The lead multi-purpose nuclear submarine (SSGN) of the 4th generation "Severodvinsk" pr. 885 of the "Yasen" type, armed with cruise missiles, will begin a state testing program at sea in November 2012. Based on the results of these tests, the commission will have to sign an act in December on the acceptance of the submarine into the Russian Navy. Currently, the Severodvinsk SSGN is undergoing factory sea trials, and at the same time, a scheduled shooting of the boat’s torpedo tubes took place at the Sevmash plant. To arm the new submarine, 3 Kalibr cruise missiles have already been manufactured in a version with a firing range of 2,500 km. The supersonic version of this missile with a conventional or nuclear warhead on the flight path to a ground or surface target changes the flight profile in course and altitude, while the flight speed of the missile warhead after its separation increases even more and approaches hypersonic, which makes it very scary.

Caliber cruise missiles are high-precision weapons that are intended, for the most part, to combat enemy aircraft carriers. In accordance with the contract signed by USC and the Russian Ministry of Defense within the framework of the State Armament Program until 2020, the Russian fleet should receive 7 Yasen-class SSGNs, while 6 of the submarines will be built according to the improved 885M project. The lead modernized boat of the series is the Kazan. At the same time, this boat will become the first 4th generation submarine to receive completely new technical equipment, which has no analogues in the domestic shipbuilding industry.

Unlike the 4th generation strategic missile carriers of the Borei project, the SSBN Yuri Dolgoruky and Alexander Nevsky, which are preparing to be accepted into the Russian fleet, the technical filling used for the first time on them is about 40%, the multi-purpose submarine Kazan » of the 885M project, all components, systems and mechanisms will be completely new, never used before. According to representatives of the defense industry, this is completely new, high-tech equipment that has no analogues in Soviet and modern Russian shipbuilding. In terms of its performance characteristics, the Kazan submarine should be comparable to the most high-tech and at the same time expensive submarine in the world - the American Seawolf-class multi-purpose submarine, while in terms of noise level and a number of other criteria it will even outperform its competitor.

The total cost of 7 Project 885 Yasen submarines exceeds 200 billion rubles. According to ITAR-TASS sources, one Project 885M submarine costs 1.5-2 times more than Project 955 Borei submarines.

Cruise missile "Caliber"

Description of Project 885 Yasen submarines

The USSR began work on the creation of 4th generation submarines simultaneously with the United States back in 1977. Initially, it was planned to create several types of boats: multi-purpose, anti-aircraft, anti-submarine. But later it was decided to limit ourselves to only a multi-purpose submarine, which would be capable of solving the widest possible range of tasks. The design of the submarine was carried out by the Malachite Design Bureau, which had extensive experience in creating successful multi-purpose submarines. The new Project 885 submarine received the code "Ash", according to NATO codification - "Granay". The laying of the lead ship of the Severodvinsk series took place on December 21, 1993 at Sevmash in the city of Severodvinsk. The construction of the boat was very slow due to very poor financing. On September 12, 2011, the lead boat K-329 “Severodvinsk” went to sea for the first time to conduct sea trials.

The main characteristics of the Project 885 submarine are: maximum length - 120 meters, width - 15 meters, draft - 10 meters. Total displacement – ​​11,800 tons. The highest underwater speed is 31 knots. The boat's crew is 90 people (32 officers). The boat is equipped with a pop-up rescue chamber that can accommodate the entire crew.

Project 885 submarines are built using a single-shaft design. The durable hull of the boats is made of steel. The nuclear power plant of these submarines belongs to the 4th generation reactors. The reactor power is 200 MW. The reactor is built according to an integrated layout scheme. The advantage of this solution is the localization of the primary coolant in a separate monoblock housing, as well as the absence of large diameter pipelines and pipes. This scheme involves the use of equipment that has very high reliability. According to some experts, the new reactors can serve for quite a long time without recharging. The service life of the new reactors is estimated at 25-30 years, that is, comparable to the lifespan of the submarine itself.

SSGNs of the "Yasen" type have a one-and-a-half-hull design with a light hull only in the bow of the boat, as well as with a superstructure in the area of ​​the missile silos. The submarine's durable steel hull is divided into 9 compartments. In the first compartment there is a central post with access to a durable wheelhouse - a pop-up rescue chamber, hardware equipment for the hydroacoustic complex and combat posts. Around the first compartment of the boat and forward of it there is a bow group of main ballast tanks (CBT, 5 tanks in total). The second compartment contains the breech parts of the torpedo tubes, as well as racks with ammunition. The drives for retractable devices and some other auxiliary equipment of the boat are also located here. In the third compartment of the boat, on 4 decks, there is general ship and various instrumentation equipment, such as diesel generators, pumps and converters, and refrigeration machines. The fourth compartment is allocated for residential and medical premises, as well as some auxiliary systems. Compartments 2 to 4 inclusive make up about 40% of the entire length of the submarine's durable hull and do not have a light hull, but only a light superstructure. Behind these compartments, the robust body receives a significant narrowing and a double-hull design. The fifth compartment of the submarine is the missile compartment. In the area of ​​this compartment there is a rapid immersion tank and a middle group of the Central City Hospital (4 tanks). The sixth compartment of the boat is the reactor compartment; around it there is a special surge tank, which is necessary to keep the boat in depth during missile firing. The seventh (turbine) compartment contains steam turbine equipment, autonomous turbogenerators, and other power equipment. Around this compartment there is a stern group of the Central City Hospital (5 tanks in total). The eighth compartment of the submarine is used to accommodate mechanical, general ship equipment; it also contains the aft hatch, behind which there is a tiller compartment with hydraulic drives for the stern empennage of the boat.

The entire bow of the Yasen-type submarine is dedicated to the placement of a large-sized spherical antenna of the hydroacoustic complex. Behind the radome of this antenna above the structural waterline are the bow horizontal rudders of the boat. The tail of the submarine is made according to the classic cruciform pattern. The submarine received a fairly long fencing of retractable devices in a “limousine” shape with an integrated pop-up rescue chamber.

The submarine's robust hull is made of low-magnetic steel (up to 48 mm thick). The boat hull is assembled using the block method using metal cable dampers, which are used instead of traditional rubber-cord pneumatic dampers. The ship's equipment is mounted in zonal blocks on special massive frames. A new version of the layout of the power plant units, as well as cooling systems, power supply, and auxiliary equipment made it possible to reduce the noise level of the boat by 10-15 dB.

The design of the boat uses vibration-absorbing layered beams, elements of air ducts and pipelines, and pillars, which reduce noise by 10-30 dB. All equipment is mounted on vibration-absorbing honeycomb frames made of composite materials. Moreover, each structural block is additionally covered with soundproofing panels. The PLA body itself is covered with a rubber anti-hydroacoustic coating, which reduces the noise of the boat and also reduces the reflection of sonar signals. Yasen also uses an active noise suppression system in the limit of discrete components with a frequency of 50-500 Hz. To reduce the noise of the boat at low speeds, only a propeller electric motor is used, while at the same time the main turbo-gear unit is connected through a coupling only at high-speed operating modes.

