And in which theaters of military operations they can be useful
Russia plans to increase the number of multipurpose nuclear submarines of the Yasen family from nine to 12 units, according to media reports. In particular, three more nuclear submarines will be laid at Sevmash in Severodvinsk in the near future. Izvestia dealt with this and other news around the most modern Russian attack submarines of the Yasen project together with military expert, founder of the Military Russia portal Dmitry Kornev.
"Husky" or "Husky"
The increase in the number of submarines of the Yasen project was reported by TASS on November 19, citing a source close to the Russian Navy.
"The number of nuclear submarines (submarines) of the Yasen family of projects 885, 885M and 885MA will be brought to 12, three more submarines are expected to be laid," TASS wrote, adding that it does not have official confirmation of this information.
The first of the three new boats may be laid at the end of 2023. Just in the place that the Arkhangelsk nuclear submarine occupied in the workshops of Sevmash. Further, as the Perm (Yasen-M No. 5) and Ulyanovsk (Yasen-M No. 6) are transferred for testing in 2024-2025, two more boats planned for construction will be laid.
A worker in the shop of hull welding production at the Sevmash shipbuilding enterprise in Severodvinsk
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Pavel Lviv
And then, with a high degree of probability, the construction of a promising project will begin — such projects as Husky and Laika have already been called. For parity in combat capabilities in the ocean theaters of military operations, the domestic fleet requires not eight or twelve, but significantly more nuclear submarines.
It is also necessary to take into account the fact that not all submarines in the fleet can be on combat duty at the same time — some of them are always at bases where they are being restored and prepared for new exits. And for operations at a great distance from their native shores, it is the submarines that do not have the limitations of diesel-electric boats that are needed.
A little history
The Yasen is a multipurpose nuclear submarine equipped with both torpedo tubes and a universal cruise missile launcher. Its development was started at the St. Petersburg Marine Engineering Bureau "Malachite" back in the late 1970s as a promising project of submarines of the fourth generation.
The main tasks that were set for the new project: further reduction of the noise of boats, improvement of its own sonar complex, the possibility of combating promising submarines of a potential enemy, the destruction of surface fleet ships and strikes against coastal targets.
Launch of the Onyx cruise missile
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
The boats of the project were to begin in the 1990s to supplement and gradually replace the nuclear-powered ships of the project 971. In 1985, the construction program of the USSR Navy for the next ten years was supposed to build a large series of 30 nuclear-powered ships.
In 1986, the technical design of the Yasen submarine was started, and three years later it was adjusted to accommodate the supersonic Onyx anti-ship missile. The amendment was made taking into account the beginning of testing of a promising and uniform ammunition for different carriers.
The appearance of Severodvinsk
The lead submarine of the K-560 Severodvinsk project was laid down on December 23, 1993 at the Sevmash production association under the 885 Yasen project. In the 1990s, its construction was suspended, but in the early 2000s, the revival of the project was launched.
In 2010, the boat was launched and in 2013, after factory tests, it was transferred to the state. Tested together with weapons complexes. And on June 17, 2014, the K-5560 Severodvinsk PLA was accepted into the Russian fleet.
The first multipurpose nuclear submarine of the Yasen K-560 Severodvinsk project at the berth of the Sevmash defense shipyard in Severodvinsk
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/The press service of JSC PO "Sevmash"
During the construction of the lead boat of the Ash family in Malachite, work began on the design of a fully modernized version — the Ash-M.
Since 2009, the construction of a series of nine updated boats 885M "Ash-M" has begun. The new project became shorter by nine meters and completely retained the armament of the basic Ash — ten torpedo tubes and a universal launcher with eight cells for "Calibers" and "Onyx". Starting with the fifth boat of the upgraded series, the Perm, the regular armament will also include the Zircon hypersonic missile.
"Zircon" under water
By 2022, the Zircon hypersonic anti-ship missile has successfully passed state tests in a surface-based version. It was launched from the frigate project 22350 "Admiral Gorshkov". At the same time, launches from the lead boat of the Yasen project were launched in 2021.
This is much more difficult than from a surface ship. When launching a heavier rocket than the others, the part of the solid-fuel accelerator that provides the ammunition output from the submarine, its movement underwater to the surface, takeoff above sea level to a height of 20-30 m works.
The impact on the design of the boat is comparable to the launch of ballistic missiles, but the Ash is a multi—purpose attack submarine. They strive to minimize the weight of the structure while maintaining maneuverability in terms of speed and depth of travel.
The ceremony of launching the Krasnoyarsk nuclear missile cruiser under the Yasen-M project in Severodvinsk
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Pavel Lviv
In general, the launchers had to be strengthened for the placement of the Zircons, and, apparently, the already built Yasen-M boats will be equipped with them during repairs and upgrades, and the fifth and subsequent submarines of the series will receive them, as they say, "from birth".
Today, tests of the third boat of the Yasen-M series K-571 Krasnoyarsk are being completed in Severodvinsk at Sevmash, and the fourth boat, K—564 Arkhangelsk, is being prepared for withdrawal from the boathouse and launching.
These are boats laid down in 2014 and 2015. By 2028, the construction of the previously laid "Ash Trees-M" should be completed, and then there will be eight of them. It can be assumed that four boats will be part of the Northern and Pacific Fleets of the Russian Navy.
Aircraft Carrier Hunters
Promising nuclear submarines can solve a wide range of tasks. First of all, they are able to compete on equal terms with any submarines of potential opponents. Dueling with attack submarines, tracking down and destroying strategic missile units — today a very limited number of our nuclear submarines can be engaged in such tasks. They have decent characteristics, but they just need more for each ocean fleet.
The K-561 Kazan submarine of the 885M Yasen-M project to the place of permanent basing in the Nerpichya Bay in the Murmansk region
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Pavel Lviv
An additional task will definitely be the violation of enemy shipping and the destruction of ships of any class. The arsenal of the "Ash-M" is exhaustive here — homing torpedoes, anti-ship missiles "Caliber", supersonic "Onyx" and indestructible hypersonic "Zircons". With such a set, the Ash-M can even go hunting on an aircraft carrier.
The only question is in the organization of reconnaissance and targeting for our nuclear—powered ships - work is underway in this direction. A satellite system of global intelligence "Liana" is being created to monitor the world ocean. And with space targeting and with a range of "Zircons" of 1 thousand km, it will be possible to solve the problem of guaranteed destruction of an enemy carrier strike group. And today, the boats carrying such weapons are very necessary for our fleet.
Dmitry Kornev