Currently, the Russian shipbuilding industry is engaged in a number of projects aimed at developing the navy's submarine forces. Several new types of submarines are being built, and in addition, promising projects of similar equipment are being developed, as well as new technologies are being created that will be used in future projects. Recently, some details of recent projects in the field of submarine construction have become known.

On September 6, RIA published an interview with the vice-president of the United Shipbuilding Corporation Igor Ponomarev. On the eve of the Army-2016 military-technical forum, the head of the USC revealed some details of the current work, and also spoke about plans for the upcoming exhibition. The greatest interest is in news about existing and future developments in the field of submarines. Currently, USC enterprises are developing several new projects that will help update the combat strength of the submarine forces in the future.

One of the most important recent programs is the creation of an air-independent power plant (AIP) for promising non-nuclear submarines. A RIA Novosti journalist asked a question about the progress of ongoing tests of the new VNEU at a marine stand, as well as about the production time of the first production system of this class. I. Ponomarev said that testing of the air-independent power plant continues in accordance with the schedule approved by the Ministry of Defense. After all tests, the VNEU will be presented to the customer in a timely manner. It is still unknown which ship will receive the new equipment first. Such a decision will be made by the customer, represented by the military department.

The first carrier of the new VNEU, according to previous reports, should be a promising non-nuclear submarine of the project, known under the code "Kalina". According to the USC vice-president, the main issues in the context of the Kalina project have not yet been resolved. The decision to begin construction of the lead boat of this type depends on the progress of design work and some other factors. In particular, the development of an air-independent power plant has a great influence on the program.

After the completion of work on the technical project created by specialists from the Rubin Central Design Bureau, as well as after the construction of a prototype of the VNEU, industry represented by the United Shipbuilding Corporation and the Ministry of Defense will be able to begin solving new issues. At this stage, the terms of the contract for the construction of submarines will be discussed, in particular, it will be necessary to determine the plant that will become the main builder of the new equipment. However, all this work can begin only after the approval of the technical design.

Also in an interview with RIA Novosti, the topic of further development of nuclear submarines of various classes was touched upon. The most interesting in this context is the promising project with the Husky code. I. Ponomarev said that the Husky nuclear submarine project is currently at the stage of forming its appearance. In addition, it will take about two years to create a preliminary design. After the current development stage is completed, the issue of a contract for the construction of the submarine will be decided. Any technical details of the new project were not announced.

The development of strategic nuclear submarines is still moving along a different path. As the head of USC said, the shipbuilding industry is not yet working on shaping the appearance of promising submarine missile carriers. Currently, all efforts in this area are being devoted to improving the existing project 955 "Borey", which belongs to the fourth generation. Three nuclear submarines of this type have already been transferred to the fleet. Construction of four more submarine cruisers belonging to the improved Project 955A Borei-A is underway.

Of all the topics raised in a recent press conversation with a representative of the United Shipbuilding Corporation, the development of a promising multi-purpose nuclear submarine of the Husky type is of greatest interest. Work on this project started relatively recently and, as recent reports show, is still in the early stages. Thus, even the leak of any information about the technical side of the project in its existing form is unlikely to help determine the final appearance.

Let us recall that the first reports about the possible development of a promising fifth-generation multi-purpose nuclear submarine project appeared at the beginning of 2014. Then the General Director of the St. Petersburg Marine Engineering Bureau (SPMBM) “Malachite” Vladimir Dorofeev announced some ideas regarding promising technology. According to him, the main differences between fifth-generation nuclear submarines and existing submarines will not be increased technical characteristics, but the possibility of integration into a single information and control space, providing improved interaction with other submarines and ships. However, then the head of the design bureau did not talk about the development of real projects with similar capabilities.

The first technical details of the fifth-generation multi-purpose nuclear submarine project became known only in December 2014. Nikolai Novoselov, Deputy General Director of the Malakhit SPMBM, then told the press that the promising submarine will have a double-hull design and a total displacement of up to 12 thousand tons. It is interesting that at that time the project was being developed by Malachite on its own initiative, since the Ministry of Defense had not yet issued technical specifications. In addition, N. Novoselov mentioned that one of the tasks of the new projects is the unification of multi-purpose and strategic submarines with various equipment. Some developments in this direction have already been implemented to date.

