Cruising speed: how will the Russian submarine fleet develop

And what opportunities will he get

In early July, the newest strategic missile carrier of the Borei-A project, the Emperor Alexander III, went to sea for testing. This is one of the most advanced submarines in the world. Russian industry creates submarines of various classes and types. How the domestic program for the construction of an underwater park is developing now and what the "secret" fleet of the Russian Federation will look like in the future, Izvestia understood.

Mozhaysk

In August 2023, the new Mozhaysk diesel-electric submarine of project 06363 will be tested at the Baltic Sea test site, Izvestia reported this week. The boat is being completed at the Admiralty shipyards in St. Petersburg. It is planned to transfer Mozhaysk to the fleet at the end of 2023, and in the navigation of 2024, the ship will move to the Pacific Ocean, where it will serve.

Mozhaysk is the fifth boat of the 06363 project built for the Pacific Fleet. In total, six submarines of this project for the Far East are planned in the series so far. Earlier, from 2010 to 2016, six ships of the same project were built for the Black Sea Fleet. Today they form the basis of all the underwater forces of the Black Sea with the possibility of access to the Mediterranean. After the Pacific series, a similar one will be built for the Northern Fleet. Apparently, by the end of the decade, the fleet will be armed with more than 20 non-nuclear boats of the 06363 project.

Diesel-electric submarine "Mozhaysk" project 636 during the launching ceremony in St. Petersburg

Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Irina Motina

These are the most modern descendants of the Project 877 Varshavyanka submarines, which were built in a large series in the 1980s and 1990s. The project is distinguished by the most modern sonar equipment, communications equipment, modern periscopes with digital equipment and, of course, the Kalibr-PL missile system, which allows the use of torpedo tubes together with torpedoes of the corresponding cruise missiles.

"Lada"

More advanced, but also more expensive non-nuclear submarines of Project 677 Lada are also under construction. Now it is a modernized project 677M. The newest one-and-a-half-hull Ladas with a unique hydroacoustic complex and a revolutionary single low-noise electric motor were developed by the same marine design bureau Rubin, which created the Varshavyanka boats at the time. In 2023, the first production boat of the B-586 Kronstadt project is expected to enter the fleet, which is currently undergoing state tests. Next in the construction of three more boats of the project for the Northern Fleet.

Submarine "Velikiye Luki" project 677 "Lada" before launching

Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/press service of JSC Admiralty Shipyards

It is believed that the "Ladas" can withstand nuclear attack boats on an equal footing with the only difference that they have less continuous time under water. According to their noise characteristics, according to the capabilities of the sonar complex and weapons systems, the Lada can fight any modern enemy. Boats can also use Kalibr missiles from torpedo tubes. And in this sense, it is already a kind of unification of all modern Russian submarines — non-atomic and nuclear.

"Ash-M"

The newest nuclear attack submarines that are currently being built for the Russian Navy are the ships of the 885M Yasen—M project. In total, nine nuclear-powered vessels of the 885M project are under construction, including the lead boat of the 885 project. This year it is planned to transfer to the fleet the third submarine of the 885M project and the fourth boat of the Yasen family — B-571 Krasnoyarsk, which has been undergoing tests for two years. So far, the project's boats are equally distributed between the Northern and Pacific Fleets. The Yasen-M is one of the most advanced submarines in the world — a unique combination of low noise, modern means of detecting other boats and the most powerful weapons systems.

The solemn ceremony of launching the fourth-generation nuclear missile cruiser Krasnoyarsk according to the improved Yasen-M project in Severodvinsk

Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Pavel Lviv

The boat is equipped with torpedo tubes and a universal missile launcher. After the completion of the test of the modification of the Zircon missile system with underwater launch, the first underwater carriers of these hypersonic missiles will be the Yasen-M boats. And by the end of the decade, Russia will have four Ash-type boats with Zircons on board on each of the ocean fleets. At the same time, the complexes can be used both on surface ships and on ground targets, and it will be extremely difficult to shoot down such a missile with a modern air defense system.

