Submarine "Alexander Nevsky" of project 955 "Borey" (Photo: ru.wikipedia.org)
US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter during a visit to the submarine base in Groton (Connecticut), he declared the global superiority of the American submarine fleet. This superiority applies primarily to its main competitors - the Russian and Chinese navies. But at the same time he demonstrated diplomatic prudence, expressing the hope that “these countries will never become aggressors.”
Carter emphasized that, despite the “comparatively high technological potential of Russia and China, the United States will maintain superiority in the future.”
Top US military officials have two types of "public" statements. And in the opposite direction.
When they testify before Congress to increase the defense budget, they argue that the Russians and Chinese are powerful beyond measure and there is an urgent need to catch up with them. When speaking to the military personnel of any base, in order to raise their military spirit, you need to talk about power American weapons, before which the insidious Russians and Chinese are powerless. The truth, of course, is in the middle.
Development of nuclear submarine fleets of Russia and the USA, which as main task assume nuclear deterrence, proceeded at different speeds. And in Russia, and earlier in the USSR, it is also at a torn pace. This happened because the concepts for the development of nuclear triads - ground-based ICBMs, submarine fleet, strategic aviation— the USA and the USSR were different. Initially, we relied on powerful silo-based ballistic missiles. Since the beginning of the 60s, the United States has systematically developed a nuclear submarine fleet, which has a huge advantage - secrecy even in modern conditions, when numerous spy satellites “plow” space.
By the mid-60s, the US Navy had 41 SSBNs (nuclear-powered submarine ballistic missiles). They were armed with Polaris-3 missiles with a range of 4,600 km, with warheads split into three charges (200 kt each). The Soviet Union gave chase. As a result, parity was achieved by the mid-70s. And by 1980, we took the lead: at that time, the USSR Navy had 62 submarines with 950 missiles in service against 40 American submarines with 668 missiles.
In terms of armament, Soviet submarines were on par with American ones. The boats of the Kalmar project were equipped with 16 R-29R missiles. The rocket was capable of delivering seven 0.1 Mt charges over a distance of up to 6,500 km. The maximum deviation from the target did not exceed 900 m. In the case of using a monoblock warhead with a capacity of 0.45 Mt, the firing range reached 9000 km.
In the 90s, the domestic strategic submarine fleet was dealt a powerful blow. It was inflicted not by the American Navy, but by the “native” leadership of the country. The logic was something like this: why have powerful army, If Yeltsin regularly flies to visit friend Bill? The submarine fleet was rapidly shrinking. And not only due to the depletion of the resource, but also due to the lack of funding for its maintenance. The number of strategic submarines capable of combat duty has been reduced to seven.
But it must be taken into account that the significant weakening of the underwater component of the nuclear triad has not become dramatic. Since ground-based vehicles began to appear in the 1990s mobile ICBMs“Topol”, which have significant secrecy. The United States' ground-based nuclear weapons are significantly weaker and more vulnerable than Russia's.
Now things are getting better. But not as fast as we would like. Currently, the Russian Navy has the 14th SSBN. 11 of them were inherited from Soviet Union. These are third generation boats of the Kalmar and Dolphin projects. “Squid”, developed in the mid-70s, is, of course, quite outdated. It uses the same above-mentioned R-29R liquid-fuel missiles. True, there is information that this missile will soon be replaced by the R-29RMU2.1 “Liner”, which has significantly greater combat power.
"Dolphin" is a more advanced boat. As a result of modernization, R-29RMU2 “Sineva” missiles were installed on it, which have an absolute world record for energy saturation - this is the ratio of the missile’s energy to its mass. The missile entered service in 2007. Its range is 11,500 km. Armed with ten multiple warheads of 100 kt each. The Liner, which entered service in 2014, has the number of separable warheads increased to 12.
And more recently, the fourth generation Project 955 Borei submarines began to arrive in the Russian submarine fleet. Now there are three of them - “Yuri Dolgoruky”, “Alexander Nevsky” and “Vladimir Monomakh”. Next year, the Prince Vladimir is expected to be transferred to the Pacific Fleet. Four more are expected to arrive by 2020. Thus, the fleet of Russian SSBNs will consist of 19 boats. Well, or from the 17, perhaps a couple of “Squids” will be written off.
The US Navy operates 18 SSBNs. These are third generation Ohio boats. The youngest of them is 20 years old, the oldest is 35. At the same time, renewal of the fleet of American strategic submarines is not planned until the mid-20s. In the mid-2000s, according to international treaty 4 boats were converted to carry Tomahawk cruise missiles. And, therefore, the Americans actually have 14 SSBNs. That is, the same amount as Russia has now. And by 2020 there will be less.
However, American submarines have a higher nuclear potential. Russian boats are armed with 16 ICBMs, while American boats have 24 Trident-2 missiles on board. At the same time, the Trident flies a couple of thousand kilometers further than the Bulava installed on the Borei. And it has greater power: 8x475 kt versus 15x150 kt. However, the Bulava is less vulnerable to missile defense systems, having a short active flight phase, a flat trajectory and more advanced means electronic warfare. True, the Bulava is still undergoing tests, and they are far from ideal. So there are a lot of nuances here.
