Putin's Underwater Surprise
Recently, in the West, anti-Russian militaristic hysteria has been growing like an avalanche. Finding that instead of the pliable liberal "Russia" in the vastness of Eurasia, it suddenly revived historical, traditional, imperial Russia, enraged and offended by decades of humiliation and insults from the arrogant and deceitful western Sodom, the "free" European and American media are filled with panicky headlines about Moscow's "military preparations". As soon as we, the Russians, launch a rocket from the Plesetsk cosmodrome or from a submarine missile carrier in the Barents Sea, or send our air missile carriers on patrol along the European borders, this immediately becomes a pretext for countless accusations of "militarism and imperialism", "nuclear rattling weapons"," Intimidation of the world community ", etc. stupid things
Meanwhile, many really important newsthat are directly related to the change in the military-strategic balance of power in Eurasia, pass by the attention of the mass reader. Here is one such news.
13 in October 2014, the RIA Novosti news agency, citing a source in the Russian military-industrial complex, said: “Russia has decided to mass-produce air-independent power plants (VNEU) to equip future submarines of the 677 Lada project. The tests of the prototype VNEU on the stand were completed successfully. The following tests will be carried out directly on the boat. "
This message went almost unnoticed, even among military observers no one paid much attention to it. But in vain! For this decision marks a real revolution in the field of military submarine building.
The advantages and disadvantages of underwater hunters.
Today, all submarines by type of power plants are divided into two types: submarines with a nuclear power plant (nuclear reactor) and diesel-electric submarines, moving in the surface position with the help of a diesel engine, and in the underwater one - using electric motors that draw energy from batteries.
Nuclear submarines appeared in the Soviet Navy at the end of the 50s of the last century. The first nuclear submarine of the 627th project under the name "Lenin Komsomol" was commissioned in 1957. From that moment to this day, submarines make up the main striking force of our fleetBeing carriers of a wide range of the most formidable weapons - from strategic intercontinental missiles and tactical nuclear torpedoes to high-precision long-range cruise missiles, which today form the basis of the Russian strategic non-nuclear deterrence forces.
Atomic submarines have a number of outstanding advantages: an almost unlimited time to stay under water, high underwater speed and a great depth of immersion, the ability to carry a huge amount of the most diverse weapons and equipment. The high power capacity achieved by the enormous power of a nuclear power plant makes it possible to build very large displacement boats and place not only a lot of weapons on them, but also highly efficient sonar complexes, communications, electronic intelligence and navigation.
But, alas, the main advantage of a nuclear power plant, its power, is at the same time the source of the main drawback inherent in nuclear submarines. This drawback is a big noise. The presence of an atomic reactor onboard a nuclear submarine (and sometimes two) with the whole complex of related mechanisms: turbines, generators, pumps, refrigeration units, fans, etc. - inevitably generates a huge amount of different-frequency oscillations and vibrations and requires the most complex technologies to reduce the level of noise, which is the main unmasking factor of any submarine.
But the diesel-electric submarine under the water is almost silent. Electric motors powered by rechargeable batteries do not require turbines and other high-noise equipment. Therefore, diesel-electric submarines sneak into the ocean depths, almost without making noise, like dangerous predatory fish tracking stray-looking prey.
However, this fish may be under water for a relatively short time - just a few days. Moreover, it moves in the ocean depth very slowly, saving energy, which is simply insignificant compared to atomic “sharks”. And the lack of energy, in turn, imposes serious restrictions on displacement, armament and other key characteristics of diesel-electric submarines.
In fact, these boats are not completely "underwater", they can rather be called "diving", since they spend most of their time on the deployment routes on the surface, and in the areas of combat patrols they are forced to surface regularly and turn on the diesel engine to recharge the batteries ... So, for example, the newest Russian diesel-electric submarine of project 636.3 has an underwater range of only 400 miles. And it moves under water mainly in an economy drive at a speed of 3 knots, that is, 5,4 km / h. Therefore, such a boat cannot pursue its prey under water. She is forced to rely on intelligence data, which must lead her to a given point on the route of deployment of enemy ships. Hence the main method of combat use of diesel-electric submarines - the so-called. "Veil", i.e. the deployment of submarines in a line perpendicular to the course of the probable movement of the target, at certain intervals from each other. At the same time, the entire group of submarines participating in it is controlled from an external command post, which creates additional unmasking factors and reduces the combat stability and effectiveness of the submarine grouping.
If we also take into account that the depth of the layered anti-submarine defense of the modern American aircraft carrier strike group is over 300 miles (i.e., more than 550 km), it becomes clear how difficult it is for our diesel-electric submarines to resist such an enemy. Therefore, it is not surprising that the cherished dream of all submariners is the creation of a submarine with a fundamentally new power plant, which will combine the advantages of nuclear and diesel-electric submarines: power and stealth, greater autonomy of diving and low noise ...
The tale has come true.
So: the Russian submarines of the 677 project "Lada" with an air-independent power plant are precisely the most serious breakthrough in this direction, leading the submarine fleet of Russia to fundamentally new frontiers.
"Lada" are small, their displacement is almost two times less than that of the famous "Varshavyanka". But the complex of its weapons is very serious and unusually large. In addition to the traditional mine and torpedo armament of diesel-electric submarines (6 torpedo tubes 533-mm, 18 torpedoes or mines), the 667th project is the world's first non-nuclear submarine equipped with specialized launchers for cruise missiles (10 vertical launchers in the middle of the hull). Moreover, these missile launchers can be both operational-tactical, strike-anti-ship, and long-range missiles designed to destroy strategic targets deep in the enemy's territory (see more about them in my previous article).
