18:31 20.12.2017
The first Husky-class submarine is planned to
be completed by 2030. The fifth-generation sub will join Russia's fleet of
nuclear-powered submarines, many of which are currently being modernized,
including with advanced cruise missiles.
As Russia continues to build its new Yasen-class
nuclear submarines and keeps modernizing the Soviet-era Shchuka-class
submarines, the Russia Navy has set its sights on a fifth-generation
multipurpose sub, which is already in development.
The project is known under the name "Husky"
and is planned to replace the Shchuka- and Yasen-class
submarines.
On Wednesday, the commander of the Russian Navy,
Adm. Vladimir Korolev, reviewed the preliminary designed of a
fifth-generation submarine, which was developed by St. Petersburg Marine
Design Bureau "Malachite."
The research and development stage
of the project is scheduled to be completed next year. The first
Husky-class submarine will be laid down in 2023-2024 and will be completed
by 2030, Deputy Navy Commander Vice Adm. Viktor Bursuk told Sputnik
in July.
The construction will be funded under the 2018-2025
State Armaments Program, adopted in 2015 and defining massive military
hardware upgrades, with the plan of 70 percent rearmament
by 2020.
Open sources provide very few details on the
project, but what is known already suggests that it will be a breakthrough
in scientific and technological terms.
Hypersonic Arsenal
According to information from open sources, the
main feature of the new Russian submarine will be armed with the
3M22 Zircon hypersonic anti-ship missile, which is already
undergoing tests.
The specifications of the missile are also kept
secret. It is known that the Zircon will be able to reach speeds
of Mach 5-10 (5-10 times faster than the speed of sound) and hit
a target at a distance of 300-500 kilometers. Currently, the Russian
Navy has in service anti-ship missiles with a maximum speed
of Mach 2-2.5.
"The treats are getting more obvious and
more dangerous now. They need to be responded," Adm. Vladimir Komoedov,
former commander of the Black Sea Fleet, told RIA
Novosti. "I advocate for a multipurpose submarine
with maximum versatility. It should have reliable target detections and
weapons systems. In addition, it should be able to receive target
information from aviation and from space."
According to Western and Russian experts, the
deployment of Zircon missiles will weaken the positions of the United
States’ naval force, which is based on aircraft- carrier striking groups.
The National Interest’s observer Sebastien Roblin suggested that the new missile would be more dangerous
for the US Navy than the Soviet-made Granit missiles (NATO reporting
name Shipwreck).
According to Komoedov, the Russian Navy needs new
multipurpose submarines that would be armed with a hypersonic anti-ship
missile, instead of the Kalibr subsonic cruise missile.
Stealth, Equipped With Robots
The key difference between the Husky-class and the
submarines of previous generations is its extremely low level
of noise. According to Bursuk, the new submarine will be
at least twice as silent as the Yasen- and Shchuka-class.
The construction of the Husky-class will involve
light and durable composite materials. The submarine will be equipped
with advanced electronic systems and will have automatic control and
weapons systems. As a result, the submarine will be relatively compact and will
be capable of simultaneously tracking a large number of targets.
Oleg Vlasov, head of the robotics sector of the
Malakhit Marine Engineering Bureau, said that the Husky-class submarine would
would be equipped with robotic
systems to be used for carrying out tasks
for military and civilian purposes.
"I can say that there will be robotics
on the Husky, which will work in two environments. The development is
already underway, now that the forms are laid out, they will be
specified," Vlasov told Sputnik.
Russia's Fleet of Nuclear Submarines
The construction of fifth-generation nuclear-powered
submarines will begin after the commission of seven Yasen-class
(project 885) submarines, which are planned to join the Russian Navy
by 2023. The flagship, the Severodvinks, is already in service.
The second submarine, the Kazan, has been floated
out and is undergoing sea trials, after which it will join the
military in 2018. It will be armed with 533-mm torpedoes, Kalibr-PL
cruise missiles and P-800 Oniks missiles.
"A global war today is unlikely,
but the risk of regional conflicts is high. Taking this
into account, submarines armed with cruise missiles will be
tremendously important because they can attack both surface and ground targets,"
Adm. Vyacheslav Popov, former commander of the Northern Fleet, told RIA
Novosti.
The Russian Naval Doctrine envisages that such submarines
will be the core of the multipurpose submarine force until the
Husky-class submarines enter service.
According to Popov, today the most important
capability of a naval force is versatility.
According to the Military Balance report by The International
Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), the Russian multipurpose submarine
force currently includes one Yasen-class submarine, 11 Shchuka-class
submarines, five Antey-class subs, two Kondor submarines (project 945A) and
three project 671RTM (Shchuka-class, second generation) submarines.
Currently, several project 971 submarines are undergoing
modernization, including being equipped with Kalibr-PL
missiles. By 2025, four Antey submarines will be upgraded with Kalibr
and Oniks missiles.
Original post: sputniknews.com
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