Hypersonic shock. Which of the Russian submarines will receive the Zircons?
Not a “Granite” One
В first part of the material, we touched on the rearmament of a number of surface ships of the Russian Navy from old Soviet missiles to the new Zircon hypersonic missile. Which, according to reporters, the military and the head of state, is now undergoing trials and can soon be put into service.
Recall, we are talking about a product that can (again, according to open sources) reach speeds up to 8 M and hit targets at ranges up to 500-1000 kilometers. At such a gigantic speed, intercepting missiles will be very, very difficult, even for the most advanced air defense systems. And the declared range allows us to say that in front of us weapon, which, in theory, can change the balance of forces at sea, although it does not make the Russian fleet the strongest on Earth. Without aircraft carriers, this is impossible.
To destroy enemy aircraft carrier formations in the USSR, the P-700 Granite anti-ship missile was called upon. This is a real giant, with a starting mass of seven tons and capable of traveling at supersonic speeds up to 500-600 kilometers. "Granite" was never used in battle, so its effectiveness can only be reasoned with a bit of conventionality. In general, this is a formidable weapon, which, however, is morally and physically outdated today and needs to be replaced. It is being replaced, as already noted, by a hypersonic missile.
Timeless Antei
According to TASS, the first submarine equipped with Zircons will be the multipurpose submarine of the 949A Irkutsk project. The agency refers to Deputy Minister of Defense Alexei Krivoruchko: during its modernization, the boat will receive universal launchers 3С14, which, in addition to the Zircons, will allow the use of Caliber and Onyxa missiles already in service. It is worth saying that these launchers are also actively used by a number of surface ships, which, in theory, will allow them all to become carriers of new missiles.
Recall that as of 2017, 3С14 were used on frigates of the 22350 project, frigates of the 11356 project, corvettes of the 20385 project, missile ships of the 11661 project, small missile ships of the 21631 project and small missile ships of the 22800 project. As we wrote in the previous article, the promising nuclear destroyer Leader is also seen as the carrier of Zircon, but so far its prospects are more than vague.
However, now we are interested in the submarines. As you know, K-132 Irkutsk is a Russian nuclear submarine missile-carrying cruiser belonging to the same project as the infamous Kursk. That is, to the 949A Antey project. According to the existing classification, this is a submarine (nuclear submarine with cruise missiles), but for convenience, after modernization, it can be called "multipurpose".
According to previously announced data, K-132 will undergo modernization at Zvezda before 2022. And in 2020 they should complete the modernization of the K-442 Chelyabinsk - another submarine of the 949A Antey project. In addition to them, the fleet has six more Anteys, each of which in theory can be upgraded to use the Zircon missile.
By the way, an interesting detail: the first submarine carrier of the Zircon missile is part-time and the oldest submarine of the 949 project: it was adopted by the 1988. In fact, this means that even in the future Antei is seen as one of the main Russian nuclear submarines. Obviously, they intend to exploit it along with the submarines of the last, fourth generation.
Generation f
The fourth generation of submarines is the one to which only the American multi-purpose Sivulf and Virginia now belong, as well as the Russian strategic submarines of Project 955 Borey and the latest multi-purpose submarines of Project 885 Ash. It is the latter that should de facto become the main carrier of the Zircons on the underwater navy. Recall, “Ash” was developed on the basis of projects 705 (K) “Lira”, 971 “Pike-B”: even a purely outwardly submarine is very similar to its ancestors.
The first submarine of the fourth generation in the Russian fleet, armed with Zircon, should be the K-561 Kazan ship. “In the 2020 year of firing by Zircon, as part of the tests of this missile from the surface and underwater position, the multipurpose nuclear submarine of the 885M Kazan project will begin,” a source in the military-industrial complex in March 2019 said to TASS.
There is, however, one “but.” This submarine itself is not yet in the fleet: according to previously announced plans, the Navy intends to transfer it no earlier than the end of the 2020 year. Recall, we are talking about the second submarine of the Ash project and the second submarine of this project, built according to the improved version of Ash-M. It is logical to assume that the Zircon will ultimately receive all eight boats of the 885M project.
Fifth generation and hypersound
Russia may become the first country in the world to receive a fifth-generation submarine. At least for several years now, the media has been actively “exaggerating” the theme of developing a fundamentally new nuclear submarine. In April, a year passed, it became known that the St. Petersburg Maritime Bureau of Engineering "Malachite" completed research work under the code "Husky", designed to determine the appearance of a multipurpose nuclear submarine of the fifth generation and began development work under the code "Laika" to create a boat fifth generation.
The boat will be built according to the usual two-hull architecture customary for domestic shipbuilding: a light external hull and a solid internal one. It will be smaller than the 885 project submarine, and they intend to use the latest materials for it. “These will be ships made of multilayer composite materials,” Valery Polovinkin, adviser to the general director of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Krylovsky State Scientific Center (KSCC), told Izvestia in 2016. “Composite materials will be used to make hull covers, bow and stern rudders, stabilizers, wheelhouse guards, even propellers and shaft lines.”
The fact that the promising submarine should become the carrier of Zircon missiles has been known for a long time. About this at different times, various sources reported. Another question is when exactly the Russian Federation will have a new submarine. According to the most optimistic forecasts, the boat will be completed by the end of the 2020's. Perhaps, by that time, Zircon is already well established in the Russian fleet. Given the latest statements by officials, this cannot be ruled out. However, one cannot exclude the fact that they (these very statements) do not correspond to reality.
As for the diesel-electric submarines, they clearly decided to save on them. And if they’re armed with Zircons, then in the last turn. “These submarines of the Lada class will be built without an air-independent power plant, because it has not yet been created. The latest Zircon hypersonic missiles will not be armed with these boats either, ”said Admiralty Shipyards General Director Alexander Buzakov in July 2019, commenting on the contract for two LNA 677 project diesel-electric submarines.
Earlier, however, the head of the United Shipbuilding Corporation, Alexei Rakhmanov, said the promising non-nuclear submarine Kalina would receive a number of advantages, in particular, it would be armed with the Zircon hypersonic missile system. But it is difficult to say exactly when this submarine will appear (and whether it will appear). Lately News about this boat is almost there.
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