To help the ultramodern "Ash Trees", modernization of the project 971 "Pike-B" nuclear attack submarines built in the 1990s is in full swing. There are ten nuclear submarines of this project in various degrees of readiness in the Russian fleet today. All these boats have either passed or are undergoing medium repairs with the modernization of equipment and weapons systems. The Kalibr-PL missile system appeared on them with the use of torpedo tubes and their technical readiness is being restored. In fact, the boats of Project 971 are the workhorses of the anti—submarine and anti-ship forces of the fleet and, of course, they are represented both in the Northern and Pacific Oceans.

"Condor"

Along with the boats of the project 971, two titanium boats of the project 945A "Condor" are in service — plans are being discussed to modernize the boats of the project with equipping them with "Calibers" and with a cardinal upgrade of all radio equipment complexes. After such modernization, they could serve for at least another ten years, although they entered service in the early 1990s.

Project 945A Condor submarine

Image Source: Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

"Antey"

As part of the fleet today, there are seven anti-aircraft submarines of the project 949A "Antey". All of them are either awaiting or undergoing modernization according to the modern 949AM project with a radical upgrade of both equipment and weapons systems. In the old configuration, the ship of the 949A series carried 24 powerful supersonic Granite missiles, and it was believed that such a boat could be guaranteed to destroy any aircraft carrier with one salvo, regardless of the capabilities of the forces that accompany it. In the new look, the boats of the 949AM project will probably become even more powerful and will be able to carry up to 72 Kalibr, Onyx, and in the future, Zircon missiles. These are unique capabilities that no submarine in any other country in the world has today. Modernization of the 949AM project is in full swing and, most likely, in the coming years we will see the first re-equipped missile cruisers of this project.

Russian nuclear submarine missile-carrying cruiser project 949A "Antey" K-410 "Smolensk"

Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Pavel Lviv

"Borey-A"

But there are also strategic nuclear-powered missile ships of the project 955M "Borey-A". The uniqueness of modern Boreas is that they are not only ultramodern platforms for launching Bulava ballistic missiles, but also the basis of the naval component of the Russian nuclear deterrent forces. They can compete on equal terms with any modern submarines and ships. Borey-A is equipped with modern torpedoes and air situation control systems. The changes of the Boreyev-A compared to the first boats of the Borey type are significant — a different hull, modified contours, upgraded equipment. These ships will serve until the middle of the XXI century. And they will remain the basis of Russia's naval missile shield for many years to come.

Strategic nuclear submarine missile cruiser "Prince Vladimir" project 955A (code "Borey-A")

Image source: Photo: IZVESTIA/Oleg Kuleshov

"Losharik"

And a few words about special submarines. Russia's most secret boat, the AS—31 of Project 10831, which is unofficially called the Losharik, is completing repairs at the Zvezdochka shipbuilding center in Severodvinsk. On July 1, 2019, a fire broke out on AS-31, which claimed the lives of 14 submariners. After this tragedy, repairs are underway and, probably, modernization of a deep—sea special submarine, the robust hull of which consists of titanium balls - hence the name "Losharik". The boat will be restored and will also serve to perform special tasks of the Main Directorate of Deep-Sea Research (GUGI) of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

"Poseidon"

The first experimental carrier of the future unique nuclear deterrent complex of a new generation, the Poseidon marine system, is undergoing trial operation under the auspices of the GUGI.

We are talking about a special purpose submarine "Belgorod" project 09852. Probably, today the submarine is preparing for tests of underwater drones "Poseidon". But the regular carriers of the new type of weapon will be boats of projects 09851/09853. The lead boat of the project 09851 Khabarovsk has been under construction by Sevmash in Severodvinsk since 2014, and it is likely that this year it will be launched. And if the creation of a new weapon system is successful, then in 2025 or a little later, Khabarovsk may become the first carrier of 2M39 Poseidon nuclear underwater drones. Perhaps with a base in Vilyuchinsk in Kamchatka. Following the lead boat, the fleet will receive three more carriers of project 09853. In total, two carriers for the Northern and Pacific fleets.

Dmitry Kornev