The actions of submarines of any fleet in the world are a sealed secret. Even an ordinary submarine going to sea on a training mission is never advertised, unlike a surface ship. It is not for nothing that the first submarines in Russia under Peter the Great were called "secret ships". As time passed, generations of sailors and ships themselves changed, but submarines are still the most secret weapon on the water. But if the action of submarines in the oceans is still a military secret, then their design and construction, or rather some aspects of their creation, can be voiced. Igor Vilnit, General Director of the Central Design Bureau Rubin, Russia's main designer of strategic nuclear and diesel–electric submarines and not only, ventured to lift the veil of mystery, but not military secrets in an interview with the head of the specialized editorial office of RIA Novosti Sergey Safronov.
– Igor Vladimirovich, when will the work on the creation of the fifth-generation nuclear submarine project end? What will be the cardinal differences from the boats of the fourth generation? You have stated that this submarine will be better than the concept design of the strategic missile submarine "Arcturus". Can I clarify what innovations will be in the new submarine? Will the Arcturus developments be used in it? Will the boats be routinely armed with aerial and marine drones? Will there be a classic cabin on it?
– These are difficult questions, not only because of the sensitivity of the topic, but also because we are talking about ships that should replace modern RPKSN projects 955 and 955A, and the eighth submarine of this series has not even been accepted into the fleet yet. The need for new ships will arise at the turn of 2040, that is, in a little more than 15 years. During this time, it is necessary to complete research and development, build a lead ship and conduct a full test cycle. We have relevant developments that will allow us to form the technical appearance of the boat (including whether it will have a classic cabin). In our work, we are guided by a reasonable forecast of the conditions of use of boats, a forecast of the development of technology and technology.
I will not touch on all the aspects that we are considering. I will only focus on what everyone is hearing now: robotics, which has already penetrated into all branches of the armed forces and continues to develop rapidly. When our fifth-generation missile carriers begin to go to sea, they will be met not only by multi-purpose nuclear submarines of unfriendly countries, but also by various robotic means of detection and counteraction. The picture that I have now tried to depict may be perceived by many as a verdict on traditional submarines, but underwater shipbuilding will also not stand still – fifth-generation boats will be distinguished by even higher stealth, as well as the ability to disorient enemy assets. After all, as the legendary Chinese military commander Sun Tzu wrote, "war is a path of deception."
I will also say that we have been working in the field of robotics for quite a long time, which will allow our fifth-generation boats to feel confident in the ocean. I will only mention the autonomous uninhabited underwater vehicle (ANPA) "Surrogate", the concept of which was first announced in 2016, as well as the new device "Surrogate-B", which was first presented together with the concept project of the RCN Arcturus at the Army 2022 forum. Both "Surrogates" and "Arcturus" are an illustration of our efforts to create submarines and uninhabited underwater vehicles that should ensure the security of our country for the foreseeable future.
– Will the eighth Borey-A class submarine Prince Pozharsky be delivered to the Fleet this year?
– At an expanded meeting of the board of the Ministry of Defense in December 2023, this was mentioned among the priority tasks for 2024. Together with the construction plant, the Sevmash production association, we are working on its implementation.
– Can the technologies that are being developed for the Arcturus, in particular the material of the outer coating and the shape of the hull, as well as remote antennas, be used for already developed projects of non-nuclear submarines of projects 636 and 677?
– You have correctly noted one of the advantages of our bureau – the variety of projects we create – allows us to transfer successful solutions created for one project to other ships, both designed and modernized. For example, the boats of the project 636 of the new series have already received a lot of modern equipment created for the submarine of the project 677 and proved itself well during the tests. The concept of remote antennas should simplify the installation of modern detection and communication equipment on already built boats, and further expand their capabilities without expensive alterations of the boat itself. As the service life of ships increases, this approach is becoming more and more in demand.
The issue with the shape of the hull is much more complicated – it affects both the running qualities of the ship, its weight load, and the construction of ship systems. The design of the housing must meet a number of technological requirements. The hull shapes of modern submarines of projects 636 and 677 are balanced according to all requirements and do not need to be changed.
– Will the new buildings of the Lada 677 project be built with a compartment for VNEU? What other innovations are included in the new ships of this project? Will they be armed with "Calibers" and "Onyx", as well as drones of various types and classes?
– The configuration of the future Lad is a matter for the Navy. On the part of the designer, I can say that, of course, drones can and should be part of the armament of a submarine. Lada and other submarines can be armed with UAVs for aerial reconnaissance and ANPA in order to search for underwater mines. The list of tasks that can be solved by aviation or underwater drones is very wide and is not at all limited to the tasks of the kamikaze drone. These aircraft or underwater drones must fit into the dimensions of a torpedo tube (either as such or in a special launch container) – the only submarine launcher with a sufficiently large caliber. The drones must be connected to the submarine's automated combat control system in order to transfer the mission assignment to them. There are some other factors that should be taken into account, but there are no obstacles to the use of drones from a submarine.
– What other innovations are included in the new ships of this project?
