The fifth generation of submarines. Requirements and projects
The most modern nuclear and diesel-electric submarines replenishing the composition of the naval fleet, refer to the conditional fourth generation. At the same time, shipbuilding designers do not lose time and work on issues related to the further development of the submarine fleet and the creation of the next fifth generation ships. According to reports, to date, the Russian design bureaus have already managed to complete some of the necessary work and to a certain extent bring closer the moment of the appearance of fifth-generation submarines.
Generation theory
The modern submarine separation system covers projects created after the end of World War II. It was during this period in the field of submarine construction that a number of fundamentally new technologies began to be introduced, which had a positive effect on the characteristics and capabilities of the finished equipment. Subsequently, the submarines received new instruments and devices, other weapons, etc. All this led to a qualitative growth and, as a result, to the formation of the next generation.
However, it should be noted that the division of submarines into generations is conditional. There are no generally accepted and well-defined criteria, and different definitions may be used in different countries. Despite such problems, the classification with the division into generations to some extent simplifies the analysis of the development of submarine fleets. In addition, the concept of generations can be used to showcase technological advances or for advertising purposes.
Now in our country new nuclear submarines of projects 885 “Ash” and 955 “Borey”, as well as diesel-electric projects 636 “Varshavyanka” and 677 “Lada” are being built. These projects are usually referred to the fourth post-war generation. It is believed that this generation differs from the previous one by raising all the main technical and operational characteristics. It received more advanced digital radio-electronic systems and improved weapons. Finally, various technologies were used, which allowed for record-breaking low noise figures.
To date, domestic shipbuilders, in general, have formed the basic requirements for the submarines of the next fifth generation. It is planned to continue to reduce physical fields and visibility for detection tools, to increase the degree of automation of onboard systems and to introduce modern components into all major systems. Nuclear power plants are expected to be upgraded, including with the introduction of systems that do not need to be recharged throughout their service. Diesel-electric systems should be improved and production of air-independent power plants should be reached.
Known and proven components and ideas, as well as options for their development will be the basis of new projects. Together with them when creating submarines it is proposed to use a number of completely new ideas and solutions that have not yet been applied in real projects. It is these new products will have to improve all the basic characteristics and capabilities of the ships.
In recent years, the possibility (and in some cases the necessity) of using the modular architecture of a submarine has been repeatedly mentioned. The base for the underwater ship is proposed to make a universal platform with a number of general ship systems capable of carrying certain modules for solving different tasks. Thus, on the basis of a unified base it will be possible to build boats for various purposes. Due to this approach, it is planned to reduce the cost and simplify both construction and subsequent operation. Also, to some extent, the development of new modifications and the modernization of existing ships will be simplified.
The submarine needs an advanced means of detection, which allows it to notice the enemy in time and, if necessary, to carry out the attack first. In the context of the fifth generation, further development of the existing sonar, radar and optical systems is expected - the usual ones for modern submarines. At the same time, it is proposed to equip new ships with additional robotic complexes. On board the submarine must be unmanned submersibles capable of conducting reconnaissance at some distance from the carrier. The use of such intelligence officers will increase the situational awareness of the submarine, but at the same time will reduce the likelihood of its early detection.
The military, scientists and engineers have repeatedly mentioned the need for the full inclusion of the submarine in the general information and control structures of the armed forces. However, in this area there is a characteristic problem: when transmitting or receiving data, the stealth of the boat is sharply reduced, and it is exposed to risks. Whether the task will be solved and how it will be done is not specified. Perhaps some solutions have been found that allow submarines to exchange data, but not risk stealth and security.
In the field of armaments, the fifth generation will be a logical continuation of the previous ones. It is proposed to build strategic missile submarine cruisers with ballistic missiles, as well as multi-purpose boats with cruise missiles. In this case, we should expect an increase in the characteristics of weapons and the introduction of fundamentally new models. Already obtained results in the development of missile weapons will allow to abandon the concept of a purely torpedo submarine. Even with only torpedo tubes, the ship can use both torpedoes and rockets.
Thus, the new fifth generation of submarines is quite capable of being a breakthrough. Transitions between previous generations were carried out not too sharply - with the gradual introduction of new solutions and technologies. The submarines of the expected fifth generation can have a lot of differences from modern models, including at the level of concepts. However, it is not necessary to overestimate the future submarines. It is quite possible another scenario, in which the differences of the fourth and fifth generation will not be drastic.