But the Borey boat itself is definitely more advanced than the Ohio. It makes less noise: it uses the latest noise-absorbing coating, along with the propeller it has a water-jet propulsion unit. The Borey boat has more advanced hydroacoustic and navigation equipment and a higher level of automation.
To summarize, it must be recognized that due to the fact that the majority of the Russian Navy consists of boats older than the Ohio, the strategic segment of the US submarine fleet truly has superiority. Although not that significant. However, by the end of the decade, when all the laid down Boreis will be completed, the situation will change to the opposite.
USS Georgia (SSGN-729) Ohio class (Photo: wikipedia.org)
Yasen-class multipurpose nuclear submarine (NPS) Severodvinsk (Photo: Vladimir Larionov/TASS)
SSN-776 Virginia class Hawaii (Photo: wikipedia.org)
MPLATRK "Seawolf" (Photo: wikipedia.org)
Submarine "Alexander Nevsky" of project 955 "Borey" (Photo: ru.wikipedia.org)
US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter during a visit to the submarine base in Groton (Connecticut), he declared the global superiority of the American submarine fleet. This superiority applies primarily to its main competitors - the Russian and Chinese navies. But at the same time he demonstrated diplomatic prudence, expressing the hope that “these countries will never become aggressors.”
Carter emphasized that, despite the “comparatively high technological potential of Russia and China, the United States will maintain superiority in the future.”
Top US military officials have two types of "public" statements. And in the opposite direction.
When they testify before Congress to increase the defense budget, they argue that the Russians and Chinese are powerful beyond measure and there is an urgent need to catch up with them. When speaking to military personnel of any base, in order to raise their military spirit, it is necessary to talk about the power of American weapons, before which the insidious Russians and Chinese are powerless. The truth, of course, is in the middle.
The development of nuclear submarine fleets of Russia and the United States, which assume nuclear deterrence as their main task, proceeded at different speeds. And in Russia, and earlier in the USSR, it is also at a torn pace. This happened because the concepts for the development of nuclear triads - ground-based ICBMs, submarine fleets, strategic aviation - were different between the USA and the USSR. Initially, we relied on powerful silo-based ballistic missiles. Since the beginning of the 60s, the United States has systematically developed a nuclear submarine fleet, which has a huge advantage - secrecy, even in modern conditions, when numerous spy satellites “prowle” space.
By the mid-60s, the US Navy had 41 SSBNs (nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines). They were armed with Polaris-3 missiles with a range of 4,600 km, with warheads split into three charges (200 kt each). The Soviet Union gave chase. As a result, parity was achieved by the mid-70s. And by 1980, we took the lead: at that time, the USSR Navy had 62 submarines with 950 missiles in service against 40 American submarines with 668 missiles.
In terms of armament, Soviet submarines were on par with American ones. The boats of the Kalmar project were equipped with 16 R-29R missiles. The rocket was capable of delivering seven 0.1 Mt charges over a distance of up to 6,500 km. The maximum deviation from the target did not exceed 900 m. In the case of using a monoblock warhead with a capacity of 0.45 Mt, the firing range reached 9000 km.
In the 90s, the domestic strategic submarine fleet was dealt a powerful blow. It was inflicted not by the American Navy, but by the “native” leadership of the country. The logic was something like this: why have a powerful army if Yeltsin regularly flies to visit friend Bill? The submarine fleet was rapidly shrinking. And not only due to the depletion of the resource, but also due to the lack of funding for its maintenance. The number of strategic submarines capable of combat duty has been reduced to seven.
But it must be taken into account that the significant weakening of the underwater component of the nuclear triad has not become dramatic. Since in the 90s, ground-based mobile Topol ICBMs began to appear, possessing significant stealth. The United States' ground-based nuclear weapons are significantly weaker and more vulnerable than Russia's.
Now things are getting better. But not as fast as we would like. Currently, the Russian Navy has the 14th SSBN. 11 of them were inherited from the Soviet Union. These are third generation boats of the Kalmar and Dolphin projects. “Squid”, developed in the mid-70s, is, of course, quite outdated. It uses the same above-mentioned R-29R liquid-fuel missiles. True, there is information that this missile will soon be replaced by the R-29RMU2.1 “Liner”, which has significantly greater combat power.
"Dolphin" is a more advanced boat. As a result of modernization, R-29RMU2 “Sineva” missiles were installed on it, which have an absolute world record for energy saturation - this is the ratio of the missile’s energy to its mass. The missile entered service in 2007. Its range is 11,500 km. Armed with ten multiple warheads of 100 kt each. The Liner, which entered service in 2014, has the number of separable warheads increased to 12.
And more recently, the fourth generation Project 955 Borei submarines began to arrive in the Russian submarine fleet. Now there are three of them - “Yuri Dolgoruky”, “Alexander Nevsky” and “Vladimir Monomakh”. Next year, the Prince Vladimir is expected to be transferred to the Pacific Fleet. Four more are expected to arrive by 2020. Thus, the fleet of Russian SSBNs will consist of 19 boats. Well, or from the 17, perhaps a couple of “Squids” will be written off.