In March last year, new views on the appearance of a promising nuclear submarine were announced. Thus, V. Dorofeev expressed the belief that the new submarine will be built on a modular basis, and will also have the ability to use robotics. The use of robotic systems should have great potential, since the submarine needs to maintain stealth even when working together and exchanging information with other combat units of the fleet.

Also in March 2015, the first reports appeared about the possible composition of the weapons of a promising submarine. With reference to unnamed sources in the defense industry, domestic media wrote that the main strike weapons of the Husky submarines will be the promising Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles. In addition, the source of this information noted that a new type of missile has already entered testing.

About a year after this, new reports appeared about the progress of the Husky project. It was noted that at that time the work was at the stage of forming the appearance of the nuclear submarine. The Navy was developing technical specifications, in accordance with which the preliminary design was to be carried out. The developer, represented by SPMBM Malachite, received about two years to complete the preliminary design. The result of this work will be the formation of the exact appearance of the ship. At the same time, it was stated that there are no plans to create an all-titanium durable case, although some titanium elements will still be present in the design. The type of reactor proposed for use will be determined later.

At the beginning of April, interesting information regarding the appearance of the Husky nuclear submarine was announced by USC General Director Alexey Rakhmanov. According to him, the new boat will be unified in a number of key elements, becoming strategic and multi-purpose. This approach is used to achieve several goals, including obtaining the best price offer for the military department. A. Rakhmanov also spoke about the possible timing of the project. So, if USC is able to complete the development of a fourth-generation submarine project by 2017-18, but by this time the creation of a fifth-generation submarine has not begun, then the latter will be released no earlier than 2030.

At the end of July this year, the general director of the Malachite SPMBM clarified the possible composition of the weapons complex of a promising submarine. According to V. Dorofeev, the new nuclear submarines will be able to carry either cruise or ballistic missiles, but it is impossible to equip the ship with two types of weapons at the same time. This is hampered by the weight and dimensions of the weapon.

According to the latest data, USC and, first of all, the Malachite SPMBM are currently developing the appearance of a promising fifth-generation multi-purpose nuclear submarine. This stage of work will take about two years. After completion of the preliminary design, the main issues related to construction will be resolved. Thus, the lead submarine of the new type will be able to enter service no earlier than the beginning of the next decade. It is too early to say what advantages the appearance of a promising nuclear submarine will give to the submarine forces of the navy, as the formation of its appearance continues. However, it is already clear that ongoing work on certain projects in the field of submarine construction in the future will be useful for the country's security.

Based on materials from sites:
http://ria.ru/
http://tass.ru/
http://lenta.ru/
http://interfax.ru/
http://bastion-karpenko.ru/

Promising Russian nuclear submarines "Husky" will be taken at a price

An important advantage of the promising fifth-generation Russian multi-purpose nuclear submarines "Husky" may be its relatively low cost, experts say. At the same time, the price of boats can compete with the technical characteristics of submarines for the title of main advantage. Already, assumptions are being made that the new submarines will be significantly cheaper in cost than the submarines of the project “ Yasen-M" This is especially important for the Navy, given the fact that the new submarines in the fleet will have to replace all third-generation multi-purpose boats, including Project 949 submarines.” Antey"("urban" series of boats, the tragically lost submarine K-141 belonged to them " Kursk") and project 971 " Shchuka-B", which are quite numerous.

Information about the boats of the project " Husky» is currently extremely limited. It is known that work on the project of a multi-purpose nuclear submarine with cruise missiles (SSGN) of the 5th generation is being carried out at SPMBM " Malachite", information about this first appeared in the Russian media back in December 2014. At the same time, it was reported that the development of a new submarine is being carried out on its own initiative, without technical specifications from the Russian Ministry of Defense. On July 17, 2015, Russian media reported that the new boat was being designed by Malachite designers on one basic platform, but in two versions: a multi-purpose nuclear submarine, focused on combating enemy submarines, and an SSGN, focused on combating enemy aircraft carriers.