Husky generation
Several years ago, the command of the Russian Navy and representatives of the shipbuilding industry disclosed part of their plans for the further development of the submarine fleet. It became known that promising fifth-generation boats will be built only after the 2030 year. At the same time it was planned to develop new projects of all main classes. In the fifth generation both nuclear and diesel-electric or non-nuclear submarines were to remain.
From subsequent reports, it became clear that the thirties would be the period of the arrival of new submarines in service, and the development of promising projects should start in the near future. According to various estimates, the first projects of this kind should be created by the mid-twenties. The second half of the decade will be spent on the construction and testing of promising ships. Accordingly, by the year 2030 it will be possible to determine the date of delivery of the first submarines of the new types.
To date, it has become known that the Malachite St. Petersburg Marine Engineering Bureau has begun to work on the appearance of a promising fifth-generation nuclear submarine. While the project is working title "Husky". An advance design of such a boat was carried out at the end of 2017 of the year and at the same time presented to the command of the Navy. In May, the management of the United Shipbuilding Corporation 2018 announced the completion of the design. At that time, the development of tactical and technical characteristics of the future ship was carried out.
Apparently, further work on the Husky theme will take several more years. It was announced a long time ago that the lead ship of this project would be laid in 2023-24, and this information has not been updated since. This suggests that the new project is not yet ready to launch construction, but in a few years the situation will change. By the mid-twenties, construction starts, and at the beginning of the next decade, the fleet will be able to put the submarine into service.
It should be noted that the Husky project envisages the construction of nuclear-powered submarines only. It was mentioned earlier that non-nuclear submarines will be present in the Russian fifth generation, but no new information has been received to this effect. The further development of non-nuclear submarines faced known problems, and the future of this direction remains uncertain.
New ideas for new projects
As it became known to date, almost all original ideas proposed for the fifth generation will be used in the promising project of the Husky submarine. For example, it is proposed to use a modular architecture that provides the use of different weapons on a common platform. Due to this, it will be possible to develop at once two boats with different combat missions.
It was mentioned that the Husky submarines would be smaller than the existing Ash trees; full displacement will reach 12 thousand tons. A two-part scheme with a modular approach to the equipment of the cases will be used. In the design it is planned to use modern composite materials and perspective devices. A new type of hull should provide a significant reduction of physical fields and, accordingly, visibility for the means of detecting the enemy. Due to new materials, technologies and components, the life of submarines can be extended to 50 years.
On the basis of a common platform, it is proposed to build two versions of submarines with different weapons and differing combat missions. The first type of ship will be designed to search and destroy enemy submarines, primarily armed with ballistic missiles. Such a boat will carry torpedoes and anti-submarine missiles. Perhaps all the weapons will be used with standard torpedo tubes, as on some modern submarines.
The second version of the “Husky” ALP will carry missile weapons designed to destroy surface and coastal targets. It has been repeatedly mentioned earlier that such ships will be armed with promising hypersonic anti-ship zircon missiles. The use of Calibr and Onyx products is also not excluded. The available data on the armaments and the tasks of such boats suggest that they will also differ from “anti-submarine” submarines in the composition of radio-electronic and sonar equipment.
In the medium term, it is planned to build two variants of nuclear submarines of the Husky family at once. However, it has not yet been clarified to which version of the project the head ship, planned for the bookmark in 2023-24, will belong to. Also, the topic of further construction of the lead ship of the second modification remains undisclosed. It can be assumed that this submarine will be built in the second half of the twenties and will enter service in the early thirties, a little later than the first.
The construction of two modifications of the Husky series submarines is a matter of the distant future. For obvious reasons, plans for the series can only be formed in the next decade. For their preparation it is necessary to complete the development of the project and determine the requirements of financial, industrial and other nature. Therefore, in the coming years, the Ministry of Defense will hardly be able to give the dates and volumes of building a full-fledged series of promising submarines of the fifth generation.
Future affairs
Currently, the Russian shipbuilding industry is implementing several large orders for the construction of modern nuclear and diesel-electric submarines of a number of projects. These submarines, capable of carrying cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as torpedoes and mines, belong to the fourth post-war generation. In the fourth generation were obtained high tactical and technical characteristics and the required capabilities.
The development of the submarine fleet must continue, and work is already underway to create a completely new generation of submarines. The basic requirements for such ships are defined and design is underway. Over the next few years, this stage of work will be completed, after which the construction of the first submarine of a fundamentally new type starts. All this allows us to look into the future with cautious optimism. The submarine forces of the Russian Navy are being updated. In the future, these processes will not stop and will lead to new remarkable results.