The Project 885 submarine is built using a single-shaft design and is equipped with a 7-bladed low-noise propeller with saber-shaped blades (with composite damping). The screw has a fixed pitch. The boat also has 4 folding thrusters and horizontal bow rudders with flaps, most likely retractable.

The main armament of SSNs are vertical launch cruise missiles. The submarine has 8 SM-346 launchers (4 per side) for 24 P-800 Oniks anti-ship missiles. It is also possible to use 3M14 "Caliber" and 3M54 "Biryuza" missiles. To interface various missile systems on board the submarine, a universal shipborne fire control system 3R-14P was created, which ensures the combat readiness of the submarine's missile system for launch from a cold state of the equipment within 4 minutes. Along with this, the ground-based equipment complex, which is intended for routine maintenance of missiles, was also unified.

In addition to cruise missiles, the boat is armed with various torpedoes. "Yasen" has 10 torpedo tubes (5 per side) of 533 mm caliber. Ammunition of torpedoes - 30 pieces: USET-80, "Physicist-1" (UGST), etc., as well as CRBD RK-55 "Granat" or "Turquoise" or anti-aircraft missile system "Vodopad", as well as mines. The boat's torpedo tubes are located in the central part of the hull behind the central post. On the submarine it is possible to install 533-mm disposable non-rechargeable PU hydroacoustic countermeasures of the REPS-324 “Barrier” type for the use of self-propelled hydroacoustic countermeasures (submarine simulators) MG-114 “Beryl” and MG-104 “Throw”.

Project 885 submarines are equipped with the Okrug combat information and control system, which combines real-time monitoring of information about the state of the ship, all combat systems, information from surveillance and target designation equipment. The operation of the BIUS is ensured using several on-board computers. "Okrug" can transmit and receive information from other ships using a secure underwater data transmission system.

Information sources:
-http://army.lv/ru/proekt-885/709/759
-http://www.submarinaa.narod.ru/885.html
-http://vpk-news.ru/articles/9273
-http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki

Foreign specialists and experts call this submarine “the most modern military weapon.” In their statement they are not far from the truth. Russian submarines of Project 885 “Ash” are an attempt by the Navy leadership to unify the combat composition of the submarine fleet.

Instead of several different types of boats built in the seventies and eighties (projects 705 (K) Lyra, 971 Shchuka-B and 949A Antey), and performing a wide range of tasks, the fleet over the next ten years will be equipped with ultra-modern multi-purpose submarines fourth generation missile carriers (nuclear submarine "Yasen-M" and diesel - project "Varshavyanka").

History of the creation of the Project 885 Yasen nuclear submarine

Multipurpose nuclear submarine Yasen, the technical characteristics of which are designed to be equipped with cruise missiles on board - project nuclear submarine 885M (08851) , an improved version of the lead submarine of the Yasen nuclear submarine project (according to NATO codification - “Graney”, “Yasen”).

The nuclear submarine 885M is an improved version of the Yasen nuclear submarine project.

According to the strategic plans of the leadership of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation until 2020, 7 units should be included in the Navy. Yasen-class submarines (project 885) should gradually replace multi-purpose boats of earlier projects. The first nuclear submarine of Project 885 (K560 Severodvinsk) was built according to the original design. The remaining boats are being built according to Project 885M.

The history of the project dates back to 1977. The military leadership of the USSR developed the concept of replacing a large number of different types of multi-purpose diesel and nuclear submarines of the second and third generations with an improved fourth generation boat.

The multi-purpose submarine was supposed to perform various strategic and tactical missions anywhere in the World Ocean. Russia's new Yasen submarines were supposed to be an adequate response to the development by the US military-industrial complex of the latest multi-purpose submarine classes in the last quarter of the twentieth century « Seawolf" and "Virginia".

1977 - The Leningrad closed design bureau of the submarine fleet (the future St. Petersburg Marine Engineering Bureau "Malachite") receives the task of designing a fourth-generation multi-purpose nuclear submarine with a minimum noise level, armed with cruise missiles and torpedoes.

1988 - in the specialized magazine “Gangut” published in Leningrad, a photograph, information about the parameters, a description of the performance characteristics and features of the fourth generation submarine, designed under the code 885 “Ash”, appears for the first time. The author of the article is Deputy Chief Designer of the Malachite MBM A.M. Antonov.

1993 - the first boat of Project 885 was laid down at the Sevmash plant. It received the code K-560 and the name of the nuclear submarine of Project 885 Yasen “Severodvinsk”.

1996 - work on building the boat has been stopped indefinitely due to lack of funding.

2004 - construction of the lead boat of Project 885 has been resumed.

2009 - the second boat of the project was laid down. It was decided to carry out construction according to the modernized project 08851 “Yasen-M”. The ship received the code K-561 and the name “Kazan”.

24.06.2010 - the multi-purpose nuclear submarine "Severodvinsk" was launched.

26.07.2013 - the third nuclear submarine of the Yasen-M project, K-573 Novosibirsk, was laid down.

12.09.2011 - start of mooring tests of K-560. The refinement of the main parameters and a set of factory tests continued for three years.

05.11.2013 - the beginning of state tests of the SSGN Severodvinsk.

30.12.2013 - the state commission signed an act of acceptance of the boat.

17.06.2014 - the submarine K-560 was enlisted in the Navy of the Russian Federation.

27.07.2014 - the fourth nuclear submarine "Krasnoyarsk" of project 885 Yasen - K-571 was laid down.

19.03.2015 - the fifth Yasen-class nuclear submarine, K-564 Arkhangelsk, was laid down.

29.07.2016 - the sixth boat of the project (“Perm”) was laid down.

31.03.2017 - the boat K561 “Kazan” was solemnly launched.

28.07.2017 - the seventh boat of the project, named “Ulyanovsk”, was laid down.

A series of seven boats of Project 08851 “Yasen-M” should be fully operational in the Russian Navy by 2023.

Tactical and technical characteristics of Yasen-M submarines

Type of submarine	Nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine (SSG)
Project nomenclature	08851 “Yasen-M” (according to NATO codification - “Graney”, “Yasen”)
Place of construction	Severodvinsk
Travel speed, knots: surface underwater
Immersion depth, m: ultimate
Autonomy	100 days
Crew, people	90
Displacement, t.: surface underwater
Case dimensions, m.: draft according to water line
Power point	Single-shaft with nuclear power plant, pressurized water reactor type OK-650V

Submarine design

The unique characteristics of the Yasen-M nuclear submarine are the result of the achievements of Russian scientists in the field of materials science, metallurgy, welding, instrument engineering and other sciences. The main goal of a huge team of scientists was to achieve critically low visibility indicators of the boat over the entire range of speeds and depths of the World Ocean.

The main goal is minimal visibility indicators.