The US Navy operates 18 SSBNs. These are third generation Ohio boats. The youngest of them is 20 years old, the oldest is 35. At the same time, renewal of the fleet of American strategic submarines is not planned until the mid-20s. In the mid-2000s, in accordance with an international agreement, 4 boats were converted to carry Tomahawk cruise missiles. And, therefore, the Americans actually have 14 SSBNs. That is, the same amount as Russia has now. And by 2020 there will be less.
However, American submarines have a higher nuclear potential. Russian boats are armed with 16 ICBMs, while American boats have 24 Trident-2 missiles on board. At the same time, the Trident flies a couple of thousand kilometers further than the Bulava installed on the Borei. And it has greater power: 8x475 kt versus 15x150 kt. However, the Bulava is less vulnerable to missile defense systems, having a short active flight phase, a flat trajectory and more advanced electronic warfare systems. True, the Bulava is still undergoing tests, and they are far from ideal. So there are a lot of nuances here.
But the Borey boat itself is definitely more advanced than the Ohio. It makes less noise: it uses the latest noise-absorbing coating, along with the propeller it has a water-jet propulsion unit. The Borey boat has more advanced hydroacoustic and navigation equipment and a higher level of automation.
To summarize, it must be recognized that due to the fact that the majority of the Russian Navy consists of boats older than the Ohio, the strategic segment of the US submarine fleet truly has superiority. Although not that significant. However, by the end of the decade, when all the laid down Boreis will be completed, the situation will change to the opposite.
US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter during a visit to the submarine base in Groton (Connecticut), he declared the global superiority of the American submarine fleet. This superiority applies primarily to its main competitors - the Russian and Chinese navies. But at the same time he demonstrated diplomatic prudence, expressing the hope that “these countries will never become aggressors.”
Carter emphasized that, despite the “comparatively high technological potential of Russia and China, the United States will maintain superiority in the future.”
Top US military officials have two types of "public" statements. And in the opposite direction. When they testify before Congress to increase the defense budget, they argue that the Russians and Chinese are powerful beyond measure and there is an urgent need to catch up with them. When speaking to military personnel of any base, in order to raise their military spirit, it is necessary to talk about the power of American weapons, before which the insidious Russians and Chinese are powerless. The truth, of course, is in the middle.
The development of nuclear submarine fleets of Russia and the United States, which assume nuclear deterrence as their main task, proceeded at different speeds. And in Russia, and earlier in the USSR, it is also at a torn pace. This happened because the concepts for the development of nuclear triads - ground-based ICBMs, submarine fleets, strategic aviation - were different between the USA and the USSR. Initially, we relied on powerful silo-based ballistic missiles. Since the beginning of the 60s, the United States has systematically developed a nuclear submarine fleet, which has a huge advantage - secrecy, even in modern conditions, when numerous spy satellites “prowle” space.
By the mid-60s, the US Navy had 41 SSBNs (nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines). They were armed with Polaris-3 missiles with a range of 4,600 km, with warheads split into three charges (200 kt each). The Soviet Union gave chase. As a result, parity was achieved by the mid-70s. And by 1980, we took the lead: at that time, the USSR Navy had 62 submarines with 950 missiles in service against 40 American submarines with 668 missiles.
In terms of armament, Soviet submarines were on par with American ones. The boats of the Kalmar project were equipped with 16 R-29R missiles. The rocket was capable of delivering seven 0.1 Mt charges over a distance of up to 6,500 km. The maximum deviation from the target did not exceed 900 m. In the case of using a monoblock warhead with a capacity of 0.45 Mt, the firing range reached 9000 km.
In the 90s, the domestic strategic submarine fleet was dealt a powerful blow. It was inflicted not by the American Navy, but by the “native” leadership of the country. The logic was something like this: why have a powerful army if Yeltsin regularly flies to visit friend Bill? The submarine fleet was rapidly shrinking. And not only due to the depletion of the resource, but also due to the lack of funding for its maintenance. The number of strategic submarines capable of combat duty has been reduced to seven.
But it must be taken into account that the significant weakening of the underwater component of the nuclear triad has not become dramatic. Since in the 90s, ground-based mobile Topol ICBMs began to appear, possessing significant stealth. The United States' ground-based nuclear weapons are significantly weaker and more vulnerable than Russia's.
Now things are getting better. But not as fast as we would like. Currently, the Russian Navy has the 14th SSBN. 11 of them were inherited from the Soviet Union. These are third generation boats of the Kalmar and Dolphin projects. “Squid”, developed in the mid-70s, is, of course, quite outdated. It uses the same above-mentioned R-29R liquid-fuel missiles. True, there is information that this missile will soon be replaced by the R-29RMU2.1 “Liner”, which has significantly greater combat power.
"Dolphin" is a more advanced boat. As a result of modernization, R-29RMU2 “Sineva” missiles were installed on it, which have an absolute world record for energy saturation - this is the ratio of the missile’s energy to its mass. The missile entered service in 2007. Its range is 11,500 km. Armed with ten multiple warheads of 100 kt each. The Liner, which entered service in 2014, has the number of separable warheads increased to 12.