On August 8, 2016, information appeared that a contract for the development of a promising submarine had been signed between the Russian Ministry of Defense and the Malachite SPMBM. Apparently, we are talking about research work to develop the appearance of a future nuclear submarine, and the technical design of the submarine itself will begin only after 2020. Experts believe that the anti-submarine version of the Husky will be armed with anti-submarine missiles. Caliber", this boat will primarily be designed to destroy strategic boats of a potential enemy (nuclear submarine " Ohio" And " Vanguard"). The second version of the submarine will receive anti-ship hypersonic cruise missiles. Zircon"and will be designed to destroy large enemy surface ships ( aircraft carriers, UDCs, landing craft, missile cruisers, destroyers and etc.).

Project 885 Yasen multi-purpose nuclear submarine

The lack of information about the boats of the Husky project is currently not surprising, given the fact that research on the project is still underway and even the appearance of the future submarine has not yet been fully determined. The boat exists only in the form of sketches and renderings, but little is known about some of its features. For example, it has already been reported that the Husky boats will have a double-hull design, the underwater displacement of the submarines will be about 12 thousand tons (the Yasen has 13,800 tons). In size, the promising boat will be smaller than the Yasen-M 4th generation submarines currently under construction.

Renderings recently published by the Malachite design bureau allow us to judge how these solutions will be implemented in the design of the new submarine. The presented photographic materials show launchers located in the middle and bow parts of the boat. In particular, 8 open covers are visible in the middle part of the submarine's hull. According to experts, there will be 40-48 missiles here, since a similar design of launch containers on the Yasen multipurpose nuclear submarines can accommodate from 4 to 5 missiles, depending on their type.

Another striking capability of the new submarines could be the use of various unmanned underwater vehicles. A number of sources even reported that the Husky project boats would carry a nuclear torpedo on board. Status 6" A Oleg Vlasov, who is the head of the robotics department at Malachite, said that the new boats will be integrated with systems operating in the airspace, that is, submarines will have the ability to launch UAVs for reconnaissance and search for targets. It is also believed that the torpedo tubes on the promising boat will be located in the middle part of the hull, as was done on the Project 885 Yasen submarines, while various sonar equipment and launchers for cruise missiles will be located in the bow.

Possible appearance of promising multi-purpose nuclear submarines of the Husky project

Also in the Russian media, the incredibly low acoustic visibility of future boats, in the design of which composite materials will be widely used, is widely noted. In addition to this, it is assumed that the latest technologies aimed at reducing acoustic visibility and noise will be introduced on the boats of the Husky project. According to Victor Barsuk, the new submarines are expected to be twice as quiet as the previous generation of submarines.

To some, the appearance of new submarines of the Husky class may seem unnecessary, since the country has begun construction of multi-purpose nuclear submarines of the Yasen class, but progress and technology development do not stand still. The addition of hypersonic cruise missiles to the submarine arsenal, the integration of robotics, an increased level of automation of work, and a significant reduction in noise (if the declared values ​​are achieved) significantly increase the combat effectiveness of the submarines of the new project.

Earlier it became known that when working on the multi-purpose nuclear submarine of the 5th generation Husky, the vast experience accumulated in the development of boats of projects 671, 971, 885 and their various modifications was used. And in March 2018, the St. Petersburg Marine Engineering Bureau “Malachite” completed work on creating a preliminary design of the 5th generation submarine “Husky”, after which the process of discussing the project with representatives of the Russian Navy began. As Vladimir Dorofeev, general director of Malakhit, noted, in addition to technical characteristics, the new project should also be different in its economic component. " Our ships must become not only more powerful, but also cheaper“- emphasized the general director of the company that developed the promising boat.

The US fleet will be sunk from under water

Russia finally decided to finalize the design of the killer American aircraft carriers.

As Rakhmanov clarified, the Malachite Marine Engineering Bureau has already completed the conceptual design of the nuclear submarine and has begun to formulate the tactical and technical characteristics necessary to fulfill the technical specifications.

What is known about Husky

Nothing at all, one of the specialists close to naval matters, who has repeatedly provided our portal with brilliantly confirmed analyzes and forecasts, told Constantinople. It is clear that this is the fifth generation, it is clear that there will be new weapons, most likely Zircons and something else. But that's all for now. Rumors about a concept that has not yet found solid contours. And since everything is extremely classified - and as President Putin’s speech on March 1 with the presentation of new weapons showed, we keep secrets better than Koschey you know what - then the possibility cannot be ruled out that rumors only serve to further obscure the true information.