This was achieved through the use of vibration-absorbing materials and a fundamentally new noise reduction system in the design of the boat. The Project 885 submarine, in which frames and blocks for placing equipment inside a durable hull are covered with soundproof panels, met the requirements of the Russian Ministry of Defense. The designers of hydroacoustic equipment and steering have gone far ahead. The silent characteristics of the nuclear submarine Yasen ensured the secretive navigation of the Project 885 submarine.

Features of the Russian Yasen class ship

Boat hull

“Ash” is a fundamentally new design solution by Russian designers. American designers have long abandoned the two-hull system. They have long placed ballast tanks inside a pressure hull. Russian engineers made a compromise decision without completely abandoning the light hull, and thanks to them the Yasen submarine was created, the characteristics of which are superior to their foreign counterparts.

The main hull is located in the bow of the boat and is connected to the superstructure in the area of ​​the missile silos. The hulls of all multi-purpose submarines (nuclear and diesel) designed at the Malachite MBM have an easily distinguishable teardrop hull with graceful contours.

• case material - high-strength low-magnetic steel. Its use made it possible to dive the boat to a maximum depth of 600 m;
• anti-noise coating of the body - noise-absorbing rubber.

Crew rescue system: the boat is equipped with one rescue chamber (VSK). It can accommodate the entire crew, which numbers up to 93 people.

Control system

On the submarines of the Yasen and Yasen-M type, the designers installed the Okrug combat information and control system (CIUS). Her tasks include:

• collecting information about the state of control and life support systems;
• analysis of the combat situation in the submarine patrol area;
• target designation of weapon systems in the event of receiving an order to launch missiles or torpedoes;
• exchange of information with other submarines via the underwater sound communication system.

Layout of the Yasen submarine

Another important element of boat control is the radioactivity level monitoring system (RLMS). The structure of the system is three-level. With its help, the command of a submarine ship can successfully perform the following tasks:

• assessment of the level of radioactive radiation in the reactor area;
• measurement of radioactive background in other compartments;
• implementation of constant remote monitoring of the radiation-chemical situation on the ship;
• prevention of emergency situations associated with abnormal operation of a nuclear power plant.

The system includes:

• detectors;
• Power supplies;
• air filters.

The most important part of the successful operation of the IMS MN is automated self-diagnosis. Each task performed by the system ends with the issuance of recommendations for the fastest elimination of an emergency situation.

Powerplant and engine

The Yasen project SSGN power plant includes:

• water jet propulsion;
• electric propulsion motor (reduces the noise of the boat when moving at low and ultra-low speeds);
• single-shaft main turbo-gear unit (GTZA), operating when driving at high speeds;
• nuclear power plant – one pressurized water nuclear reactor OK-650V. Unlike previous options, the coolant pipelines are located inside the reactor vessel.

at this speed the power plant and engine can move silently

A distinctive feature of the power plant is the high level of natural coolant circulation inside the primary circuit. This allows you to move almost silently at speeds of up to 25 knots without turning on the main source of noise - circulation pumps.

For a significant part of the underwater run, the turbine is rotated by a quiet GTZA, but only by a generator from which the electric motor operates. A new word in boat design is the use of silent water-jet propulsors. The first Russian boat on which the conditions for using water cannons to ensure propulsion were tested was the diesel Varshavyanka B-781 (project 877B).

Steering

A low-noise propeller consisting of seven saber-shaped blades is attached to the boat's shaft. The steering is cross-shaped. The horizontal rudders of the boat are attached to the hull directly behind the nose fairing of the sonar antenna.

Hydroacoustics

In the bow of the boat, the designers placed a complex of hydroacoustic equipment. The overall spherical antenna "Amphora" is the basis of the unique State Joint Stock Company "Irtysh". Due to the large size of the antenna, it was not possible to place torpedo tubes in the first compartment. A large number of high sensitivity hydrophones are mounted on the antenna.

"Amphora"

this antenna is the basis of the Irtysh SJSC installed on the Yasen submarines

In addition to Amphora, the State Joint Stock Company includes:

• airborne conformal hydroacoustic antennas;
• towed low frequency passive antenna. It extends beyond the stern of the boat through the vertical part of the rudder. A large number of hydrophones are attached to several hundred meters of special cable.

In terms of the level of acoustic stealth, the boats of the Yasen project should be as close as possible to the best American multi-purpose submarines Virginia and Seawolf. This is achievable through the use of a special system for reducing the boat’s own noise when installing equipment.

Compartments

There are nine compartments inside the durable case:

1. The first is the central post. Through this compartment, the crew is rescued in the VSK in an emergency. Between the durable and light hulls of the first compartment there are main ballast tanks (CBT).
2. The second is a torpedo. It houses ten torpedo tubes (five on each side) and racks with torpedoes at an angle to the boat’s hull. Electric drives for retractable devices (antennas and periscopes) are installed in the compartment.
3. The third compartment is the location of the ship's control systems and various equipment. The compartment is divided into four decks.
4. The fourth compartment contains crew quarters and officer cabins., medical station, galley.
5. The fifth compartment is the location of the missile silos. In addition, it houses rapid submersion tanks (RPT).
6. Sixth compartment - reactor. It also houses a special surge tank (TSKPI). Its purpose is to keep the boat at the required depth after the missiles are launched.
7. The seventh compartment is the location of the aft group of tanks, GTZA and other power equipment.
8. The eighth compartment houses general ship and emergency equipment.
9. The ninth compartment of the boat is the tiller compartment. It uses hydraulic drives to control vertical and horizontal rudders.

Armament of the submarine of the Yasen project

Yasen submarines are equipped with the latest set of powerful torpedo and missile weapons. Before going to sea to carry out combat missions, the arsenal can be loaded with sea-based missiles of all available classes without exception.

"Yasen" is equipped with a set of powerful torpedo and missile weapons.

A fundamentally new layout of torpedo armament has been implemented. On all multi-purpose boats previously designed by the Malachite bureau, torpedo tubes were located according to the traditional layout. It was believed that the onboard arrangement of torpedo compartments was ineffective due to the extremely low (15-17 knots) speed of the ship during missile firing.

In the 885s, the designers followed the path of the Americans and placed the torpedo compartment on both sides of the boat in the area of ​​the retractable device fence; the 533 mm devices are located at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the boat.

The Yasen torpedo tubes can fire USET-80 torpedoes and Caliber anti-ship missiles. Some torpedo tubes for tactical purposes can be replaced with more powerful ones - 650 mm.

The basis of the missile armament of Project 855 and 855M boats was a joint Russian-Indian development - the BrahMos operational-tactical complex. The missile compartment (8 shafts, 4 on each side) is located in the central part of the boat’s durable hull. 3M55 Onyx missiles can be loaded into the silo in three units at a time.

Refinement of armament and ammunition of the submarine missile cruisers of the Yasen-M project already laid down at Sevmash and under construction is being carried out in the following areas:

• use of 3K22 Zircon hypersonic missiles;
• use of homing thermal torpedoes “Physicist” and “Case”;
• the use of air-to-ground strategic cruise missiles with conventional (X-101) or special (X-102) warheads.