And more recently, the fourth generation Project 955 Borei submarines began to arrive in the Russian submarine fleet. Now there are three of them - “Yuri Dolgoruky”, “Alexander Nevsky” and “Vladimir Monomakh”. Next year, the Prince Vladimir is expected to be transferred to the Pacific Fleet. Four more are expected to arrive by 2020. Thus, the fleet of Russian SSBNs will consist of 19 boats. Well, or from the 17, perhaps a couple of “Squids” will be written off.
The US Navy operates 18 SSBNs. These are third generation Ohio boats. The youngest of them is 20 years old, the oldest is 35. At the same time, renewal of the fleet of American strategic submarines is not planned until the mid-20s. In the mid-2000s, in accordance with an international agreement, 4 boats were converted to carry Tomahawk cruise missiles. And, therefore, the Americans actually have 14 SSBNs. That is, the same amount as Russia has now. And by 2020 there will be less.
However, American submarines have a higher nuclear potential. Russian boats are armed with 16 ICBMs, while American boats have 24 Trident-2 missiles on board. At the same time, the Trident flies a couple of thousand kilometers further than the Bulava installed on the Borei. And it has greater power: 8x475 kt versus 15x150 kt. However, the Bulava is less vulnerable to missile defense systems, having a short active flight phase, a flat trajectory and more advanced electronic warfare systems. True, the Bulava is still undergoing tests, and they are far from ideal. So there are a lot of nuances here.
But the Borey boat itself is definitely more advanced than the Ohio. It makes less noise: it uses the latest noise-absorbing coating, along with the propeller it has a water-jet propulsion unit. The Borey boat has more advanced hydroacoustic and navigation equipment and a higher level of automation.
To summarize, it must be recognized that due to the fact that the majority of the Russian Navy consists of boats older than the Ohio, the strategic segment of the US submarine fleet truly has superiority. Although not that significant. However, by the end of the decade, when all the laid down Boreis will be completed, the situation will change to the opposite.
USS Georgia (SSGN-729) Ohio class (Photo: wikipedia.org)
TTX SSBN "Borey" and "Ohio"
Length: 170 m - 170 m
Width: 13.5 m - 12 m
Surface displacement: 14720 t - 16740 t
Underwater displacement: 24,000 t - 18,700 t
Surface speed: 15 knots - 17 knots
Underwater speed: 29 knots - 25 knots
Working depth - 400 m - 375 m
Maximum depth: 600 m - 550 m
Crew: 107 people - 155 people
Autonomy: 90 days - 70 days
Power plant: 190 MW - n/a
Armament: 6 TA, torpedoes, cruise missiles - 4 TA, torpedoes
There is another type of nuclear submarines, which are assigned not strategic, but operational and operational-tactical tasks. That is, they must destroy enemy surface ships and submarines and strike coastal targets, using cruise missiles and torpedoes. Such boats are divided into subclasses depending on the type of weapons used - either with cruise missiles, or with torpedoes, or with both cruise missiles and torpedoes. It is these submarines that should take part in combat operations at sea during local wars.
In this segment, the US Navy's "mass" is clearly higher than that of the Russian submarine fleet. What is predetermined by the concept of building a fleet for a country that considers itself the world's gendarme. True, in terms of quality latest generation multi-purpose submarines, it is quite possible to talk about parity. This is exactly what Secretary of Defense Carter meant when he spoke about our high technological potential.
The US Navy has 56 multi-purpose submarines. 39 of them are “old-timer” Los Angeles boats; they began entering the submarine fleet in 1976. They belong to the third generation. Armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles"Harpoon" (in total each has from 12 to 20 missiles on board), as well as torpedoes. A total of 62 boats were built, now they are retired at a rate of 1-2 per year. By the end of the 30s, all submarines of this type will be withdrawn from the Navy. And only thirty boats of the 4th generation will remain.
The emphasis is on boats of the new, fourth generation. These include “Virginia” (12 pieces) and “Seawolf” (“Sea Wolf”) (3 pieces).
Seawolf submarines began to be produced individually in the late 90s. Each boat costs $4.5 billion. Therefore, the series was limited to three submarines. The high price is fully justified by the quality of the boat. It is the quietest in the world. And it has the largest ammunition supply of cruise missiles and torpedoes. Moreover, certain improvements were made from boat to boat, and therefore the first submarine of the series (Sea Wolf) is inferior in terms of capabilities to the third (Jimmy Carter). And our “Ash” is practically not inferior in capabilities to the first-born of the series.
As for the Virginia, although it was developed later, it is inferior to the Seawolf. Accordingly, it costs less - $1.8 billion. The Russian "Yasen" in terms of combat capabilities is somewhere in the middle between " Sea wolf"of the third modification and "Virginia", outperforming the latter in terms of low noise and the weapons used. However, the gap is small, since both boats belong to fourth generation. In this case, the quality of the weapons should also be taken into account. The Kalibr cruise missiles installed on the Yasen are more effective than the American Tomahawks, a weapon that is far from being the latest.