“If we think logically, it’s clear what should be there,” Tsargrad’s interlocutor shrugged. “But it’s hard to say what will actually be there.”

In general, he said, “it’s an interesting story.” In the sense that "Husky" will become the first real post-Soviet by boat. Because even those ultra-modern "Boreys" that are now being launched and have already begun service in the navy, in one way or another rely on the Soviet foundation. This is where they come from, from the USSR, from Soviet design bureaus, in which, as is now clear, people were half a century ahead of their time. And then they told jokes about them and drew cartoons, where research institutes and design bureaus were portrayed as a den of slackers, that they chased tea and ran after clothes during working hours...

So, "Husky" will be the first purely post-Soviet model. Completely Russian - although, to be honest, even then the same thousand-year-old Russia lived and worked in the guise of the USSR, with all its shortcomings and advantages.

And this is how the future is described in the press. In the competent press, I mean.

One of the reserves in the fight for noiselessness is the exclusion of sounds from moving mechanisms. That is, to replace as much as possible what moves, makes friction and makes noise with something that gives the same effect with minimal use of mechanical movement. Therefore, Husky is expected to use a nuclear reactor in which there are almost no moving mechanisms, and heat is transferred by liquid metal. This reactor is smaller in size, thanks to which it is possible to incorporate significantly smaller dimensions into the Husky project itself than into the modern Yasen-class multipurpose submarine, which is similar in functionality.

Yes, it will be smaller than its current analogues - we have “Ash”, they have “Virginia”,

– Tsargrad’s interlocutor confirmed.

It is further believed that the Husky should be the first submarine built in such a way as to maximally dissipate the response wave of sonars - similar to how aircraft using “stealth technologies” minimally reflect radar radiation, dispersing it in space. The boat will be multi-purpose and universal. Indeed, armed " Zircons", anti-ship missiles that are not reflected at the current level of technology development of the enemy. It is also expected that the boat will be armed with an underwater modification of the cruise missile. Kalibr-NK" In addition, with the help of torpedo tubes it will be possible to fire two other types of “Caliber” - anti-ship and for striking ground targets.

Foggy but beautiful

In principle, the naval expert of Constantinople agrees with all these assessments. The only thing that stipulates again and again is that this is all not official information and not even working sketches. More precisely, there are most likely sketches, but few have seen them, and those who have seen them remain silent. But the translation of the sketch into drawings should not be expected earlier than in two or three years.

Then, excuse me, we, the little-knowing public, have one question: is this all not one big fantasy in one big fog? Will this boat really exist? Otherwise, we know what difficulties the modernization and construction of the fleet faces. And how exactly in the naval component of the state defense program the graphs often shift to the right. More often - only in Roscosmos. But if we somehow manage to live without new information about the chemical composition of the lunar soil, then the American fleet is just around the corner.

“There will definitely be a boat,” the informed interlocutor calmly stated. “There is no doubt about it. It is needed.”

In addition, there is evidence that he is seriously engaged in it Krylov State Scientific Center in St. Petersburg, our main focus on research in the field of shipbuilding and ship design. It is he who, as the specialist puts it, “has to do with its functionality.”

The Husky's design will feature a lot of composite and composite materials, including hull covering, bow rudders, stern stabilizers, and deckhouse fencing. And maybe even propellers. All this is to reduce noise. It is also confirmed that Zircon will be its main complex. Tsargrad’s interlocutor said that he had heard that an anti-submarine version of the Husky, armed with Caliber, was being planned. “In general, according to the Malachite tradition, the boat will be extremely packed with weapons per unit of volume - 2 - 2.5 times more than its foreign counterparts,” the expert confidently suggested.

The displacement will, according to assumptions, be about 12 thousand tons minimum. But, most likely, more, he noted. It is clear that it will be a two-hull design, a durable and lightweight body. For the sake of greater low noise, a water engine, that is, a water cannon, is expected. “We had such water cannons on a couple of boats, and it significantly reduces the noise,” the interlocutor explained.

What else, something more detailed, is difficult to say today, the specialist concluded. It is difficult to say what the situation will be by the time the boat appears in the drawings. Perhaps there will be a completely new reactor. Some new weapons. After the revolution in armaments, which was announced by the Russian President on March 1, some more surprises are possible until 2025.

