The Paper: details about the new Russian unmanned submarine have become known
Russia is developing a new heavy unmanned vehicle "Surrogate-B", writes The Paper. Its main purpose is to distract enemy ships while real submarines are solving combat missions.
Against the background of clashes between Russia and Ukraine in the Black Sea and attacks by Houthi militants on ships in the Red Sea, unmanned platforms have recently begun to stand out in naval battles. Their technological development and impact on battles on the water are becoming objects of universal interest.
According to media reports, recently the Russian United Shipbuilding Corporation revealed new details about the superheavy unmanned underwater vehicle Surrogate-V. Given that Ukrainian troops often use unmanned boats to attack the enemy's Black Sea fleet, Russia's improvement and use of such marine equipment attracts the attention of the whole world.
Russia's Unmanned Submarine Fleet
According to industry classification methods for unmanned underwater vehicles, the diameter of LUUV is large vehicles of this kind (Large Unmanned Underwater Vehicle literally means "large unmanned underwater vehicle". — Approx. InoSMI) is usually about 533 millimeters, and the displacement is 1.36 tons. The ultra-large vehicles (Extra Large Unmanned Underwater Vehicle, XLUUV) have a displacement of more than ten tons, and they are capable of non-stop operation for seven days. The features of this technique are a huge power reserve and autonomy, high load capacity, advanced intelligent control systems and independent decision-making. They can be used in a wide variety of scenarios: as an autonomous unit or as a submarine transport module; used for intelligence gathering, surveillance, anti-submarine and other special operations, underwater strikes, and mine action. Due to this, in the future, these devices will be able to serve as the core of a new concept of warfare under water.
In recent years, Russia has achieved a number of successes in the field of technological development of large unmanned underwater vehicles. Their most famous representative is the atomic Poseidon. It was developed by the Central Design Bureau of MT Rubin together with the Makeev State Research Center and other enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex. Poseidon consists of a warhead, a nuclear power plant, a propulsion system, electronic equipment and several compartments. The diameter of the device reaches about 1.6 meters, the length is 24 meters, the load capacity is at least 1.5 tons, the speed exceeds 60 knots, its maximum diving depth is one thousand meters, and the cruising range is 18 thousand kilometers. Poseidon is equipped with a pumping jet engine and a large-amplitude steering wheel. A 3D sonar is installed on the bow, and other modern technologies have been introduced. The device can be equipped with both conventional and nuclear warheads; stationed in advance at a specified location so that it waits for the signal to attack, or immediately aimed at destroying coastal infrastructure, enemy aircraft carrier strike groups and other facilities.
In addition, the Central Design Bureau Rubin has developed a series of uninhabited underwater vehicles "Harpsichord". The first generation of this technique, the "Harpsichord-1P", has a length of 5.8 meters, a body diameter of 900 millimeters, and a weight of 2.5 tons. In real measurement, the Klavesin-1R has a diving depth of 6083 meters, and its speed reaches three knots. During operations, it is controlled by a remote control on board the carrier ship. The second generation — "Harpsichord-2R-PM" — was intended for use by Navy special forces. The hull of such models reaches a meter in length, the weight of the device is about 3.7 tons, it can be operated by modernized nuclear submarines of the 949M project, as well as BS-64 Podmoskovye and K-329 Belgorod.
Uninhabited underwater vehicles "Klavesin" can study the seabed, take high-resolution images and transmit them to ground receiving stations. Russia has repeatedly used them to study the geography of the North Pole, determine the boundaries of the high-latitude Arctic shelf, geological exploration for oil and gas companies and monitor the condition of underwater pipelines and communication lines.
A "combat substitute" for future submarines
For the first time, the Surrogate-B unmanned underwater vehicle mentioned in the article was presented to the public at the Army 2022 international military technical Forum in August 2022. Then a sample of the "Surrogate-B" was exhibited at the same stand as the nuclear-powered submarine "Arcturus", equipped with ballistic missiles. In the tail section of the latter there is a special compartment for the transportation and deployment of various unmanned underwater vehicles, including large ones.
According to reports, the Central Design Bureau of MT Rubin launched the Surrogate project in 2016-2017. According to information published by the Russian side at that time, it turned out that the displacement of the device was 60 tons, the length was 17 meters, the power reserve was 520 nautical miles, or five knots, and the maximum speed reached 24 knots. The product is recharged using a lithium-ion battery that provides 15 to 16 hours of continuous operation. The Surrogate is designed on a modular basis and can carry a number of sonar and other components to collect sound and electromagnetic signals coming from different submarines. At the same time, it is capable of performing some intelligence tasks. It is equipped with several towed sonars, useful in preparation for anti-submarine warfare, as well as in the development and testing of new sonar systems, detection devices for torpedo and other submarines and weapons systems. Due to this, the risks of creating new submarines and their cost are reduced.
Compared with its earlier versions, the Surrogate-V has a smaller displacement of 40 tons, the length remains 17 meters. From the outside, the device resembles a small submarine, its hull is streamlined, only a few details protrude, for example, the steering surface, an annular groove for a water jet propulsion is located in the tail section. The declared combat range of the vehicle reaches 800 nautical miles (when the project was announced in 2022, it was 200 nautical miles less). Its cruising speed is five knots, and its maximum speed is 24 knots. Surrogate-B is equipped with a pumping-jet engine, which is often installed on large submarines. It is powered by a lithium-ion battery, which can be recharged at portable stations on board the device and in its bottom part. Its tasks include searching for mines, ice reconnaissance, as well as performing operations that pose a danger to manned vehicles or take too much time for the latter, for example, topographic surveying.
One of the key features of the "Surrogate-B" is the ability to simulate the sounds made by manned nuclear or diesel-electric submarines. This allows the device to deceive the enemy, forcing him to rush in pursuit of an unmanned vehicle, rather than a manned one. Among other things, Surrogate-B can be equipped with sonar search equipment or a unique Russian non-acoustic detection system SOKS (submarine wake detection system), which finds enemy submarines by leaving exhaust in the form of chemicals or radiation. Models and computer images of the Surrogate-B show that there is a large-scale sonar complex on board the device, which once again underlines its capabilities to collect intelligence information.
According to analytical data, the Surrogate-B can be used by the Russian Navy during real battles or anti-submarine training. In the first case, the tool can be discreetly released into the desired water area so that it simulates special signals from submarines of the Russian Navy and stimulates anti-submarine ships and NATO aircraft to move. The main detachments will be in ambush at this time, luring the enemy into a ring to destroy his anti-submarine forces. Real strategic nuclear submarines of Russia will take advantage of the distraction of the enemy, hide in the dark, and then deal a fatal blow to the opponent. As for the second scenario, the Surrogate-B is simpler in design and cheaper, and can also simulate the sound signal of any NATO submarine; this makes it an effective "submarine substitute" that helps Russian troops practice anti-submarine warfare and increases the combat training of the army.
Author of the article: Lan Shunzheng (兰顺正)