This is, of course, wonderful. However, at the moment the Russian Navy has only one boat of this project - Severodvinsk. Three more are on the way. In total, by 2020 it is planned to increase the number of “Ash trees” to eight. By this time, the Americans will have built a couple more Virginias. The score is not in our favor.
The score of third generation boats is not in our favor either. For the Americans, these are 39 of the aforementioned Los Angeles submarines. We have “Pike-B”, “Condor”, “Barracuda” and “Antey”. And the second generation boats “Pike”. There are 36 of them in total. Adding one “Ash” here we get 37. The USA has 56.
Yasen-class multipurpose nuclear submarine (NPS) Severodvinsk (Photo: Vladimir Larionov/TASS)
So in terms of this segment of the nuclear submarine fleet, Secretary of Defense Carter is right: the United States is ahead. However, in addition to nuclear boats, there are also diesel boats, which the Americans abandoned in the 60s. In our country, diesel boats have not only survived, but continue to be built and developed. The Russian Navy has 23 boats. A significant part of which is the modernized Varshavyanka. Yes, she is inferior in capabilities nuclear boats. However, it has a formidable cruise missile"Caliber". And it's the world's quietest diesel-electric boat. So they make a certain contribution to the potential of the submarine fleet. And the balance of power between Russia and the United States is by no means critical.
It must also be said that from 2025 it is planned to begin construction of a diesel boat “Kalina” with an engine that does not require oxygen to operate. This is the so-called Stirling engine. Such a boat will be able to stay underwater without surfacing for about a month. And, accordingly, in terms of its capabilities it will be closer to the submarine.
SSN-776 Virginia class Hawaii (Photo: wikipedia.org)
And in conclusion, Carter constantly compares the power of the US Navy with the submarine fleets of Russia and China, separating them with a comma. Will it be possible to talk about superiority if we add up the potentials of the Russian Federation and China? That is the question. China currently has 14 nuclear submarines. And he builds new ones with great enthusiasm.
MPLATRK "Seawolf" (Photo: wikipedia.org)
TTX PLATRK "Ash", "Virginia" and "Seawolf"
Length: 140 m - 115 m - 108 m
Width: 13 m - 10.5 m - 12.2 m
Surface displacement: 8600 t - 7000 t - 7500 t
Underwater displacement: 13800 t - 8000 t - 9100 t
Armament: 10 TA, 30 torpedoes; 32 KR launchers - 4 TA, 26 torpedoes; 12 KR launchers - 8 TA, 50 torpedoes or 50 KR.
" catches up with "Ohio" and leaves behind "Virginia"
The Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet published in highest degree an interesting article about the strategic submarine fleet. It is curious primarily because the publication, which had never dealt with military-technical topics before, suddenly issued a rating of the most “killer” nuclear submarines. Which eloquently demonstrates about the overwhelming degree of anti-Russian hysteria. Everyone is waiting in horror for the Russian invasion, widely announced by Western politicians, to begin.
The rating turned out to be discouraging. It was hit by five submarines, which were placed not according to combat characteristics, but exclusively depending on the size and weight of the iron. Moreover, for some reason the weight of the Swedes’ boat is equal not to the surface displacement, but to the underwater displacement. That is iron plus water pumped in for ballast. Therefore, when listing the boats included in the rating, we are forced below to measure the “weight” per “full displacement” in tons.
Here are the “magnificent five”:
1. “Shark” project 941 (length - 173 m, displacement - 48 thousand tons). In operation since 1981.
2. “Borey” project 955 (170 m, 24 thousand tons). The first boat, Yuri Dolgoruky, was transferred to the Russian Navy in 2013.
3. “Ohio” (170 m, 19 thousand tons). An American boat that is the same age as the Shark.
4. “Dolphin” of project 667BDRM (167 m, 18 thousand tons). Belongs to the family of Soviet submarines strategic purpose"Delta". Start of operation - mid-80s.
5. “Vegard” (150 m, 16 thousand tons). The British boat began entering the fleet in the early 90s.
The article is replete with significant errors. Thus, the Ohio is named the record holder for firepower on the grounds that it can be equipped with 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles. However, since the beginning of the 90s, nuclear Tomahawks have been put under the knife in accordance with the START-1 treaty. And the Swedes classified as strategic submarine cruisers those Ohio boats that they converted into submarines with cruise missiles with a non-nuclear warhead. That is, into multi-purpose submarines.
The most masterpiece information contained in the article is this: “TK-208 “Dmitry Donskoy” (“Shark”) could not go underwater in the Baltic Sea, since it is designed for salt water - he would just sink like a stone, if I tried to do this in water with such a low salt concentration.”
A lot of words have been written when comparing submarines, but the main thing remains outside the scope of the article - “Borey” is the only strategic submarine cruiser in the world fourth generation. So, based on this, emphasis should be placed and a comparative assessment should be carried out. True, there are three more fourth-generation nuclear boats - Russian "Ash", American "Seawolf" and "Virginia". But they are multi-purpose shock and do not have ballistic nuclear missiles. That is, they do not belong to the naval component of the nuclear triad, which is a weapon of deterrence.