But the most important feature of the new Russian submarines is the VNEU, an air-independent power plant. Without going into details of interest to specialists, we note that the presence of the VNEU will allow Lada to be submerged for up to 25 days, that is, almost 10 times longer than their famous “elder sisters” - “Varshavyanka” of the 636.3 project! At the same time, the noise of “Lada” will be even less than that of the famous Warsaw “black hole”, which the Americans called so because it is almost impossible to detect.
NATO countries have long been trying to equip their submarines with such VNEU. Germany and Sweden act as “legislators” of fashion in this area.
German shipbuilders have been building small submarines of project 90 \ 212, equipped with a hybrid power plant, since the end of the 214s. It includes a diesel engine for surface running and recharging batteries, silver-zinc batteries themselves and VNEU for economical underwater running based on fuel cells, including tanks with cryogenic oxygen and containers with metal hydride (a special metal alloy combined with hydrogen). Equipping the boat with such an anaerobic installation allowed the Germans to increase the time spent in the submerged position up to 20 days. And now German "babies" with VNEU of various modifications are in service with Germany, Italy, Portugal, Turkey, Israel, Korea and several other countries.
The Swedish concern Kockums Submarin Systems, in turn, at the end of the last century began the construction of Gotland class submarines with a VNEU based on the so-called. "Stirling engine". When used, these boats can also be under water without recharging the batteries for up to 20 days. And now the submarine with Stirling engines is not only in the Scandinavian countries, but also in Australia, Japan, Singapore and Thailand.
But neither the German nor the Swedish submarines, which are small, in fact, coastal boats, do not go to any comparison with the Russian "Lads" - neither in their tactical and technical characteristics, nor in the diversity and power of weapons. Our submarines of the 667 project in all respects are in this class unique in quality ships of the new generation!
Rubin Central Design Bureau, the main developer of submarines in Russia, designed the Lada so that it is capable of launching volley torpedo-missile strikes at sea and stationary ground targets from both torpedo tubes and specialized vertical rocket mines. Due to the unique hydroacoustic complex, our boat has a significantly increased target detection distance. It can dive on 300 m., Has a full submerged speed up to the 21 node, autonomy - 45 days. Vibration isolators, an all-mode rowing motor with permanent magnets, are used to reduce the noise of the boat. The hull of the boat is covered with material "Lightning", absorbing sonar signals.
About our boat's VNEU little is known yet. Just like the Germans, it will be based on an electrochemical generator. But it will be fundamentally different in that the hydrogen required for the operation of the VNEU will be obtained directly on board by processing the available diesel fuel. Therefore, the Russian VNEU will be much more economical than the German counterpart, which will increase the time of its continuous stay of the boat under water up to 25 days. At the same time, the Lada will cost substantially less than the German 212 \ 214 boats.
Until 2020, the Russian fleet expects to receive 14 units of such new non-nuclear 4-generation submarines.
Crusher balances.
In order for the reader to understand how substantially the new Russian submarines with the VNEU can change the balance of power between Russia and the United States, I will give just one example. “Four or six such submarines,” Vice President Admiral Viktor Patrushev said at the end of 2010, in an interview with RIA Novosti, “can completely cover such closed or semi-enclosed waters as the Black, Baltic and Caspian Seas. Their advantages are obvious to any naval specialist. ”
From myself I would add that the deployment in the Russian Navy of an additional two or three Lada units can fundamentally change the balance of forces not only in the Baltic, Caspian and Black Sea, but also in the North and in the Mediterranean, in the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean.
In the North, in the Barents Sea, such boats are able to securely cover the deployment routes of Russian submarine strategic rocket carriers from any encroachments by the US and NATO anti-submarine forces, which will significantly increase the combat stability of the naval components of our strategic nuclear forces.
Now our missile carriers carry out military service for the most part under the ice of the Arctic, where they are practically inaccessible to enemy influence. The Americans can detect, track and hit our submarine cruiser only at the stage of its transition to the area of combat patrol. And the Lada of the 667th project is ideally suited for counteracting the American nuclear submarines watching our “strategists”, because they hear them at distances much greater than the Americans are able to hear the “Lada”. In such circumstances, the defeat of the enemy submarine - either by "Lada" on their own, or by pointing anti-submarine forces at it aviation and surface ships - it becomes a matter of technology.
As for the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean, the presence in their waters of a sufficient number of submarines like the Lada practically nullifies American naval power there, the core of which is the carrier-based attack forces (AUG). Back in Soviet times, the “dizeluhi” of the 641B project managed to break through the anti-submarine defense of aircraft carriers and, as it happened, surfaced right under the noses of the stunned American admirals. And only a small supply of underwater travel, the absence of long-range missile weapons and the inability to remain submerged for more than 3 days gave the Americans a chance in this confrontation with Soviet submariners.
Today, provided that the Lada will indeed be able to remain under water for up to 25 days, its ammunition will include a powerful anti-ship missile system, similar to Caliber, and the submarine reconnaissance and targeting at AUG will be carried out using layered reconnaissance grouping, such a chance in the vaunted shtatovskih aircraft carriers will not be! And this means that a whole epoch of American “domination of the sea” will disappear into the past, Washington will in fact lose its main tool of “force projection” to remote regions and will finally lose its global geopolitical role.
- Konstantin Dushenov, director of the Agency for Analytical Information "Orthodox Russia"
- http://ruskline.ru/news_rl/2014/11/03/podvodnyj_syurpriz_putina/
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