Modifications of the SSGN project "Ash"

The Yasen project has only two modifications. According to the original drawings (885), one boat was built - K-560 "Severodvinsk". All other combat units are built in accordance with the improved Project 885M.

Cipher project	Board No.and titleSSGN	Features of the modification
885 "Ash"	K-560 "Severodvinsk"	Project 885 boats have two fundamental differences from submarine warships of previous classes (regardless of their purpose and performance characteristics): A one-and-a-half-hull design is used with the main ballast tanks partially located inside a durable hull. Due to the large size of the new Irtysh-Amphora sonar, the torpedo compartment is divided into two parts and located on the sides of the boat. Torpedo tubes are installed at an angle to the axis of the boat
885M "Ash-M"	K-573 "Novosibirsk" K-571 "Krasnoyarsk" K-564 "Arkhangelsk" K-... "Perm" K-…"Ulyanovsk"	The main differences between Project 885M submarines and the lead SSGN Severodvinsk: optimization of the design of the hull contours; reduction of self-noise levels; installation of completely new on-board equipment produced by enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex and never previously used anywhere The newest units are being built taking into account the possible use of the promising Ajax SJSC, the latest Russian Zircon hypersonic ballistic missile systems, X-101 strategic missiles, and Futlyar and Physicist homing torpedoes.

Cost of SSGN "Ash"

Boats of the Yasen-M project are expected to have quite significant differences in the amount of expenditure for construction work. Despite the fact that they are built according to the same project, each subsequent submarine is different from all previous ones. Designers and engineers are constantly looking to improve the tactical and technical characteristics of ships. First of all, this concerns:

• avionics;
• combat control information system;
• main power plant;
• weapons.

The cost of the lead boat of the Yasen project (K560 Severodvinsk) is 47 billion rubles. The K-561 “Kazan” (project “Yasen-M”) has comparable consumables figures. But it has more advanced anti-noise equipment and different body contours.

The military department and intelligence are constantly working on the problem of leaking classified technical information. This was the reason for complete import substitution during the construction of the Yasen-M SSGN. Absolutely all materials, components and equipment are made in Russia.

The cost of subsequent boats of the project should be consistently reduced due to the improvement of the technological construction cycle and the use of more advanced technologies and new developments. Similar trends can be observed in the construction of direct competitors.

The approximate cost of American multi-purpose submarine cruisers has also dropped by almost half over ten years:

• Seawolf class nuclear submarine - $4.7 billion;
• Virginia class nuclear submarine - $2.7 billion.

Advantages and disadvantages of multi-purpose boats of the Yasen project

The main opponents of the Yasen submarines will be boats of three classes:

• "Seawolf" (USA);
• "Virginia" (USA);
• "Barracuda" (France).

Russian missile carriers are noticeably larger than their opponents in terms of displacement and have the largest number of torpedo tubes. This advantage increases many times over given the fact that a regular 533 mm assault rifle can be used both for launching torpedoes of various classes and for missile firing.

During the Syrian conflict, surface ships of the Caspian Flotilla fired salvos of Kalibr cruise missiles at targets over a distance of over one and a half thousand kilometers.

"Yasen-M" are equipped with "Caliber" design and development equipment for firing under water.

The prospect of using Zircon hypersonic missiles makes Yasen-M by far the most powerful boat in the class of multi-purpose nuclear missile submarines. With the advent of the latest types of missile weapons on board, Russian boats are becoming even more formidable weapons. To this it is necessary to add a critically low noise level while driving.

The missile carrier can pass through the SOSUS global tracking system undetected and carry out assigned tactical and strategic missions. Moreover, being at a fairly large distance from the means of detecting and neutralizing a potential enemy.

Parameter	"Seawolf" (USA)	885 "Ash" (RF)	"Vird-zhiniya" (USA"	"Barracuda" (France)
Time frame for series construction	1989-2004	1993 - present	1999 - present	2007-present
Number of units in the fact/plan series	3	1/7	15/30	0/6
Displacement, above/below, t	7460	8600	7080	4755
Number of torpedo tubes	8	10	4	4
Number of launchers	—	8	12	—

The main disadvantage of the Ashes is their small number compared to the fleet of a potential enemy. The US Navy currently has 18 boats of this class. In the future, another 15 Virginia-class multipurpose submarines will be commissioned. The number of multi-purpose nuclear submarines of the Yasen-M project in the Russian Navy is limited to 8 units.

The Yasen submarine (project 885) is the most modern and most expensive Russian nuclear-powered multi-purpose submarine of the fourth generation. So far, only one submarine of this series has been launched - in 2019, the lead ship of the Severodvinsk project joined the Northern Fleet.

Today, there are five more Project 885 submarines on the Sevmash stocks: Kazan, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Arkhangelsk and Perm. All of them will be built according to an improved design - 885M.

The development of this project was carried out by the designers of the Malachite SPMBM.

Project 885 is the Russian response to the American nuclear submarines SeaWolf and Virginia. Initially, it was planned to build 30 Yasen submarines; currently the Russian Navy expects to receive 7 ships of this project by 2020.

The Yasen nuclear submarine is one of the most secret projects of the Russian military-industrial complex: any filming in the workshops of the Northern Engineering Enterprise, where the ships are assembled, is strictly prohibited. And this is not surprising: “Ash” is called the most advanced project of Russian military shipbuilding. For example, if in the latest fourth-generation submarine missile carriers of the Borei type (Project 955) the equipment used for the first time is approximately 40%, then in the Kazan nuclear submarine almost all systems, components and mechanisms have never been used anywhere before.

In addition, Project 885 submarines are called the most expensive ships of the Russian Navy. There is information that the cost of the first of the Yasen series of submarines is 47 billion rubles (2015). Although, such amounts are quite comparable to what a potential enemy spends on the submarine fleet: the price of one American Sea Wolf is approximately $4.4 billion.

Project 885 submarines are the quintessence of all the experience that the domestic military-industrial complex has gained over half a century of creating and operating nuclear submarines.

History of creation

Since the first nuclear-powered submarine, the Nautilus, went to sea in 1955, submarine shipbuilding has become a major area of ​​competition between the United States and the Soviet Union. The installation of a nuclear reactor on a submarine increased the combat characteristics of this type of ship so much that they turned into real “masters of the oceans.” In the USSR, submarines became the main force of the navy for many decades.

The importance of nuclear submarines increased even more after they were equipped with ballistic missiles. After that, they became part of the nuclear triad, and its most dangerous component.

The exact coordinates of all silo launchers of intercontinental ballistic missiles have long been known; interceptors and air defense systems make strategic bombers an ineffective means of delivering nuclear weapons, but try to detect a submarine armed with ballistic missiles in the vast expanses of the World Ocean. It’s not for nothing that nuclear submarines are called “city killers.”