On the materials of the sites:
https://tass.ru/
https://tvzvezda.ru/
https://ria.ru/
https://rg.ru/
http://arms-expo.ru/
http://bastion-karpenko.ru/
https://globalsecurity.org/
Generation theory
The modern submarine separation system covers projects created after the end of World War II. It was during this period in the field of submarine construction that a number of fundamentally new technologies began to be introduced, which had a positive effect on the characteristics and capabilities of the finished equipment. Subsequently, the submarines received new instruments and devices, other weapons, etc. All this led to a qualitative growth and, as a result, to the formation of the next generation.
However, it should be noted that the division of submarines into generations is conditional. There are no generally accepted and well-defined criteria, and different definitions may be used in different countries. Despite such problems, the classification with the division into generations to some extent simplifies the analysis of the development of submarine fleets. In addition, the concept of generations can be used to showcase technological advances or for advertising purposes.
Now in our country new nuclear submarines of projects 885 “Ash” and 955 “Borey”, as well as diesel-electric projects 636 “Varshavyanka” and 677 “Lada” are being built. These projects are usually referred to the fourth post-war generation. It is believed that this generation differs from the previous one by raising all the main technical and operational characteristics. It received more advanced digital radio-electronic systems and improved weapons. Finally, various technologies were used, which allowed for record-breaking low noise figures.
To date, domestic shipbuilders, in general, have formed the basic requirements for the submarines of the next fifth generation. It is planned to continue to reduce physical fields and visibility for detection tools, to increase the degree of automation of onboard systems and to introduce modern components into all major systems. Nuclear power plants are expected to be upgraded, including with the introduction of systems that do not need to be recharged throughout their service. Diesel-electric systems should be improved and production of air-independent power plants should be reached.
Known and proven components and ideas, as well as options for their development will be the basis of new projects. Together with them when creating submarines it is proposed to use a number of completely new ideas and solutions that have not yet been applied in real projects. It is these new products will have to improve all the basic characteristics and capabilities of the ships.
In recent years, the possibility (and in some cases the necessity) of using the modular architecture of a submarine has been repeatedly mentioned. The base for the underwater ship is proposed to make a universal platform with a number of general ship systems capable of carrying certain modules for solving different tasks. Thus, on the basis of a unified base it will be possible to build boats for various purposes. Due to this approach, it is planned to reduce the cost and simplify both construction and subsequent operation. Also, to some extent, the development of new modifications and the modernization of existing ships will be simplified.
The submarine needs an advanced means of detection, which allows it to notice the enemy in time and, if necessary, to carry out the attack first. In the context of the fifth generation, further development of the existing sonar, radar and optical systems is expected - the usual ones for modern submarines. At the same time, it is proposed to equip new ships with additional robotic complexes. On board the submarine must be unmanned submersibles capable of conducting reconnaissance at some distance from the carrier. The use of such intelligence officers will increase the situational awareness of the submarine, but at the same time will reduce the likelihood of its early detection.
The military, scientists and engineers have repeatedly mentioned the need for the full inclusion of the submarine in the general information and control structures of the armed forces. However, in this area there is a characteristic problem: when transmitting or receiving data, the stealth of the boat is sharply reduced, and it is exposed to risks. Whether the task will be solved and how it will be done is not specified. Perhaps some solutions have been found that allow submarines to exchange data, but not risk stealth and security.
In the field of armaments, the fifth generation will be a logical continuation of the previous ones. It is proposed to build strategic missile submarine cruisers with ballistic missiles, as well as multi-purpose boats with cruise missiles. In this case, we should expect an increase in the characteristics of weapons and the introduction of fundamentally new models. Already obtained results in the development of missile weapons will allow to abandon the concept of a purely torpedo submarine. Even with only torpedo tubes, the ship can use both torpedoes and rockets.
Thus, the new fifth generation of submarines is quite capable of being a breakthrough. Transitions between previous generations were carried out not too sharply - with the gradual introduction of new solutions and technologies. The submarines of the expected fifth generation can have a lot of differences from modern models, including at the level of concepts. However, it is not necessary to overestimate the future submarines. It is quite possible another scenario, in which the differences of the fourth and fifth generation will not be drastic.
Husky generation
Several years ago, the command of the Russian Navy and representatives of the shipbuilding industry disclosed part of their plans for the further development of the submarine fleet. It became known that promising fifth-generation boats will be built only after the 2030 year. At the same time it was planned to develop new projects of all main classes. In the fifth generation both nuclear and diesel-electric or non-nuclear submarines were to remain.
