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Akula-class submarine

Russian class of nuclear attack submarines

Akula-class submarine

Russian class of nuclear attack submarines

FieldValue
section1{{Infobox ship/image
imageAkulaProjekt971U right.png
image_captionAkula-class SSN profile
section2{{Infobox ship/image
imageАПЛ "Кузбасс".jpg
section3{{Infobox ship/class overview
nameAkula class
builders*Komsomolsk-on-Amur
operators
class_before,
class_after
costest. $1.55 billion (1995 dollars)
built_range1983–1999
in_commission_range1984–present
total_ships_planned20
total_ships_completed15
total_ships_canceled4 (1 Iribis suspended 42% complete since 1996)
total_ships_active4 (4 active +6 on modernization in Russia)
total_ships_retired4
section4{{Infobox ship/characteristics
typeNuclear attack submarine
displacement*surfaced:
length*110.3 m for Akula I and Akula I Improved
*{{convert113.3mabbron}} for Akula II and Akula III
beam13.6 m
draught9.7 m
propulsion*one 190 MW OK-650B/OK-650M pressurized water nuclear reactor (HEU
*1 OK-7 steam turbine {{convert43,000hpMWabbron}}
speed*10 kn surfaced
* submerged<ref nameJanes2008
endurance100 days
test_depth*480 m test depth for Akula I and Akula I Improved
*{{convert520mabbron}} for Akula II and III
*{{convert600mabbron}} maximum operating depth
complement73 for Akula I & Improved, 62 (31 officers) for Akula II & III
sensors* MGK-540 active/passive suite
EW* Bukhta ESM/ECM
armament 4 × 533 mm torpedo tubes (28 torpedoes) and 4 × 650 mm torpedo tubes (12 torpedoes). (K-152 Nerpa* has 8 × 533 mm torpedo tubes) 40 torpedoes total
notes* Chiblis Surface Search radar
Note

the Soviet/Russian submarine class with NATO reporting name "Akula"

  • Severodvinsk

  • 8,140 tons Akula I and Akula I Improved

  • 8,450–8,470 tons Akula II and III

  • submerged:

  • 12,770 tons Akula I and Akula I Improved

  • 13,400–13,800 tons Akula II and III

  • 113.3 m for Akula II and Akula III

  • 1 OK-7 steam turbine 43,000 hp

  • 2 OK-2 Turbo generators producing 2 MW

  • 1 seven-bladed propeller

  • 2 OK-300 retractable electric propulsors for low-speed and quiet maneuvering at 5 kn

  • 28 - submerged

  • 520 m for Akula II and III

  • 600 m maximum operating depth

  • Flank arrays

  • Pelamida towed array sonar

  • MG-70 mine detection sonar

  • MG-74 Korund noise simulation decoys (fired from external tubes)

  • MT-70 Sonar intercept receiver

  • Nikhrom-M IFF

  • 1–3 × Igla-M surface-to-air missile launcher fired from sail (surface use only)

  • Granat cruise missiles, now Kalibr

  • Medvyeditsa-945 Navigation system

  • Molniya-M Satellite communications

  • MGK-80 Underwater communications

  • Tsunami, Kiparis, Anis, Sintez and Kora Communications antennas

  • Paravan Towed VLF Antenna

  • Vspletsk Combat direction system

The Akula class, Soviet designation Project 971 Shchuka-B (, NATO reporting name Akula) is a series of fourth generation nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs) first deployed by the Soviet Navy in 1986. There are four sub-classes or flights of Shchuka-B, consisting of the original seven Project 971 boats (codenamed Akula I), commissioned between 1984 and 1990; six Project 971Is (Improved Akulas), commissioned between 1991 and 2009; one Project 971U (Akula II), commissioned in 1995; and one Project 971M (Akula III), commissioned in 2001. The Russians call all of the submarines Shchuka-B, regardless of modifications.

Some confusion may exist as the name Akula (Russian: Акула, meaning 'shark' in Russian) was used by the Soviets for a different class of submarines, the Project 941, which is known in the West as the . The Project 971 was named Shchuka-B by the Soviets but given the designation Akula by the West after the name of the lead ship, K-284.

According to defense analyst Norman Polmar, the launch of the first submarine in 1985, "shook everyone [in the West] up", as Western intelligence agencies had not expected the Soviet Union to produce such a boat for another ten years.

Design

Descriptions of the ''Akula''-class SSN

The Akula incorporates a double hull system composed of an inner pressure hull and an outer "light" hull. This allows more freedom in the design of the exterior hull shape, resulting in a submarine with more reserve buoyancy than its western analogs.

The distinctive "bulb" or "can" located on top of the Akula's rudder houses its towed sonar array when retracted. Most Akulas have the wake detection system () (SOKS) hydrodynamic sensors, which detect changes in temperature and salinity. They are located on the leading edge of the sail, on the outer hull casing in front of the sail and on the bottom of the hull forward of the sail.

Akulas (excluding Nerpa) are armed with four 533 mm torpedo tubes which can use Type 53 torpedoes or the RPK-2, RPK-6 missile, and four 650 mm torpedo tubes which can use Type 65 torpedoes or the RPK-7 missile. These torpedo tubes are arranged in two rows of four tubes each. The external tubes are mounted outside the pressure hull in one row, above the torpedo tubes, and can only be reloaded in port or with the assistance of a submarine tender. The 650 mm tubes can be fitted with liners to use the 533 mm weaponry. The submarine is also able to use its torpedo tubes to deploy naval mines.