The development of the nuclear submarine fleet in the USA and the USSR followed slightly different paths. In the United States, Admiral Human Rickover is considered the “father of the nuclear fleet.” This man strictly controlled all stages of the design and construction of submarines, harshly rejecting all parallel projects that he considered unpromising and unnecessary. The result of this policy was a simple, harmonious and unified line of development of the American submarine fleet and, as a result, a small number of types of submarines that are in service with the US Navy.

In the Soviet Union the situation was the opposite. There were three design bureaus that were involved in the design of nuclear submarines: Malachite and Rubin (Leningrad) and Gorky’s Lazurit. These design bureaus competed with each other and proposed various projects for strategic and multi-purpose submarines to the country's leadership, which ultimately led to the use of a large number of different types and modifications of submarines by the USSR Navy. This greatly complicated their operation and maintenance. And of course, it made them many times more expensive.

In the mid-70s, the USSR Navy received several third-generation nuclear submarines at once. Soviet designers finally managed to get closer to American submarines in terms of stealth characteristics (most important for a combat submarine).

In 1977, work began on creating the appearance of the next, fourth generation submarine. All three design bureaus received the task of designing a new ship. "Rubin" worked on a submarine with anti-ship cruise missiles, "Lazurit" - on a specialized anti-submarine nuclear submarine, and the designers of the Malachite Design Bureau began developing a multi-purpose submarine, which eventually received the name "Ash".

However, later the military made a truly revolutionary decision: to combine all three projects into one and create the first domestic multi-purpose submarine. Its main reason was the constant increase in the cost of submarines from generation to generation. The “Malachite” “Ash” was chosen as the basic project for creating a new ship.

The designers were given a difficult task, so the timing of the design work was delayed. They were completed only by the beginning of the 90s, but at that time the possibility of building a new revolutionary ship was called into question.

Despite all the economic difficulties, the new submarine was solemnly laid down at Sevmashzavod on December 21, 1993. It is symbolic, but the Severodvinsk nuclear submarine is the first warship laid down in modern Russia.

The launch of this boat was planned for 1996, but in reality everything turned out completely differently. The first "Ash" became a long-term construction project. Due to lack of funding, work on the submarine was completely stopped in 1996. At the beginning of the 2000s, when attention was paid to the project again, it turned out that many elements of its equipment were already obsolete, so the project had to be seriously adjusted. In addition, difficulties arose with old suppliers, who now found themselves in other states, or even simply ceased to exist.

Only in 2004 did work continue on the modified project. On June 24, 2010, the boat was finally launched. The following year, she went to sea for factory tests, which, together with modifications, took three years. At the same time, work and testing of the Onyx and Caliber cruise missiles, the main weapons of the future warship, were underway. Only on July 17, 2014, the nuclear submarine Severodvinsk was accepted into the Northern Fleet.

It took more than twenty years to build the first Project 885 ship.

The second submarine of this project was laid down on July 24, 2009, and was named Kazan. The second and subsequent ships of the project will be built according to the modernized Yasen-M project. They will differ from the basic one by more advanced equipment, a modified shape of the ship's hull contours and an even greater reduction in noise level. In addition, the second and all subsequent Project 885 boats will be built exclusively by Russian enterprises. It was decided to refuse suppliers from the former Soviet republics.

On July 26, 2013, the third boat of the project, Novosibirsk, was laid down. It is planned to be commissioned in 2019.

Description of design

As mentioned above, Project 885 “Ash” is one of the most secret in the Russian military-industrial complex. For a long time, this served as the reason for numerous guesses and very bizarre fantasies regarding the new ship. For the first time, images of this submarine appeared in the Gangut magazine in 1998. However, even today there is little accurate information about the equipment installed on the new submarine, although its main characteristics are known.

Project 885 “Ash” inherited many of the signature features of previous submarines designed at the Malachite Design Bureau: a streamlined teardrop-shaped hull and a characteristic ship’s wheelhouse fencing. However, the internal layout of the submarine was in many ways an exception to the traditions of Soviet submarine shipbuilding.

Most Soviet nuclear submarines had a double-hull design. That is, they had a durable body, which was located inside the lung, and ballast tanks were located between them. The naval leadership insisted on this design, believing that submarines built according to this design have a greater buoyancy reserve.

However, such a submarine design also has serious drawbacks: the double-hull design negatively affects the stealth of the nuclear submarine. In this case, the lightweight hull plays the role of a kind of resonator and significantly increases the noise of the submarine in the low-frequency range. It is for this reason that the Americans long ago abandoned such a scheme and built their submarines with one hull, placing ballast tanks directly in it.

Project 885 Yasen nuclear submarines have a compromise one-and-a-half-hull design: a lightweight hull covers a strong one only in the bow of the ship and above the superstructure in the area of ​​the missile silos.

The boat is made according to a single-shaft design; the submarine's hull is made of high-strength low-magnetic steel. Project 885 Yasen nuclear submarines are equipped with a low-noise propeller with seven blades of a special saber shape.

The submarine's crew consists of 90 people, of which 32 are officers.

Another design solution, unusual for the Soviet school of underwater shipbuilding, was the placement of a large spherical antenna of the Amphora hydroacoustic station in the bow of the submarine. It is the most important part of the new generation hydroacoustic complex “Irtysh”. The spherical antenna has a large number of sensitive detectors, and its location provides the best conditions for its operation. The unusual situation is that due to the placement of the antenna, the torpedo tubes, which were traditionally located in the bow compartment on Soviet nuclear submarines, had to be removed from the bow of the boat.

On the Ashes they are moved to the middle part of the ship and located at an angle to the center plane of the boat. Such an arrangement has been used in the American submarine fleet for more than forty years, but was always rejected by the USSR Navy, because with such an arrangement of torpedo tubes when firing, the boat should significantly reduce its speed.

According to other data, in addition to the Irtysh hydroacoustic complex, Project 885 boats will be equipped with an Ajax hydroacoustic complex, with antennas located throughout the entire area of ​​the ship’s hull. It is likely that submarines of this project will also have a towed low-frequency antenna extending from the top of the rudder.

Another “highlight” of Project 885 submarines is their power plant. The submarines will receive a new generation pressurized water nuclear reactor, which will significantly increase the reliability of the power system of the nuclear submarine of the Yasen project. The reactor has an integrated layout circuit; the primary coolant pipelines are located directly in its body. Experts believe that the service life of such a reactor will be 25-30 years, which is comparable to the normal operating time of the submarine itself.

This design of the submarine’s nuclear reactor significantly reduces the likelihood of accidents and emergency situations. It is equipped with a modern information and control system that constantly monitors the level of radioactive radiation.

In addition, the reactor of the Yasenya nuclear submarine has a high level of natural circulation of the primary coolant, which significantly reduces the noise of the submarine. The boat will be able to travel at a fairly high speed (probably up to 25 knots) without using pumps to circulate the coolant - one of the main sources of noise in modern submarines.

