The nuclear submarines from projects 971 and 949A, thanks to the modernization, will receive universal launchers for the Caliber, Onyx and Zircon missiles.
Also, the latest submarines from project 885 “Ash” will be upgraded with “Zircon”, according to a source from the military-industrial complex. What are the characteristics of this modernization and how will it increase the power of the Russian submarine fleet?
All multifunctional nuclear submarines of the Russian Navy, projects 971 and 949A, will be upgraded and armed with Caliber, Onyx and Zircon missiles.
As a source from the military-industrial complex said, “the containers for these missiles are universal.” Now these nuclear submarines are usually armed with mines and torpedoes. At the same time, the latest submarines from Project 885 “Ash” – regular carriers of “Caliber” and “Onyx” – will be additionally equipped with “Zircon”.
Let us recall that the submarines under project 971 “Pike-B” were built from 1976 to 1992. These nuclear submarines are considered one of the scariest submarines in the world. Due to the special configuration of the propellers and technology, their noise is reduced by half.
Project 949A The Antey nuclear submarines were built from 1985 to 1996. In addition to the 24 Granite anti-ship cruise missiles, the submarine will be able to take on board, according to some sources, up to 72 modern cruise missiles.
Yasen submarines are currently under construction under project 885. The leading Severodvinsk submarine was put into operation in 2010. The first serial submarine “Kazan” from project 885A will enter the fleet this year. A total of ten vessels from this project are to be built.
Long-range missiles “Caliber” are designed to strike ground targets, the supersonic anti-ship missile “Onyx” is resistant to electronic interference. The Zircon hypersonic rocket is being tested. According to the developers, modern air defense systems are not able to intercept this missile.
According to Alexei Leonkov, editor of the Arsenal of the Fatherland magazine, the announced modernization plans show that a universal fire complex has been created for the submarines, which now exists for surface ships, in particular UKSK 3S14. “It will be a universal installation. It was developed on the condition that it can carry different types of missiles.
This increases the flexibility when using submarines depending on the assigned tasks. Such an installation solves the problem of fighting the ground fleet, ground targets and submarines, “Leonkov said.
The interlocutor recalled that the goal of creating a universal installation for the submarine fleet appeared recently. This task was first announced by the President of the United Shipbuilding Corporation Alexei Rakhmanov two years ago.
“When it became clear that the Zircon tests were coming to an end, it was a sin not to create a universal launcher for all types of missiles. In principle, the work was done in parallel. The new ship designs coming out in 2019 have already been built with these flexible installations. “The launches of Zircon from the surface and the submerged position were made precisely by these installations,” Leonkov explained.
According to him, the appearance of a universal installation means the retirement of Granit, which “will still fulfill its purpose, but will be replaced by more modern weapons.” “And the Americans are just trying to create a close analogue of our Granite.” They made a missile against Granite, but they are clearly upset that this weapon will not catch up and will not be able to shoot down either Onyx or Zircon, the expert assured.
In the event of a successful modernization of the submarines, Russia will have at least 500 volleys of surface and submarine universal missile systems, the source said.
In addition, the targeting system is being improved. “That’s why we are developing the S-70 Hunter UAV. The satellite constellation, which belongs to the second generation of space systems for marine reconnaissance and targeting, is also used. So the issues of modernization are solved comprehensively, everything is going according to plan, “Leonkov stressed.
Earlier, the commander-in-chief of the Russian fleet, Admiral Nikolai Evmenov, said that the service life of the most numerous multi-purpose nuclear submarines in the Russian Navy, projects 949A and 971, would be doubled and they would be equipped with new weapons.
At the same time, a few years ago, the specialized military press announced the Navy’s plans to upgrade nuclear submarine-launched cruise missiles under Project 949A with Caliber launchers.
At the same time, concerns were expressed about the suspension of modernization, which affected only the K-132 Irkutsk and K-442 Chelyabinsk submarines. And the rest of the third-generation multifunctional nuclear submarines did not receive any modernization repairs at all.
Of the Project 971 boats, only the K-328 Leopard is undergoing serious work, including repairs and possible rearmament with a Caliber. It is also known that K-461 “Wolf” is undergoing repairs, probably with modernization.
The remaining vessels under project 971 are not repaired (after which the service life is extended by ten years), but the restoration of technical readiness. And instead of modernization, there are “modernization activities” – improvements to individual systems.
Nevertheless, the deployment of “Caliber” nuclear submarines is a key task for Russia’s defense, said the chairman of the All-Russian Fleet Support Movement, Captain First Rank Mikhail Nenashev. “Such rearmament will increase the efficiency of the entire fleet and will add serious points to our country in international politics,” he said.
In turn, Maxim Shepovalenko, deputy director of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, said that after the modernization of the nuclear submarine’s ammunition “it will be possible to configure, taking into account the tasks performed.”
“Now the Navy operates in two types:” fleet against fleet “and” fleet against the coast “- this means that submarines are becoming a universal platform for action against enemy ships and its coastal facilities,” Shepovalenko explained, adding that this tactic is inherent in the fleets of all technically developed countries, in particular this is the basic concept for the development of the US Navy.
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