So yes, the creation of "Husky" is shrouded in fog. But it's a beautiful fog. More precisely, the fog behind which lies future beauty.

The Husky fifth-generation nuclear submarine project is one of the most ambitious military programs of modern Russia.

Recently, there has been less information about the promising Russian aircraft carrier. And this is not surprising. In conditions of constant economic difficulties, such a ship looks like an overly expensive “toy.” It is much cheaper to build nuclear submarines (nuclear submarines). Perhaps this is why the press is increasingly talking about the project of a Russian submarine with the designation “Husky”. There is also great interest in this submarine because it could become the first fifth-generation submarine in history.

Here, however, we need to be clear. What are generations of nuclear submarines? Unlike fifth-generation fighters, which are already in full flight, there are no fifth-generation boats yet. And the fourth generation is considered the most recent. Such nuclear submarines are distinguished mainly by their even greater quietness. This is achieved by placing propellers in ring nozzles or using water-jet propulsion systems. In addition, engineers have widely used new types of sound-absorbing coatings and a number of other measures that sharply reduce the chances of detecting such boats. In general, it is the noise of the submarine that is of paramount importance. The boat will live as long as it can remain undetected. It is, of course, possible to escape persecution, but this (taking into account the development of anti-submarine weapons) is quite difficult.

The first fourth-generation submarine in history was the legendary American Seawolf. It was put into operation in 1997. True, due to the high price, only three such nuclear submarines were built. The fate of the Virginia turned out differently: they want to build about 30 of these fourth-generation multipurpose submarines.

Russia in this sense is somewhat behind the United States. The first Russian boat of the fourth generation entered service with the Navy only towards the end of the 2000s. We are talking about the strategic missile carrier K-535 “Yuri Dolgoruky” - the lead ship of Project 955 “Borey”. Even later, the first Russian multi-purpose nuclear submarine of the fourth generation, Project 885 Yasen, was put into operation. Currently the Navy has only one such submarine, but a total of eight are planned.

Husky makes eyes

In general, it is Project 885 that is needed to understand what the Russian submarine of the future will be like. In the “ideological” sense, it will most likely become the successor to “Ash”. The Husky nuclear submarine will probably be similar in appearance to this submarine.

One of the first specific mentions of the new boat dates back to 2013. It was then that the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy (now ex-Commander-in-Chief) Viktor Chirkov announced that serial production of 5th generation submarines would begin in Russia after 2030.

First, experts will finally determine the appearance of the future submarine. In March 2016, the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) announced that they were already working hard on this issue. “Currently, work is underway to shape the appearance of the new nuclear submarine; the Navy is developing technical specifications to carry out the preliminary design of the ship,” said a source representing USC. The corporation also hinted that the new submarine will be smaller in size than the current submarines (including Yasen). This will likely be achieved through even greater automation and a reduction in crew size. It is expected that the formation of the appearance and the creation of a draft sample can be completed within two years. The shipbuilders are not planning an option with an all-titanium hull, but titanium elements will be present.

The famous American military expert Dave Majumdar recently expressed his assumptions about the Husky. He believes that the new Russian nuclear submarine will be equipped with a reactor with liquid metal coolant. Such reactors on a lead-bismuth alloy were installed on Soviet submarines of the Lyra project and were examples of advanced developments. The Lyras were superior to all other nuclear submarines in terms of speed and maneuverability, but required special maintenance. Majumdar notes that nuclear reactors with liquid metal coolant are much more productive and compact than water-cooled ones. Installing such a reactor will make the boat compact, but will require the creation of specialized port systems.

Model of the nuclear submarine project 705K "Lira" / ©Karopka

Now the new boat is being developed by the Malachite design bureau. Let us note that it was with the help of this design bureau that “Lira” was created. As for the Husky’s weapons, it is already known that, in particular, it will be the Zircon hypersonic missile that is currently being created. The speed of this product will exceed the speed of sound by 5-6 times. This is very important, because in this case it will be very, very difficult to intercept a launched missile.

