Confronting American aircraft carrier groups was the main task of the Soviet Navy immediately after the end of World War II. It is for this purpose that the “killers” of aircraft carriers began to be created - Soviet highly specialized submarines of the Antey 949A project.
Start of creation
In the 1960s, Soviet designers worked on two interconnected projects. OKB-52 employees were engaged in a new anti-ship missile system designed to destroy enemy naval formations, and workers at the Rubin Central Design Bureau designed an underwater missile carrier of the third generation. It was later planned to be used as a carrier for a new missile complex. The military needed both a powerful and very effective tool capable of destroying enemy ship groups, and a submarine that had high levels of stealth and immersion depth. In the future, after the modernization of a number of submarines, these qualities will combine the Antey class submarines.
Project "Granite 949"
In 1969, the Navy set the Soviet designers the task of creating a new submarine. The rocket transported by it must meet the following requirements:
- It should have a high speed: at least 2500 km / h.
- Range - 500 km.
- Intend to start both from underwater and from surface positions. It was planned to use them in submarines and surface ships.
Since in most cases the enemy’s layered air defense penetrates a "flock" of two dozen missiles, the Soviet military was interested in the possibility of volley fire. According to the developers, in order to achieve the effectiveness of anti-ship missiles, it is necessary, in addition to high speed and a large mass of warheads, to equip them with reliable systems that provide target designation and reconnaissance.
Success System
Using this first-ever Soviet space system, surface objects were detected and monitored. Success had the following advantages:
- Absolute weather independence.
- The collection was carried out on a huge area.
- Inaccessibility to the enemy.
Target designation came to the carriers of weapons and to command posts. The manufacture of nuclear submarines was carried out by workers of the Northern Machine-Building Enterprise. In 1980, the first nuclear submarine Arkhangelsk was ready for project 949, and Murmansk in 1983.
Nuclear submarines Antey, project 949A
After the successful completion of the Granit project, design work was carried out on a more advanced project. In the documentation it is listed as 949 A “Antei”. The submarine, due to modernized equipment and an additional compartment, had an improved internal layout, increased length and displacement. In addition, the developers managed to increase the evidence of the secrecy of the submarine.
At the very beginning, it was planned to release twenty nuclear submarines under the Antei project. The submarine K-148 Krasnodar is considered the very first submarine of this class. She was launched in 1986. Soon, the K-173 Krasnoyarsk was ready for this submarine. At the moment, these submarines are in a state of recycling. Despite the serial production planned by the Soviet leadership of twenty nuclear submarines, only eleven units were produced under the Antei project. The 1994 K-141 Kursk submarine was sunk in August 2000.
Nuclear submarine in the Russian fleet
At the moment, the following nuclear submarines of the Antey class are in service with the Russian Navy:
- K-119 "Voronezh" (Northern Fleet).
- K-132 "Irkutsk" (Pacific Fleet).
- K-410 Smolensk (Northern Fleet).
- K-456 "Tver" (Pacific).
- K-442 "Chelyabinsk" (Pacific Fleet).
- K-266 "Eagle" (currently in a state of repair).
- K-186 "Omsk" (Pacific).
- K-150 "Tomsk". (Pacific Fleet).
Another K-135 Volgograd submarine designed under Project 949 Antei is under conservation. And K-139 Belgorod will be completed already under project 09852.
Nuclear submarine 949
Submarines of the Antey type have a two-hull structure: a light external hydrodynamic hull of cylindrical shape surrounds the inside, which differs from the outside by high strength. The thickness of its walls exceeds 6 cm. Due to such a two-hull architecture, nuclear submarines have the following advantages:
- Submarines are provided with high buoyancy.
- The submarines are protected from underwater explosions.
- Submarines have an increased displacement.
The nuclear submarine corps consists of the following departments:
- Torpedo.
- Managerial.
- Compartments for combat posts and radio cabin.
- Living space.
- Department for electrical equipment and auxiliary machinery.
- Reactor.
- Department of GTZA.
- Compartment with propeller motors.
In the event of an accident, a nuclear submarine ship is equipped with two zones (bow and stern), in which the crew can wait for rescue. The crew consists of 130 people. According to other data, the number does not exceed 112. In the offline mode, the submarine can stay no more than 120 days.
Description of the power plant
The block nuclear submarine power unit consists of two OK-650B nuclear reactors and two OK-9 steam turbines. Their capacity is 98 thousand liters. with. They operate by comb screws using gearboxes. The submarine has two additional diesel generators DG-190 with a capacity of not less than 8 thousand 700 liters. with.
Submarine combat control
For the Antey nuclear submarine, MGK-540 Skat-3 sonar systems and systems providing space reconnaissance, target designation and combat control of the submarine are provided. Information received by satellite or aircraft, enters the submarine using special antennas. In addition, the Antey class submarines are equipped with the towed Catfish antenna.
Its location is the feed stabilizer. The buoy type of Catfish antenna is designed to receive radio messages and signals by a boat that is at a very great depth or under a thick layer of ice.
Submarine navigation is provided by the special Symphony-U complex. High accuracy, large radius of action and the amount of processed information are characteristic features of this navigation system.
What are the submarines armed with?
The armament of the Antey type is represented by two types:
- Anti-ship missiles (RCC) P-700 "Granite" (24 units). The location of the missile containers was on both sides of the wheelhouse behind the wall of a solid hull (middle part of the submarine). To close them, special fairing covers are used, which are part of the outer casing. The container is installed at a slope of 40 degrees. Missiles can be used both conventional (weighing up to 750 kg), and equipped with nuclear warheads. RPS move at a speed of 2.5 m / s and are designed for distances up to 550 km.
- Mine-torpedo tubes (four pieces). Two of them have a caliber of 533 mm, the rest - 650 mm. They are designed to fire both conventional torpedoes and torpedo missiles. The location of these devices was the bow of the submarine. Due to the system responsible for automatic loading, torpedo weapons have a high rate of fire. In just a few minutes, the entire ammunition consisting of missile torpedoes (12 units) and torpedoes (16 units) can be launched by the Antey submarine.
Specifications
- NPS above water has a displacement of 12 thousand. 500 cubic meters. m
- Displacement under water is 22 thousand 500 cubic meters. m
- Ships of the Antey class above water can reach speeds of up to 15 knots.
- Under water, their speed is higher: 32 knots.
- Submarines can dive to a maximum depth of 600 m.
- In offline mode, the submarine can be 120 days.
Expediency of batch production of Anteyev
As many Russian experts note, Antey-type submarines are by their efficiency the most preferred means of combating enemy aircraft carriers. In 1980, the cost of manufacturing one submarine did not exceed 227 million rubles (only 10% of the price of the American Roosevelt). But the effectiveness of the Soviet nuclear submarines was very high: Antey is a danger to the aircraft carrier and the ships accompanying it. According to other experts, the effectiveness of Anteyev is overstated. This is due to the fact that nuclear submarines are ships with a narrow specialization. In this regard, they can not fully resist multi-purpose aircraft carriers.