– Lada has a lot of new solutions based on a wide variety of development work. For example, the original torpedo firing system, which is designed for all depths, the full range of boat speeds, and any types of ammunition. It should also be mentioned the original solutions for a number of retractable boat devices. I cannot disclose production secrets, but these solutions have freed up space inside the hull and thus reduce displacement. Another innovation, and far from the last in this project, is an all–powerful electric motor, which reduced the contribution of the propulsion system to the overall noise of the ship, simplified several systems at once and, again, allowed reducing the displacement of the submarine.
– At what stage is the development of VNEU? Will lithium-ion batteries be used in new non-atomic submarines?
– Together with our contractors, we are on the way to creating standard equipment that can be installed on the ship. All technical and technological solutions have been tested.
The process of creating an VNEU is science–intensive and technically complex. Let me remind you that a relatively simple Swedish VNEU with a Stirling engine took about 15 years from the start of design work to implementation on a combat submarine, and a German VNEU with an electrochemical generator took almost 30 years. The creation of the Russian VNEU was somewhat slowed down by the fact that there was no urgent need for it, the Russian navy has nuclear submarines, a nuclear reactor can be considered an ideal VNEU.
We are working on new non-nuclear submarines in various versions of the power plant, including those with lithium-ion batteries.
– The Central Design Bureau Rubin pays no less close attention to the creation of unmanned robotics. What robotics projects is Rubin currently working on? Which technologies in this area seem to be the most promising for development in the interests of customers: military, civilian, dual-use? It is known that underwater robots are already being produced in the interests of the military, is it possible to lift the veil of mystery in this matter?
– We are developing robotic complexes both in the interests of science and dual-use. Work has been completed on the creation of ultralight autonomous and remote-controlled devices of the Amulet and Talisman families, and preparations are underway for their mass production. Measures are being completed to transfer Juno light class and Vityaz medium class devices to customers. The production of autonomous uninhabited heavy-class underwater vehicles for scientific research at kilometer depths of the World Ocean is actively underway. The capabilities of our production have been demonstrated to large oil and gas producing concerns and their ministries in charge, we are waiting for specific proposals from them to our address.
It is better to ask the Ministry of Defense about the development of robots in the interests of the military, and on the issue of the most promising technologies, I will answer that for underwater robotics, increasing autonomy, the range of sonar communication and surveillance, the accuracy of navigation equipment, and the creation of new materials are most relevant. The issue of import substitution is being finalized. Together with other enterprises, Rubin develops and implements radioelectronic devices and structural materials. Many of these novelties have been tested during deep-sea dives of the Vityaz-D spacecraft, for example, high-strength spheroplastics withstanding pressures of more than 120 MPa.
– Vityaz-D is the first ANPA in the world that completed a mission in the Mariana Trench in 2020. What kind of development has this project received? Will it remain one of a kind, or does Rubin see the possibility of creating other devices for ultra-deep dives?
– Vityaz-D was created to develop and test equipment in full-scale conditions that can function and solve problems under conditions of exorbitant pressures at extreme depths. The work of Vityaz at a depth of more than 10 kilometers in autonomous mode proved the correctness of the chosen design solutions and confirmed that the Russian industry is able to create unique samples of materials and equipment. The further development of the project is to apply the results obtained in the creation of various types of devices that solve a wide range of tasks. We are transferring Vityaz-D to the customer, the Foundation for Advanced Research. Its further application for deep-sea research is discussed.
– Artificial intelligence and ANPA. To create ANPA that will be underwater for a long time without contact with the operator, new control systems are needed, including using AI. What is being done at Rubin in this direction?
– It is too early to talk about the creation of artificial intelligence, but AI elements are currently being developed and used by us in various samples of uninhabited technology. I mean the creation and implementation of technical vision systems, "predictive" management systems, the use of modern methods of analysis, construction of mathematical models, and so on in processing the information received. Algorithms for processing information and developing optimal control commands based on it allow the device not only to move automatically without operator participation, but also to make some independent decisions.
The further development of autonomous marine technology is directly related to the application of network principles for the creation of complex robotic complexes, new programming methods and algorithmization. In the future, this will allow the creation of systems that will provide navigation, communication and control of heterogeneous robots operating in the depths of the world's oceans.
– Earlier, Rubin showed three promising concept projects: an underwater drone simulator Surrogate, a submersible patrol ship and an all-electric small submarine Amur e600. Is there any interest in these projects from the Russian Ministry of Defense or foreign customers?
– Any concept project has three tasks: to draw attention to the technologies that the bureau can offer; to check the market interest in new projects and, finally, to be embodied in hardware. We have seen interest in these concept projects and are working to ensure that we have the opportunity to present them in more detail. At the same time, we do not work "on the table", all the developments that Rubin makes and which confirm their usefulness find one or another embodiment.
– In 2023, the concept project of the ANPA Argus for the development of underwater deposits and the protection of underwater infrastructure was presented at the Army forum, has this project been developed?
– This year, at the Army, we will show a new modification of the civilian ANPA Argus – the Argus-D delivery system for various payloads. This development is based on technologies tested at Vityaz-D. We will also show a model of an uninhabited underwater station to ensure the long-term operation of the ANPA. We expect that our developments will arouse the interest of customers who need medium and heavy marine robots to be able to work autonomously for a long time.