Also, in order to reduce the visibility of the submarine, all its components and assemblies are equipped with an active noise suppression system. For the first time, such a system was used on the Gepard and Vepr nuclear submarines. Various vibration-absorbing materials are actively used in the Yasen design; all equipment is mounted on special frames that reduce the noise of their operation. In addition, each unit is covered with its own soundproofing panels. The vessel's hull also has a special rubber coating, which reduces the noise of the vessel and reduces the visibility of the ship on sonar.

At low speeds, Yasen will use electric motors to reduce running noise.

The submarine's hull has a maximum length of 120 (according to other sources - 139.2) meters, and a width of 15 (according to other sources - 13) meters. The ship's robust hull is divided into nine compartments. In the first compartment there is a central post and an exit to the floating rescue chamber, which can accommodate the entire crew of the submarine. Around the first compartment of the nuclear submarine there are main ballast tanks.

The second compartment of the submarine is occupied by torpedo tubes and racks with torpedoes. The third compartment is divided into four decks and houses various equipment and elements of general ship systems.

The fourth compartment is residential, it contains rooms for rest of sailors and officers. The fifth compartment of the submarine is missile. There are also quick immersion tanks here.

The reactor is located in the sixth compartment of the submarine; also at this level there is a surge tank, which ensures that the ship is kept at the required depth after missile firing.

The seventh compartment of the submarine contains a steam turbine unit and other power equipment. Around this compartment there are main ballast tanks (aft group). The eighth compartment is occupied by equipment for general ship systems.

The tail has a classic cruciform design. Horizontal rudders are located in the bow of the ship, immediately behind the hydroacoustic antenna fairing.

The main weapons of the Yasen-class submarines are cruise missiles and torpedoes.

The submarines are equipped with eight SM-346 vertical launchers (4 on each side), which can accommodate 24 P-800 Oniks anti-ship missiles. You can also use the Turquoise and Caliber anti-ship missiles. The fire control system allows launching four minutes after the command is received.

In addition to missile launchers, the Yasen nuclear submarines have ten 533 mm torpedo tubes. The ammunition capacity is thirty torpedoes. Submarines can use USET-80 torpedoes, as well as remote-controlled torpedoes; in the future, nuclear submarines are planned to be armed with new Fizik-1 and Futlyar torpedoes.

Project 885 submarines are equipped with the Okrug combat information and control system (CIUS), which collects all information about the state of ship systems and mechanisms, and also receives data on the combat situation from numerous surveillance and target designation equipment. The nuclear submarine can also receive the necessary information from other ships through a special secure underwater communication system.

Project evaluation

Russian fourth-generation Yasen nuclear submarines are today one of the most advanced combat submarines in the world. Their main competitors are the newest American nuclear submarines SeaWolf and Virginia. These ships have similar characteristics (primarily noise), but Yasen is a more multifunctional submarine.

In terms of their armament, Yasen-class nuclear submarines resemble American Ohio-class nuclear submarines, converted to use cruise missiles.

Characteristics

Ship type	SSGN
Project designation	885 "Ash"
Speed ​​(surface), knots	16
Speed ​​(underwater), knots	31
Working immersion depth, m	520
Max. immersion depth, m	600
Navigation autonomy, days.	100
Crew, people

How Russian fourth-generation nuclear submarines were created and what they were capable of

A little over a year ago, the K-560 Severodvinsk submarine, the first multi-purpose submarine of the Yasen project, also known as Project 885, entered the Russian Navy. And the first submarine laid down not in the Soviet Union, but already in Russia: bookmark “Severodvinsk” took place in 1993.

For obvious reasons, the construction of the first ship of the Yasen project lasted for 20 years. But, despite this, “Severodvinsk” as the lead boat of the project and the remaining submarines, which should be put into service before 2020, fully comply with both the challenges of the time and the concept of the modern navy. Although the fate of the fourth generation submarines was very, very difficult...

We need fourth generation submarines!

The start of work on fourth-generation submarines is usually attributed to the second half of the 1970s. The topic was taken up simultaneously in both the USSR and the USA - the main rival powers of the bipolar world competed with each other in all areas.

In the Soviet Union, three main design bureaus were engaged in designing the next generation of submarines: the Leningrad Rubin and Malachite and the Nizhny Novgorod Lazurit. In accordance with the then prevailing naval doctrine, the new generation was to have nuclear submarines of all three main types: with ballistic missiles, with cruise missiles and multi-purpose ones. The first and second, as usual, were studied in “Rubin”, the third - in “Malachite” and “Lazurit”.

The Rubin designers had to create a nuclear submarine cruiser with anti-ship cruise missiles. It is these boats that are commonly called “aircraft carrier killers” in the West. Lazurit specialists set about creating an anti-submarine submarine - the same as the Project 945 Barracuda submarine with a titanium hull, developed a little earlier in the same design bureau. And at Malachite they were working on the most promising project - a multi-purpose submarine capable of carrying torpedoes, cruise missiles, and missile-torpedoes on board.

The creation of new generation weapons, unless it is carried out in conditions of war, is never quick. So work on new Soviet submarines dragged on until the second half of the 80s. In proportion to the efforts expended and the improvement of the characteristics of future boats, both their price and the complexity of construction and maintenance increased. And finally, the moment came when it became clear: it would not be possible to maintain the previous variety of attack submarines in the Russian Navy. It was necessary to look for an option that could combine the capabilities of torpedo submarines, cruise missile boats, and anti-submarine submarines.

Create one better submarine out of three good ones

This option ultimately became Project 885 “Ash” of the Leningrad Design Bureau “Malachite”. The new “Malachite” submarines were to become the first submarines in Russia with such a wide specialization. However, this decision, being completely revolutionary for our country, was successfully applied in other countries. And the changing configuration of world politics and the obvious change in the challenges that the navy has to take on indicated that such universal boats would very soon take leading roles in the fleets of the whole world.

The basis for the Malachite project - and at the same time, the boats that were to be replaced by the new submarine - were the multi-purpose submarines of projects 705 (K) Lira and 971 Shchuka-B and the boats of project 949A armed with cruise missiles. Antey” aimed at combating aircraft carrier formations. It was clear that in appearance, which ensured the highest underwater speed, the new boats would be similar to the Lyra and Shchuk-B, and in size, allowing them to accommodate cruise missile launchers, they would be similar to the Antei.

Project 705K. Photo: website

But there had been no such projects in the USSR until then. In fact, the Malachite designers had to repeat the feat of the T-34 designer Mikhail Koshkin - in a fit of insight, create a universal submarine capable of solving almost any problem, except perhaps ballistic missile attacks. It is not surprising that such a difficult task required more time to implement. The project, which could be launched into series, was ready only by 1990. That is, just when the country that ordered such an unusual submarine ceased to exist. And it was completely unclear who, how and when would give the order to begin construction of the new Project 885 Yasen submarine, which was to become the basis of the submarine fleet of the USSR - a state that no longer existed.