From subsequent reports, it became clear that the thirties would be the period of the arrival of new submarines in service, and the development of promising projects should start in the near future. According to various estimates, the first projects of this kind should be created by the mid-twenties. The second half of the decade will be spent on the construction and testing of promising ships. Accordingly, by the year 2030 it will be possible to determine the date of delivery of the first submarines of the new types.
To date, it has become known that the Malachite St. Petersburg Marine Engineering Bureau has begun to work on the appearance of a promising fifth-generation nuclear submarine. While the project is working title "Husky". An advance design of such a boat was carried out at the end of 2017 of the year and at the same time presented to the command of the Navy. In May, the management of the United Shipbuilding Corporation 2018 announced the completion of the design. At that time, the development of tactical and technical characteristics of the future ship was carried out.
Apparently, further work on the Husky theme will take several more years. It was announced a long time ago that the lead ship of this project would be laid in 2023-24, and this information has not been updated since. This suggests that the new project is not yet ready to launch construction, but in a few years the situation will change. By the mid-twenties, construction starts, and at the beginning of the next decade, the fleet will be able to put the submarine into service.
It should be noted that the Husky project envisages the construction of nuclear-powered submarines only. It was mentioned earlier that non-nuclear submarines will be present in the Russian fifth generation, but no new information has been received to this effect. The further development of non-nuclear submarines faced known problems, and the future of this direction remains uncertain.
New ideas for new projects
As it became known to date, almost all original ideas proposed for the fifth generation will be used in the promising project of the Husky submarine. For example, it is proposed to use a modular architecture that provides the use of different weapons on a common platform. Due to this, it will be possible to develop at once two boats with different combat missions.
It was mentioned that the Husky submarines would be smaller than the existing Ash trees; full displacement will reach 12 thousand tons. A two-part scheme with a modular approach to the equipment of the cases will be used. In the design it is planned to use modern composite materials and perspective devices. A new type of hull should provide a significant reduction of physical fields and, accordingly, visibility for the means of detecting the enemy. Due to new materials, technologies and components, the life of submarines can be extended to 50 years.
On the basis of a common platform, it is proposed to build two versions of submarines with different weapons and differing combat missions. The first type of ship will be designed to search and destroy enemy submarines, primarily armed with ballistic missiles. Such a boat will carry torpedoes and anti-submarine missiles. Perhaps all the weapons will be used with standard torpedo tubes, as on some modern submarines.
The second version of the “Husky” ALP will carry missile weapons designed to destroy surface and coastal targets. It has been repeatedly mentioned earlier that such ships will be armed with promising hypersonic anti-ship zircon missiles. The use of Calibr and Onyx products is also not excluded. The available data on the armaments and the tasks of such boats suggest that they will also differ from “anti-submarine” submarines in the composition of radio-electronic and sonar equipment.
In the medium term, it is planned to build two variants of nuclear submarines of the Husky family at once. However, it has not yet been clarified to which version of the project the head ship, planned for the bookmark in 2023-24, will belong to. Also, the topic of further construction of the lead ship of the second modification remains undisclosed. It can be assumed that this submarine will be built in the second half of the twenties and will enter service in the early thirties, a little later than the first.
The construction of two modifications of the Husky series submarines is a matter of the distant future. For obvious reasons, plans for the series can only be formed in the next decade. For their preparation it is necessary to complete the development of the project and determine the requirements of financial, industrial and other nature. Therefore, in the coming years, the Ministry of Defense will hardly be able to give the dates and volumes of building a full-fledged series of promising submarines of the fifth generation.
Future affairs
Currently, the Russian shipbuilding industry is implementing several large orders for the construction of modern nuclear and diesel-electric submarines of a number of projects. These submarines, capable of carrying cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as torpedoes and mines, belong to the fourth post-war generation. In the fourth generation were obtained high tactical and technical characteristics and the required capabilities.
The development of the submarine fleet must continue, and work is already underway to create a completely new generation of submarines. The basic requirements for such ships are defined and design is underway. Over the next few years, this stage of work will be completed, after which the construction of the first submarine of a fundamentally new type starts. All this allows us to look into the future with cautious optimism. The submarine forces of the Russian Navy are being updated. In the future, these processes will not stop and will lead to new remarkable results.
On the materials of the sites:
https://tass.ru/
https://tvzvezda.ru/
https://ria.ru/
https://rg.ru/
http://arms-expo.ru/
http://bastion-karpenko.ru/
https://globalsecurity.org/
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