As you know, aircraft carriers operate as part of an AUG (carrier strike group), which has excellent air defense. However, the presence of Zircon missiles in the Husky could significantly complicate the life of American sailors. We will have to at least reconsider the AUG defense tactics. The missile's range is 400 km. This is a lot, although somewhat less than that of the old P-700 Granit anti-ship cruise missile. The latter, in particular, are used on Project 949A Antey submarines, whose main task is to fight aircraft carriers.

Not only the Husky will receive a new hypersonic missile. Even earlier, they want to equip the nuclear-powered missile cruiser Pyotr the Great, which is sometimes called the “aircraft carrier killer,” with it. The same missile will replenish the arsenal of its twin, the Admiral Nakhimov, which is currently undergoing modernization.

By the way, on March 17 of this year it became known about the successful testing of the Zircon rocket at one of the Russian test sites. So the chances that the Huskies will receive a decent weapon are quite high. Unfortunately, the Zircon was not shown to mere mortals, but previously there was a version that this missile could have much in common with the Russian-Indian BrahMos-II missile. In addition to hypersonic missiles, the new boat will obviously receive new mines and torpedoes, as well as equipment that allows it to effectively track enemy nuclear submarines.

Two in one

In April 2016, perhaps the main feature of the Husky became known. According to the head of USC Alexei Rakhmanov, the new nuclear submarine will combine the capabilities of a multi-purpose and strategic submarine. “This will be a boat that will be unified - strategic and multi-purpose in a number of its key elements,” he said.

This information is extremely important: now nuclear submarines are clearly differentiated according to the range of tasks they perform. Strategic submarines carry ballistic missiles on board and in the event of a nuclear war they would have to wipe out cities and countries. The tasks of multi-purpose boats are more “humane”. Such submarines are needed for the destruction of surface ships/submarines, reconnaissance, as well as striking ground targets with high-precision weapons.

The unification described by Rakhmanov has one goal: to make the project cheaper. Indeed, the creation of one submarine, which will replace both the Yasen and the Borey, will require much less capital investment than the design of two boats. On the other hand, the new submarine, as a rule, is positioned as a “multipurpose” submarine. Therefore, it is not yet entirely clear what exactly the new ship will be for its purpose.

By the way, Russia is not the only country that is working on the creation of promising nuclear submarines. Similar work is underway in the USA. The Americans, however, are faced with more specific tasks: they want to replace the rapidly aging third-generation Ohio-class strategic submarines. The new carrier of ballistic missiles will be SSBN-X. This submarine is not positioned as a fifth-generation boat, so Russia, in theory, could become a technological leader in this industry. A kind of “trend setter”. At the same time, the American Navy will still be quantitatively superior to the Russian fleet. We must not forget that the Americans now have about 40 Los Angeles-type multipurpose boats alone. They are old, of course, but they will soon be replaced by dozens of new Virginias. In such realities, an analogue of the US Husky may simply not be needed.

By 2018, work will be completed at the Malachite design bureau in St. Petersburg to create a preliminary prototype of the fifth-generation multi-purpose nuclear submarine of the Husky project. These submarines will replace the Project 885 Yasen nuclear submarines, which are now entering service with the Russian Navy.

“These will be ships made of multilayer composite materials,” the adviser to the general director of the Krylov State Scientific Center (KGSC) told Izvestia. Valery Polovinkin. — Composite materials will be used to make hull coverings, bow and stern rudders, stabilizers, wheelhouse fencing, even propellers and shaft lines.

According to experts, the size of the submarine will be somewhat smaller than its counterparts, which will have a positive effect on its maneuverability and stealth.

What weapons will be installed on the submarine?

The nuclear submarine of the Husky project will be armed with the Zircon hypersonic missile, which recently successfully passed tests. This missile, traveling at a speed of more than 7,000 km/h, is capable of reliably hitting targets at a distance of up to 1,000 km.

In addition, the submarine can be equipped with the latest missile system. Its development, commissioned by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, is being carried out by the State Missile Center named after Academician V.P. Makeeva (GRC). The ballistic missiles projected by the center will strike targets in any direction; they will be equipped with hypersonic maneuvering nuclear warheads capable of effectively penetrating low-altitude missile defense echelons.

A new Husky nuclear submarine is being designed in our country, which will take all the best from its predecessors and the latest innovations. Americans are already worried.