However, the informational occasion in connection with which the Swedes staged this clownery deserves serious attention. The launch is due to take place this month. fourth submarine of the Borey project - "Prince Vladimir". So, this is no longer quite a “Borey” - this strategic submarine belongs to the modernized project 955U “Borey-A” with improved characteristics.
Although the basic version of the submarine is superior in combat capabilities to the American strategic submarine Ohio. First of all, she has lower noise level. This was achieved through a whole range of constructive measures. The body is covered with noise-absorbing material, one of the latest developments in the field of materials science. When installing the equipment, two-level depreciation was used - rubber cord and pneumatic. A water cannon is used as propulsion. And finally, the geometry of the body has been “polished” as much as possible in order to obtain the best streamlining.
The second most important characteristic of modern submarines is the ability detect the enemy using hydroacoustic systems at maximum distance. That is, before he hears you. The Borey is equipped with the Irtysh-Amphora-B-55 hydroacoustic complex (HAS), which provides both passive and active direction finding. It solves the entire range of combat missions, including direction finding and target identification, mine search and torpedo detection, hydroacoustic communications, ice thickness measurement, and sound speed measurement.
According to the developers, the Borea SJSC is superior in capabilities to the similar complex of the Virginia multi-purpose submarine. This is extremely important. Because the threat to strategic missile submarines is not submarines of a similar profile. IN combat missions"Boreas" and "Ohio" do not hunt each other. This is the task of the multi-purpose boats “Virginia” and “Ash”.
If you look at this problem from the “American side”, the difference in the generations of “Ash” and “Ohio” gives our “hunter”, on which the new generation GAK is based, a certain advantage.
And finally weapons. That is, for the sake of which strategic strategies are created submarines. The Borey is equipped with 16 solid-fuel three-stage Bulava ICBMs, each of which is capable of carrying up to 10 warheads of 100 kt or 4 warheads of 200 kt.
If we compare firepower With " Ohio", then the American boat actually has more - 24 Trident-2 ICBMs. And each rocket can carry up to 8 blocks of 475 kt or 12 blocks of 100 kt. And the range differs not in our favor - 8300 km versus 11000 km. However, the rockets are of different ages; the Bulava is a completely new development of the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering. It uses the latest advances in overcoming missile defense enemy: a short active flight phase (with the engines running), a flat trajectory, maneuvering along the course and pitch, and more advanced electronic warfare systems. Of course, it is important how much and what a strategic submarine fires. But no less important is how much and what will reach the target.
At the beginning of the year, information appeared from sources in the defense department that it was planned modernization of the Bulava in order to increase the flight range and payload mass. Presumably, the power will be increased by increasing the size of the rocket. To do this, in order not to redo the launch silos on the Borei, the designers will abandon the transport and launch container in which the missile is located on board the boat.
The boat itself, as was said, has already been modernized. And “Prince Vladimir” became the flagship of the updated series. According to the same project 955U "Borey-A" 4 more submarines will be built - "Prince Oleg", "Generalissimo Suvorov", "Emperor" Alexander III" and "Prince Pozharsky". They are already under construction. The transfer of the last two of them is planned for 2020.
The boats of this series differ from the first three "Boreevs" - "Yuri Dolgoruky", "Alexander Nevsky" and "Vladimir Monomakh" - by better stealth, more advanced means of detection, communication and weapons control. They have improved crew habitability and survivability. By the way, the first three boats also have means of saving the entire crew - a pop-up camera.
However, in the next decade in Russia there may be New episode strategic submarines. On last weekboss General Staff Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov reported to TASS that the Rubin Central Design Bureau for MT has begun creating the next modification - Borei-B. It is quite clear that this submarine should have greater capabilities than the two previous series. They said about Borei-A that it would be equipped with 20 launch silos. However, this information was later refuted. It is quite possible that future boats will have exactly 20 missiles. Otherwise they will catch up with the Ohio, which has 24 Tridents on board.
Nuclear submarines USS Nebraska, Severstal Akula, Borey. Polygon
30.05.2016 - 4:00
US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter, during a visit to the submarine base in Groton (Connecticut), announced the global superiority of the American submarine fleet.
This superiority applies primarily to its main competitors - the Russian and Chinese navies. But at the same time, he demonstrated diplomatic prudence, expressing the hope that “these countries will never become aggressors,” Svobodnaya Pressa reports.
Carter emphasized that, despite the “comparatively high technological potential of Russia and China, the United States will maintain superiority in the future.”
Top US military officials have two types of "public" statements. And in the opposite direction. When they testify before Congress to increase the defense budget, they argue that the Russians and Chinese are powerful beyond measure and there is an urgent need to catch up with them.
When speaking to military personnel of any base, in order to raise their military spirit, it is necessary to talk about the power of American weapons, before which the insidious Russians and Chinese are powerless. The truth, of course, is in the middle.
