Torpedo plans: "Ichthyosaurs" will be more
General view of the product UET-1E. Photo bmpd.livejournal.com
In the recent past, in the interests of the Russian naval fleet A promising electric torpedo UET-1 "Ichthyosaurus" was created. This product has successfully passed the tests, reached mass production and is now being delivered to the customer. Recently it became known that in the future the production of such weapons will continue and expand, and new submarines will become its carriers.
Torpedo in series
At the end of February 2018, the Ministry of Defense announced the signing of a contract for the supply of a new type of torpedo weapon. The Dagdiesel plant received an order worth approx. RUB 7,2 billion for the production of 73 new Ichthyosaurus-type torpedoes. Production was planned to be established in the same year, and the delivery of the first batch of products was scheduled for 2019. The last batch was expected in 2023. It was noted that reaching the required production volumes would allow considering the issue of increasing purchases.
Two years later, in February 2020, the industry announced the completion of state tests of a promising torpedo of an unnamed type. It has been suggested that this is a UET-1 product, but it has not been confirmed. In addition, it was not reported about the adoption of this torpedo for service.
The other day, on February 3, new plans for the production of "Ichthyosaurs" became known. An unnamed TASS source in the defense industry said that in the near future, the production of such torpedoes will continue, and its pace will increase significantly. To do this, the Navy plans to place a new long-term contract that will provide rearmament in the required volumes. At the same time, the cost of such an order and the number of required products have not yet been specified.
The TASS source also noted that plans for a new contract are associated with the limited potential of the existing order. So, 73 torpedoes will not allow for a full-fledged re-equipment of existing and under construction diesel-electric submarines pr. 636.3. To update their ammunition, at least twice as many products are needed.
Loading a torpedo on a diesel-electric submarine. project 636.3. Photo Sevastopol.gallery
On February 6, a TASS source (the same or a different one, unknown) revealed new details of the deployment of promising torpedoes. In the coming years, with the help of Ichthyosaurs, all diesel-electric submarines, etc. 636.3 and 677, will be re-equipped. Then some types of nuclear submarines will receive such weapons. Which nuclear submarines will be carriers of the newest domestic torpedo is not specified.
Quantity problem
Thus, next year the production of the first series of UET-1 torpedoes will be completed and the production of a new one will begin. The reason for this is the growing needs of submarine forces and the limited potential of current production. In fact, the production volumes of Ichthyosaurs do not yet correspond to the size of the modernized submarine forces.
Recall that at the time of the appearance of the contract for 73 UET-1 torpedoes, the Russian Navy already had six submarines of project 636.3 - as part of the Black Sea Fleet. It is easy to calculate that due to the existing order, each of them, in theory, could receive 12 torpedoes. This was quite enough to form one mixed ammunition load, including up to 18 missiles and torpedoes.
However, in 2017, the construction of the second series of boats for the Pacific Fleet began, and three of them have already been handed over to the customer. In addition, last year the lead diesel-electric submarine pr. range of carriers and the required number of weapons.
Obviously, 73 torpedoes are not enough for a full-scale rearmament of such a fleet. Some new submarines will have to use older types of torpedoes, which will affect their combat effectiveness. However, as early as next year, a new stage in the production of Ichthyosaurs will begin, and with its help it will be possible to gradually meet the needs of the submarine forces.
Model of the old USET-80 torpedo. Photo militaryrussia.ru
However, the real needs of the Navy and plans for future contracts remain unknown. The number and cost of the required torpedoes were not disclosed. Also remains unknown and the number of products per each carrier. At the same time, as reported and as can be judged, the total fleet needs for new torpedoes of the UET-1 type are many times higher than the current contract will provide.
Contemporary pattern
The UET-1 universal electric torpedo was created as part of the Ichthyosaurus R&D as a modern replacement for the aging USET-80 product. The work started in the XNUMXs and was carried out by the Dagdiesel enterprise. The development of a new project encountered a number of specific difficulties, but was successfully completed, after which testing and preparation for future mass production began.
At this stage, the new development was presented to the public and potential customers. So, in the tenth years, at various exhibitions, they began to show a model of a torpedo in an export version - UET-1E. Tactical and technical characteristics were also disclosed. Later, various reports appeared about testing and starting production. The data on the future release of weapons and their deployment on carriers were clarified.
The Ichthyosaurus project had several main tasks. First of all, the project should have used a modern component base. Due to this, it was necessary to improve the technical and operational characteristics. In particular, it was necessary to increase the speed and range, as well as to increase the reliability of the homing system.
UET-1 is made in caliber 533 mm and has a design traditional for electric torpedoes. As reported, the product has a high-capacity battery on board that provides power to the brushless motor. The power plant is built without the use of a gearbox and is characterized by high efficiency.
The submarine "Magadan" is the newest representative of project 636.3 in the Navy. Photo by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
For the export Ichthyosaurus, a maximum speed of 50 knots is declared. Travel range - 20 km; depth - up to 1 km. The possibility of changing the speed when moving towards the target was mentioned. The characteristics of the base sample for a domestic customer may be at the same level or better.
The UET-1 torpedo received a modern acoustic guidance system with enhanced performance. The detection range of underwater and surface targets has been increased. Like previous domestic torpedoes, the Ichthyosaurus can detect both targets and their wake, followed by aiming at it.
Executed and planned
Issues of this kind have not been officially disclosed, but there is reason to believe that the implementation of the current contract for 73 torpedoes from 2018 is close to completion. Direct deliveries of various batches of weapons were scheduled for 2019-23, and this period crossed the equator. Moreover, the penultimate year of the order fulfillment has come - which gives reason for optimism.
Known data and alleged events show that there is a new reason for optimism in the field of torpedo construction. One of the newest torpedoes has been successfully brought to the series, is supplied to the fleet and, apparently, is being mastered and used in training events. At the same time, production has reached the planned pace and the customer, as promised earlier, is considering the possibility of increasing production volumes.
The first results of such processes are already known, and their prospects are obvious. Over the next few years, the Russian Navy will receive a number of new-built submarines of various projects, and they will not be left without modern torpedo and missile weapons. Appropriate measures are being planned and taken now.
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