Twenty years and nine days of the prehistory of the first "Ash"

Despite the catastrophic blows that the new Russian government inflicted on its main and only allies - the army and navy, there were cool heads in the country who understood: if new boats are not laid down now, then perhaps no one will ever build them at all. And they managed to ensure that on December 21, 1993, the first submarine of Project 885 “Ash” was laid down at Sevmash. The new boat was included in the lists of Navy ships 11 days earlier - on December 10, 1993, and received the hull number K-560.

“Severodvinsk” - and this is the name the new boat acquired after its place of birth - became the first warship laid down in post-Soviet Russia. But for the first few years, it seemed to everyone involved in the construction of new ships for the Russian fleet that it would also be the last. Because they laid down the boat - and then, it seems, they forgot. In any case, funding for the construction of this submarine, like all other boats laid down a little earlier, in the last years of the Soviet Union, slowly but surely came to naught. And by 1996 it was all over: work on the construction of the boat was stopped for eight long years.

During this time, many events happened that determined the future fate of the boat. In 2001, it was decided to redesign the boat already under construction according to Project 08850 - with new equipment and modernized weapons. At the same time, it was planned that the modified and completed boat would be launched in four years. But this deadline could not be met. By this time, they had only completed the formation of the durable hull of the Severodvinsk, and the launch was postponed for another five years.

The new deadlines turned out to be more realistic - not least because the management and employees of Sevmash, seeing that their efforts not only were not in vain, but were again in great demand, worked with all their might. On June 15, 2010, the Severodvinsk left the slipway workshop for the Sukhona floating dock, and nine days later, on June 24, the boat was launched.

The submarine entered its first sea trials only more than a year later - on September 12, 2011. And more than two years later, on December 30, 2013, the Severodvinsk, which during this time managed to make 14 trips to sea for a total duration of 222 days, travel several thousand miles and make more than a hundred dives, was officially adopted by the Russian Navy. The date, one might say, is round: exactly 20 years have passed since the day of its laying - and another 9 days...

Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Rogozin and Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Yuri Borisov at the ceremony of laying down fourth-generation nuclear submarines at the Sevmash Production Association JSC in Severodvinsk. Photo: / RIA

Family of seven "Ashes"

On July 24, 2009, when nearly a year remained before the Severodvinsk was launched, the next submarine of the same class, the Kazan, was laid down at the same enterprise, Sevmash. More precisely, almost the same thing: over the 16 years that have passed since the laying of the first Yasen, the project has been significantly modernized. So both Kazan and the submarines following it are considered to be built according to project 08851, also known as Yasen-M.

There are no significant differences in design between the Severodvinsk and its actual project 08851 sister spikes. Experts only mention the optimized contours of the boats of the modernized design, which should have a positive effect on both speed and noise. But there are more than enough differences in equipment! After all, even if on “Severodvinsk” some types of equipment included in the project were replaced by more modern ones by the time they were actually installed, then what can we say about “Kazan” and other boats.

The first and most important difference between boats of projects 885 and 08851 is the element base. The “stuffing” of the first “Ash”, which is natural for a boat designed at the end of the USSR, included many units, mechanisms and instruments that were produced at enterprises of the fraternal Soviet republics. It was not possible to completely abandon the elements actually produced in foreign countries by the time the first boat was equipped, although much had already been replaced by Russian components and assemblies. But on Kazan everything is Russian - as they say, from the first rivet to the last wiring. And not just Russian, but improved, modernized or designed over the past 10–15 years. It is no coincidence that in open sources you can find a lot of information about the Severodvinsk, often appearing before the boat itself left the slipway. But about Kazan and others - almost nothing.

Meanwhile, today the Yasen family already includes five submarines. In addition to the first Severodvinsk and the lead Kazan, these are the Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk and Arkhangelsk submarines.

"Novosibirsk", which was assigned the hull number K-573, was laid down at "Sevmash" four years after "Kazan": July 26, 2013. According to forecasts, it should be put into service no later than 2019, and some optimistic experts believe that earlier, perhaps as early as 2017.

K-571 "Krasnoyarsk" was laid down at the North Sea shipyard a year after "Novosibirsk", on July 24, 2014. And less than a year later, on March 19, 2015, Arkhangelsk was laid down there. Both of these submarines should enter service no later than 2020 - at the same time as two more Yasen-class submarines, which are planned to be laid down before the end of this year. The laying of the last, seventh boat of the project, according to Sevmash General Director Mikhail Budnichenko, is planned for 2016, and entry into service - for 2023.

Seven submarines of the Yasen and Yasen-M projects should cost the Russian budget a total of 258 billion rubles. The most expensive, as is usually the case with new projects, were the lead boats - Severodvinsk and Kazan: each of them cost 47 billion rubles. The remaining five boats cost less - only 32.8 billion rubles each. However, against the backdrop of the total amount of allocations for the construction of new warships for the Russian Navy, which should be allocated before 2020 - and this is 4 trillion rubles! - this price does not look too high. Moreover, our fleet has not received new nuclear multipurpose submarines for a very long time - since 2001, when the K-335 Gepard submarine of Project 971 Shchuka-B entered service.

The Kazan submarine, on which the prototype of the Irtysh-Amphora State Joint Stock Company was tested, Severodvinsk. Photo: pilot.strizhi.info
Atomarina, the likes of which have never existed in Russia

What are the submarines of the Yasen project (together with Yasen-M) in terms of design, equipment and weapons? And how is it expressed that they belong not to the well-proven third generation of submarines, but to the new, fourth?

You should start with the design. Submarines of the Yasen project are one and a half hull, that is, the light outer hull does not completely cover the inner strong one, but only partially: the spherical one is in the bow, the light superstructure is in the center, in the area of ​​the wheelhouse fence and starting from the missile silos to the stern. This is an absolute innovation for domestic nuclear submarines, which have always been double-hulled. The designers were forced to take such a radical step by the military’s demands to make the boat as noiseless as possible, and therefore as inconspicuous as possible. After all, it is the outer lightweight hull that plays the role of a kind of resonator for all the noise that a submarine can make.

The robust hull of the boat is divided into nine compartments. In the first, which is 12 m long, there is a central post - so to speak, the brain of the boat. And from here there is an exit to a strong wheelhouse, to a pop-up rescue chamber, which can accommodate the entire Yasen crew - 90 people. The second compartment, 9.75 m long, is a torpedo compartment. Such an unusual arrangement of torpedo tubes - almost in the middle of the boat, and even at an angle to the longitudinal axis - has also never been used before on domestic multi-purpose nuclear submarines. As a rule, torpedo tubes are located in the bow - but on the Yasen, it is all occupied by the antenna of the hydroacoustic complex. The third compartment, 5.25 m long, is occupied by general ship instruments and mechanisms, the fourth, 9 m, is reserved for medical and living quarters.