The development of nuclear submarine fleets of Russia and the United States, which assume nuclear deterrence as their main task, proceeded at different speeds. And in Russia, and earlier in the USSR, it is also at a torn pace. This happened because the concepts for the development of nuclear triads - ground-based ICBMs, submarine fleets, strategic aviation - were different between the USA and the USSR.
Initially, we relied on powerful silo-based ballistic missiles. Since the beginning of the 60s, the United States has systematically developed a nuclear submarine fleet, which has a huge advantage - secrecy even in modern conditions, when numerous spy satellites “prowle” space.
By the mid-60s, the US Navy had 41 SSBNs (nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines). They were armed with Polaris-3 missiles with a range of 4,600 km, with warheads split into three charges (200 kt each). The Soviet Union gave chase.
As a result, parity was achieved by the mid-70s. And by 1980, we took the lead: at that time, the USSR Navy had 62 submarines with 950 missiles in service against 40 American submarines with 668 missiles.
In terms of armament, Soviet submarines were on par with American ones. The boats of the Kalmar project were equipped with 16 R-29R missiles. The rocket was capable of delivering seven 0.1 Mt charges over a distance of up to 6,500 km. The maximum deviation from the target did not exceed 900 m. In the case of using a monoblock warhead with a capacity of 0.45 Mt, the firing range reached 9000 km.
In the 90s, the domestic strategic submarine fleet was dealt a powerful blow. It was inflicted not by the American Navy, but by the “native” leadership of the country. The logic was something like this: why have a powerful army if Yeltsin regularly flies to visit friend Bill?
The submarine fleet was rapidly shrinking. And not only due to the depletion of the resource, but also due to the lack of funding for its maintenance. The number of strategic submarines capable of combat duty has been reduced to seven.
But it must be taken into account that the significant weakening of the underwater component of the nuclear triad has not become dramatic. Since in the 90s, ground-based mobile Topol ICBMs began to appear, possessing significant stealth. The United States' ground-based nuclear weapons are significantly weaker and more vulnerable than Russia's.
Now things are getting better. But not as fast as we would like. Currently, the Russian Navy has the 14th SSBN. 11 of them were inherited from the Soviet Union. These are third generation boats of the Kalmar and Dolphin projects.
“Squid”, developed in the mid-70s, is, of course, quite outdated. It uses the same above-mentioned R-29R liquid-fuel missiles. True, there is information that this missile will soon be replaced by the R-29RMU2.1 “Liner”, which has significantly greater combat power.
"Dolphin" is a more advanced boat. As a result of modernization, R-29RMU2 “Sineva” missiles were installed on it, which have an absolute world record for energy saturation - this is the ratio of the missile’s energy to its mass.
The missile entered service in 2007. Its range is 11,500 km. Armed with ten multiple warheads of 100 kt each. The Liner, which entered service in 2014, has the number of separable warheads increased to 12.
And more recently, the fourth generation Project 955 Borei submarines began to arrive in the Russian submarine fleet. Now there are three of them - “Yuri Dolgoruky”, “Alexander Nevsky” and “Vladimir Monomakh”. Next year, the Prince Vladimir is expected to be transferred to the Pacific Fleet.
Four more are expected to arrive by 2020. Thus, the fleet of Russian SSBNs will consist of 19 boats. Well, or from the 17, perhaps a couple of “Squids” will be written off.
The US Navy operates 18 SSBNs. These are third generation Ohio boats. The youngest of them is 20 years old, the oldest is 35. At the same time, renewal of the fleet of American strategic submarines is not planned until the mid-20s.
In the mid-2000s, in accordance with an international agreement, 4 boats were converted to carry Tomahawk cruise missiles. And, therefore, the Americans actually have 14 SSBNs. That is, the same amount as Russia has now. And by 2020 there will be less.
However, American submarines have a higher nuclear potential. Russian boats are armed with 16 ICBMs, while American boats have 24 Trident-2 missiles on board. At the same time, the Trident flies a couple of thousand kilometers further than the Bulava installed on the Borei. And it has greater power: 8x475 kt versus 15x150 kt.
However, the Bulava is less vulnerable to missile defense systems, having a short active flight phase, a flat trajectory and more advanced electronic warfare systems. True, the Bulava is still undergoing tests, and they are far from ideal. So there are a lot of nuances here.
But the Borey boat itself is definitely more advanced than the Ohio. It makes less noise: it uses the latest noise-absorbing coating, along with the propeller it has a water-jet propulsion unit. The Borey boat has more advanced hydroacoustic and navigation equipment and a higher level of automation.
To summarize, it must be recognized that due to the fact that the majority of the Russian Navy consists of boats older than the Ohio, the strategic segment of the US submarine fleet truly has superiority. Although not that significant. However, by the end of the decade, when all the laid down Boreis will be completed, the situation will change to the opposite.
