TNI: Russian submarines have become a cause for concern for the US Navy
Russian nuclear attack submarines of the Shchuka-B class cause serious concern to the US Navy, writes TNI. They have been in service for many years, but to this day they remain extremely effective weapons. In many ways, they are superior to their Western counterparts.
At the final stage of the Cold War, the USSR began developing a series of fourth-generation submarines, which included several subclasses of the 971 Pike-B project.
In the 1960s, the USSR and the USA actively competed in the development of more advanced submarines in order to gain an advantage over the enemy.
When, in 1985, the USSR launched the first Pike-B class boat (according to the NATO classification — Akula), US officials were unpleasantly amazed, since Western intelligence assured that the Soviet Union was at least ten years away from creating such technology.
Meet: submarines of Project 971
The Shchuki-B were built at the Amur Shipbuilding Plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur and Sevmash in Severodvinsk.
Each submarine was double-hulled and included an internal sealed hull and an external one. This arrangement allows for greater freedom in the shape of the outer hull, providing the boat with higher buoyancy than its Western counterparts.
The Shchuki-B were equipped with OK-650B water-to-water reactors, the same system as many of their Soviet predecessors.
When the OK-650 was commissioned in the 1970s, it was considered more advanced and reliable than previous submarine reactors. They were also equipped with Sierra I and II class submarines (Barracuda and Condor), Oscar I and II (“Granite” and “Antey”) and Typhoon (project 941 “Shark” — not to be confused with "Pike-B", which received the “nickname” Akula in NATO).
The first seven boats of the Pike-B class were Puma, Dolphin, Sperm Whale, Whale, Panther, Leopard and Narwhal. According to the improved project, which received the name Improved Akula in NATO (“Improved shark”), “Wolf”, “Walrus”, “Leopard", “Tiger” and “Dragon" were built.
From the point of view of weapons, the Pike-B class was very formidable. Each submarine could carry S-10 “Granat” cruise missiles (according to the NATO classification: SS-N-21 Sampson). The C-10 Grenade is comparable to the American Tomahawk. Subsequent versions of the submarines were equipped with six additional 533 mm external torpedo tubes.
The Shchuki-B also had more advanced sensors than its predecessors, especially the surface search radar.
According to the Naval Technology publication, the submarine was equipped with the MGK 540 sonar system, which provided automatic target detection in wide- and narrow-band modes using active sonar. “It provides range, on-board bearing and approach speed. The sonar system can also be used in passive listening mode to detect enemy sonars. The sonar signal processor is capable of detecting and automatically classifying targets, as well as suppressing sources of parasitic acoustic noise and compensating for variable acoustic conditions,” the publication notes.
Option 971U
According to the 971U project (according to the NATO classification: Akula II), only one submarine was built — the Boar (K-157).
In 1990, her keel was laid, and four years later she was officially launched. In 1995, the Boar entered service. Two more boats of the upgraded version were planned in the late 1990s, but none of them were completed.
It is noteworthy that separate sections of the Lynx (K-333) and Cougar (K-337) hulls were later included in the designs of Alexander Nevsky and Yuri Dolgoruky, respectively (both projects 955 Borey). The submarines of the 971U project had a length of 110 meters and a displacement of up to 12,770 tons.
The boats of this class had a maximum submerged speed of 35 knots and a maximum diving depth of 600 meters. The construction of the modernized Pike-B began back in 1991, but stopped for almost a decade due to lack of funds.
“Pike-B” in India
A unique leasing opportunity arose when Moscow provided the Indian Navy with the opportunity to “rent” the Shchuka-B submarine.
At first, it was expected that the boat, which New Delhi renamed the Chakra in 2023, would enter service with the Indian Navy in 2007. However, due to a string of delays, deadlines were postponed time after time. In particular, delays arose due to difficulties with the installation of new on-board systems and technologies. In 2008, a deadly gas leak led to the deaths of 20 civilian crew members, further delaying the boat's commissioning.
As a result, the Chakra served New Delhi for less than nine years, and in 2021 returned to Russia ahead of schedule - reportedly due to problems with the nuclear propulsion system.
The boats of the 971U project had more powerful weapons than their predecessors. Armed with four 533 mm torpedo tubes, the submarine could carry Type 53 torpedoes, RPK-6 or RPK-2 missiles.
In addition, it was possible to install ship mines, PKK-7 missiles and four 650 mm torpedo tubes.
In 2022, the NATO naval forces spotted the Boar during the transition from the Northern Fleet to the Baltic. The boat is expected to serve the Russian Navy for several more decades.
The author of the article is Maya Carlin, an analyst at the Center for Security Policy and a former researcher at Reichmann University in Herzliya, Israel. Published in a number of publications, including The National Interest, The Jerusalem Post and The Times of Israel.