The Americans are very vigilantly monitoring our military development. In mid-March, the official representative of the United Shipbuilding Corporation, Alexei Rakhmanov, told the Russian press that the development of the fifth-generation Husky submarine had begun. The project is still at the very beginning: the draft sample will be ready only in two years. Despite the paucity of information, The National Interest's regular observer of Russian military technology, Dave Majumdar, devoted an entire article to the Husky. We honor it.

Two variants of "Husky"

A special feature of the Husky will be its maximum unification with other submarines. According to an American observer, this is very similar to the approach taken by the Americans. A new class of nuclear submarine, the Ohio, is being developed in the United States, which will make maximum use of technologies from the previous Virginia series. Thanks to this, it is possible to significantly reduce the cost of all work.

However, Majumdar suggested that Russian designers are capable of going one step further and developing two versions of the new submarine. One of them, like the nuclear submarine of the Yasen project, will be designed to combat enemy submarines and surface fleets, and the other will be designed to destroy ground targets. To do this, you only need to insert into the body a section with installations for launching ballistic missiles.

Indeed, the Russian press reported that the Malachite Design Bureau is developing two variants of the Husky submarine based on the same hull design. Differences in weapon systems: in one of the options, only torpedoes and anti-ship weapons are supposed to be placed on board, while in another option, the submarines will be armed with cruise and ballistic missiles.

The first version will most likely replace the Project 971 Shchuka-B, Project 945 Sierra and Project 671RTM Shchuka submarines. The second version will replace the Project 949A Antey SSGN. This version of the Husky is supposed to be equipped with Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles, which came as a surprise to the American.

Let's take the best

Then Mr. Majumdar begins to guess and suggests that the starting points of the Husky project will be the 885M Yasen project and elements of the Borei project, but the new submarines will be smaller and cheaper than their Soviet predecessors. In addition, Mazhumdar sees some signs that an automated control system will be introduced on the Husky, the first version of which was tested on Project 705 Lira boats. In principle, everything is logical: you need to take all the best previous developments. Obviously, this approach will save both money and time.

The American believes that a reactor with liquid metal coolant will be installed on the Husky. Such reactors on a lead-bismuth alloy were installed on the Lyra, and at one time they were examples of advanced developments. Nuclear reactors with liquid metal coolant are much more productive and compact than water-cooled ones. On the one hand, installing such a reactor will make the boat compact: with a displacement of only 6,000 tons, but on the other hand, this will require the creation of specialized port service systems. However, all this was worked out at the Lira in Soviet times. The accumulated experience and technologies that have advanced far since then will make the management and maintenance of a liquid metal reactor safer.

Composite materials

One of the important problems that must be solved when designing new submarines is to minimize noise and achieve maximum radar invisibility. And here new composite materials will come to our aid. In general, taking into account the operating conditions of submarines and the requirements that are placed on them, the design of submarines is a rather interesting task for materials science.

In Soviet times, we made submarines with an all-titanium hull. Titanium is a very durable and at the same time lightweight metal, but very expensive. The Ashes, therefore, do not have the entire body made of titanium, but only part of it. And the Husky developers plan to do without titanium altogether, completely switching to composites. Moreover, all parts will be made from composite materials.

Quoting Valery Polovinkin, adviser to the State Research Center named after. Krylov, Mazhumdar claims that the two-layer composite material will not only significantly reduce the weight of the submarine, but also make it practically invisible to radars due to the strong absorption of radar radiation by the material. Another property of the Russian composite is its high sound-absorbing ability. Thus, the Husky will be both invisible and inaudible.

And this is not all the advantages of composite materials. Unlike metals, composites are not subject to corrosion, which is the scourge of all ships sailing in salty ocean water. This means that operating costs will be greatly reduced: there will be no need to spend money on painting or rubber lining. Already in 2018, it is planned to test a propeller made from this material.

See you at sea!

Judging by the tone of the article, Dave Majumdar took the information about the new project of our submarines seriously. Although he did not make a detailed comparison with American submarines, there is nothing strange about this. Judging by several caveats, the Husky will be superior in some characteristics to the American project Ohio, which is in development. One of the important advantages is that while the Americans are working on one type of submarine, we will have two at once. We are also ahead of the United States in price and quantity of innovation. However, there is no need to rush to conclusions. Let's wait for meetings at sea.

Evgeniy Sizov