In the photo: USS Georgia (SSGN-729) Ohio class (Photo: wikipedia.org)
TTX SSBN "Borey" and "Ohio"
Length: 170 m - 170 m
Width: 13.5 m - 12 m
Surface displacement: 14720 t - 16740 t
Underwater displacement: 24,000 t - 18,700 t
Surface speed: 15 knots - 17 knots
Underwater speed: 29 knots - 25 knots
Working depth - 400 m - 375 m
Maximum depth: 600 m - 550 m
Crew: 107 people - 155 people
Autonomy: 90 days - 70 days
Power plant: 190 MW - n/a
Armament: 6 TA, torpedoes, cruise missiles - 4 TA, torpedoes
There is another type of nuclear submarines, which are assigned not strategic, but operational and operational-tactical tasks. That is, they must destroy enemy surface ships and submarines and strike coastal targets, using cruise missiles and torpedoes.
Such boats are divided into subclasses depending on the type of weapons used - either with cruise missiles, or with torpedoes, or with both cruise missiles and torpedoes. It is these submarines that should take part in combat operations at sea during local wars.
In this segment, the US Navy's "mass" is clearly higher than that of the Russian submarine fleet. What is predetermined by the concept of building a fleet for a country that considers itself the world's gendarme. True, in terms of the quality of the latest generation of multi-purpose submarines, it is quite possible to talk about parity. This is exactly what Secretary of Defense Carter meant when he spoke about our high technological potential.
The US Navy has 56 multi-purpose submarines. 39 of them are “old-timer” Los Angeles boats; they began entering the submarine fleet in 1976. They belong to the third generation. They are armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles, Harpoon anti-ship missiles (each with a total of 12 to 20 missiles on board), as well as torpedoes.
A total of 62 boats were built, now they are retired at a rate of 1-2 per year. By the end of the 30s, all submarines of this type will be withdrawn from the Navy. And only thirty boats of the 4th generation will remain.
The emphasis is on boats of the new, fourth generation. These include “Virginia” (12 pieces) and “Seawolf” (“Sea Wolf”) (3 pieces).
Seawolf submarines began to be produced individually in the late 90s. Each boat costs $4.5 billion. Therefore, the series was limited to three submarines. The high price is fully justified by the quality of the boat. It is the quietest in the world. And it has the largest ammunition supply of cruise missiles and torpedoes.
Moreover, certain improvements were made from boat to boat, and therefore the first submarine of the series (Sea Wolf) is inferior in terms of capabilities to the third (Jimmy Carter). And our “Ash” is practically not inferior in capabilities to the first-born of the series.
As for the Virginia, although it was developed later, it is inferior to the Seawolf. Accordingly, it costs less - 1.8 billion dollars. In terms of combat capabilities, the Russian "Yasen" is somewhere in the middle between the "Sea Wolf" of the third modification and the "Virginia", outperforming the latter in terms of low noise and the weapons used.
However, the gap is small since both boats are in the fourth generation. In this case, the quality of the weapons should also be taken into account. The Kalibr cruise missiles installed on the Yasen are more effective than the American Tomahawks, a weapon that is far from being the latest.
This is, of course, wonderful. However, at the moment the Russian Navy has only one boat of this project - Severodvinsk. Three more are on the way. In total, by 2020 it is planned to increase the number of “Ash trees” to eight. By this time, the Americans will have built a couple more Virginias. The score is not in our favor.
The score of third generation boats is not in our favor either. For the Americans, these are 39 of the aforementioned Los Angeles submarines. We have “Pike-B”, “Condor”, “Barracuda” and “Antey”. And the second generation boats “Pike”. There are 36 of them in total. Adding one “Ash” here we get 37. The USA has 56.
In the photo: Yasen-class multipurpose nuclear submarine (NPS) Severodvinsk (Photo: Vladimir Larionov/TASS)
So in terms of this segment of the nuclear submarine fleet, Secretary of Defense Carter is right: the United States is ahead. However, in addition to nuclear boats, there are also diesel boats, which the Americans abandoned in the 60s. In our country, diesel boats have not only survived, but continue to be built and developed.
The Russian Navy has 23 boats. A significant part of which is the modernized “Varshavyanka”. Yes, it is inferior in capabilities to nuclear boats. However, it carries the formidable Caliber cruise missile. And it's the world's quietest diesel-electric boat.
So they make a certain contribution to the potential of the submarine fleet. And the balance of power between Russia and the United States is by no means critical.
It must also be said that from 2025 it is planned to begin construction of a diesel boat “Kalina” with an engine that does not require oxygen to operate. This is the so-called Stirling engine.
Such a boat will be able to stay underwater without surfacing for about a month. And, accordingly, in terms of its capabilities it will be closer to the submarine.
Pictured: SSN-776 Hawaii class "Virginia" (Photo: wikipedia.org)
And in conclusion, Carter constantly compares the power of the US Navy with the submarine fleets of Russia and China, separating them with a comma. Will it be possible to talk about superiority if we add up the potentials of the Russian Federation and China? That is the question.
China currently has 14 nuclear submarines. And he builds new ones with great enthusiasm.
In the photo: MPLATRK "Seawolf" (Photo: wikipedia.org)
TTX PLATRK "Ash", "Virginia" and "Seawolf"
Length: 140 m - 115 m - 108 m
Width: 13 m - 10.5 m - 12.2 m
Surface displacement: 8600 t - 7000 t - 7500 t
Underwater displacement: 13800 t - 8000 t - 9100 t