What is noteworthy is that the second, third and fourth compartments account for almost half of the total length of the pressure hull, and at the same time, it is here that the light hull is practically absent - not counting the superstructure. But then, starting from the fifth, 12.75 m long missile compartment, the boat becomes a classic double-hull, while the robust hull sharply decreases in diameter. The sixth compartment, 10.5 m long, is the reactor compartment, the seventh and eighth, each 12 m long, are the turbine and auxiliary compartments, respectively.

Missiles, torpedoes and missile-torpedoes

But the boat itself, without weapons and control systems, is just a metal hull, albeit created taking into account the most modern requirements. A submarine becomes a real combat ship when all the equipment intended for combat operations is installed on it.

And from this point of view, the submarines of the Yasen project have surprisingly powerful equipment! Perhaps we should start with eight missile silos, the covers of which are located behind the wheelhouse fence. They contain transport and launch containers for cruise missiles of the Onyx operational-tactical complex - the main submarines of projects 885 and 08851. Each silo holds four containers with cruise missiles, so the total ammunition capacity of the boat is 32 missiles. Moreover, in place of the Onyx, if necessary, long-range strategic cruise missiles X-101 (or X-102, if the missile has a nuclear warhead) can be installed.

In addition, the standard armament of the Yasen-class submarines includes the Caliber missile system, which includes anti-ship cruise missiles, cruise missiles for attacking ground targets and anti-submarine missiles. All these elements can be fired from the boat's torpedo tubes or from transport and launch containers in launch silos.

Finally, we should not forget about the traditional weapons of submarines - torpedoes. The submarines of the Yasen project use UGST universal deep-sea homing torpedoes specially created for them: their ammunition capacity is 30 pieces. Moreover, all torpedoes are of the traditional 533 mm caliber: the use of heavier 650 mm torpedoes on the boats of this project was abandoned during the construction of the Severodvinsk, although they were still present in the preliminary design of the boat.

Laying down of the lead ship "Severodvinsk". Photo: militariorgucoz.ru
A very quiet submarine with very keen hearing

The hydroacoustic complex of Yasen-project submarines deserves special mention - the eyes and ears of these multi-purpose submarines. It was for the main element of the complex - the Amphora spherical antenna - that the designers sacrificed the classic placement of torpedoes in the bow compartment. Moreover, for the first time in the domestic submarine forces, all processing of hydroacoustic information is carried out exclusively by software. For this purpose, in particular, the Ajax-M digital library of acoustic data is used. The entire hydroacoustic complex is sometimes mistakenly named after her, although in reality it bears the more complex name “Irtysh-Amphora-Ash”, since in this form it is intended specifically for submarines of projects 885 and 08851.

Despite the fact that such technical and software solutions, which have long been used abroad, were a new product for Russian designers, the characteristics and combat capabilities of domestic developments are in no way inferior to their foreign counterparts. Moreover, this assessment is given not only and not so much by Russian experts, but primarily by their foreign colleagues. They were the first to sound the alarm about the appearance of the Severodvinsk submarine in the Russian Navy. After all, the hydroacoustic complex of the submarines of the Yasen project allows these boats to detect the enemy before he does. Moreover, according to foreign experts, the closest competitors of domestic fourth generation submarines - the American Sea Wolf and Virginia - are also subject to such early detection using the Irtysh-Amphora-Ash complex.

But it is not only the ability to “hear” the enemy that frightens foreign specialists and sailors. They are no less unnerved by the significantly lower noise level of the Yasen project submarines than that of previous domestic submarines. Separate efforts were made to achieve such a low noise level of the boat - and they were crowned with success. Thus, the main power plant of the boat - the KTP-6-185SP reactor with the KTP-6-85 water-water steam generating unit - is a single housing in which the reactor and its first cooling circuit are mounted. Thanks to this solution, it was possible to get rid of large-diameter steam pipelines and circulation pumps, which produce a significant part of the noise of modern nuclear submarines. True, this, unfortunately, does not apply to the first boat - “Severodvinsk”: they did not have time to produce a new integrated reactor for it and installed the VM-11, which had been tested on third-generation submarines, which is much more noisy.

We have already said that it was possible to reduce the noise of the submarine due to the one-and-a-half-hull design. In addition, the submarines of the Yasen project use an active noise dampening system, which is equipped with the foundations of all critical components, and the traditional rubber-cord shock absorbers of devices and mechanisms have been replaced by much more effective spiral-cable, non-flammable ones. Their main propulsion unit, a seven-blade propeller of a special design, also works to reduce the noise of the Yasen project submarines.

Untranslatable Yasen

In a word, even taking into account the fact that more than three decades have passed from the beginning of the design of the first fourth-generation submarine of the Yasen type to its entry into service, these submarines today are fully consistent with modern tasks and challenges. Moreover, six of the seven submarines of the project will be built according to its modernized version, which involves the use of much more modern mechanisms and equipment than the original one. According to both Russian and foreign experts, at least until the middle of the 21st century, submarines of the Yasen project will be able to fulfill all the tasks assigned to them. And by that time - and there is every reason to hope for this - fifth-generation submarines will have already entered service with the Russian Navy, to which, by the way, foreign experts initially classified the Yaseni: these new Russian submarines turned out to be very unusual in idea and execution.

By the way, this is a remarkable fact that indirectly indicates the actual attitude of foreign military personnel towards the Ash project. Of all the submarines adopted by the Soviet and Russian Navy, only these are designated in the NATO classification by the same name - Yasen (sometimes after the lead boat of the project - Severodvinsk). The formal explanation is simple: they say that by the end of the 80s, all 25 letters of the Latin alphabet that traditionally designated Soviet submarines in the North Atlantic Alliance had run out. Which, however, did not stop us from using, for example, the letter “T” twice: in the word Typhoon - to designate the Project 941 Akula missile submarines, and in the word Tango - to designate the Project 641 Som submarines. But, apparently, the Yasen turned out to be such breakthrough submarines that the West decided to leave their own name behind them - and quite rightly so. The Russian fourth-generation submarine turned out to be untranslatable in every sense.

MULTI-PURPOSE NUCLEAR SUBMARINE “SEVERODVINSK” (Project 885 “YASEN”)
MULTIPURPOSE ATOMIC SUBMARINE “SEVERODVINSK” (PROJECT 885 YASEN-CLASS)

20.03.2018


Nuclear submarines of the Yasen and Yasen-M projects will in the near future become the most powerful in the fleet in terms of their strike potential, said the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, Admiral Vladimir Korolev, in an interview with the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper, the official publication of the Russian Armed Forces.
“Still, the group of nuclear attack submarines Yasen and Yasen-M should become the most powerful in its strike potential in the near future.” The lead submarine of this project is already part of the Northern Fleet, regularly performs combat service tasks in remote areas of the World Ocean and, which cannot but rejoice, performs successfully,” Korolev said.
He also noted that the construction and acceptance of such submarines into both the Northern and Pacific fleets will continue.
By 2020, it is planned to build seven submarines of the Yasen project for the Russian Navy, six of them according to the modernized project 885M. The lead submarine cruiser of the Severodvinsk series was handed over to the Navy on June 17, 2014.
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