allowing them to continue functioning in the hungry years after the end of the Cold War.
*ISIS, a terrorist organization banned on the territory of the Russian Federation