Versions

As with many Soviet/Russian craft, information on the status of the Akula-class submarines is sparse, at best. Information provided by sources varies widely.

Project 971 (''Akula I'')

The four known versions of the ''Akula'' class

Of the seven original Akulas, only three are known to still be in service. These boats are equipped with MGK-540 Skat-3 sonar system (NATO reporting name Shark Gill). The lead boat of the class, K-284 Akula, was decommissioned in 2001, apparently to help save money in the cash-strapped Russian Navy. K-322 Kashalot and K-480 Bars [currently Ak Bars] are in reserve. K-480 Bars was put into reserve in 1998, and was being dismantled in February 2010. Pantera returned to service in January 2008 after a comprehensive overhaul. All were retrofitted with the SOKS hydrodynamic sensors. All submarines before K-391 Bratsk have reactor coolant scoops that are similar to the ones of the SSBNs, long and tubular. Bratsk and subsequent submarines have reactor coolant scoops similar to the short ones on the Oscar IIs (the Typhoon, Akula and Oscar classes use the similar OK-650 reactor).

Project 971 and 971I (Improved ''Akula I'')

The six Akulas of this class are all thought to be in service. They are quieter than the original Akulas. Sources also disagree as to whether construction of this class has been suspended, or if there are a further two units planned.

Improved Akula I Hulls: K-328 Leopard, K-461 Volk, K-154 Tigr, K-419 Kuzbass, K-295 Samara and K-152 Nerpa. These submarines are much quieter than early Akula-class submarines and all have the SOKS hydrodynamic sensors except Leopard.

Project 971U (''Akula II'')

K-157 Vepr is the only completed Akula II (see the table below). The Akula II is 3 m longer and displaces about 700 tons (submerged displacement) more than the Akula I. The added space was used for additional quieting measures. K-157 Vepr became the first Russian submarine that was quieter than the latest U.S. attack submarines of that time, which was the improved (SSN 751 and later). Two of these submarines were used to build the SSBNs.

Project 971M (''Akula III'')

The K-335 Gepard is the 14th submarine of the class and the only completed Akula III (see the table below) built for the Russian Navy. It was the first submarine commissioned in the Russian Navy since the Kursk disaster, as a result, its commissioning ceremony was an important morale boost for the Russian Navy with President Vladimir Putin in attendance. There is no NATO classification for the Akula III. It is longer and has a larger displacement compared to the Akula II, also it has an enlarged sail and a different towed-array dispenser on the vertical fin. Again, more noise reduction methods were employed. The Gepard was the most advanced Russian submarine before the submarines of the and Borei class were commissioned.

The Soviet advances in sound quieting were of considerable concern to the West, for acoustics was long considered the most significant advantage in U.S. submarine technology compared to the Soviets.

In 1983–1984 the Japanese firm Toshiba sold sophisticated, nine axis milling equipment to the Soviets along with the computer control systems, which were developed by Norwegian firm Kongsberg Vaapenfabrik. U.S Navy officials and Congressmen announced that this technology enabled the Soviet submarine builders to produce more accurate and quieter propellers. This is known as the Toshiba–Kongsberg scandal.

Due to the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, production of all Akulas slowed.

The 1999–2000 edition of Jane's Fighting Ships incorrectly listed the first Akula III as Viper (the actual name is "Vepr", "wild boar" in Russian), commissioned on 25 November 1995. Gepard (Cheetah), was launched in 1999 and was commissioned 5 December 2001.

Operational history

Between December 1995 and February 1996, submarine Volk was deployed to the Mediterranean along the Russian aircraft carrier , where she monitored activities of several NATO submarines under Captain 1st rank S. V. Spravtsev.

Between April and June 1996, Tigr was deployed in the Atlantic, where she detected a U.S. SSBN and tracked it on its combat patrol. On 23 July 1996, its commander, Captain 1st rank Alexey Burilichev, received a Hero of the Russian Federation award.

In August 2009, the news media reported that two Akula-class submarines operated off the East Coast of the United States, with one of the submarines being identified as a Project 971 Shchuka-B type. U.S. military sources noted that this was the first known Russian submarine deployment to the western Atlantic since the end of the Cold War, raising concerns within U.S. military and intelligence communities. U.S. Northern Command confirmed that this 2009 Akula-class submarine deployment did occur. One of the boats was likely Gepard that finished a relatively lengthy combat patrol between June and September that year under the command of the Captain 1st rank Alexey Vyacheslavovich Dmitrov, who on 15 February 2012 was awarded a title Hero of the Russian Federation for courage shown at work. The other submarine could have been Tigr under the command of Captain E. A. Petrov, given that she performed a combat patrol sometime between March and November 2009. It is unlikely that other submarines of the project 971 could have been present in the Atlantic that year. Pantera was in Severemorsk during summer, while Vepr, Leopard and Volk did not report any kind of activity in that year (1-3 submarines of the project are usually active with the Northern Fleet at any given moment).

In August 2012, the news media reported that another Akula-class submarine operated in the Gulf of Mexico purportedly undetected for over a month, sparking controversy within U.S. military and political circles, with U.S. Senator John Cornyn of the Senate Armed Services Committee demanding details of this deployment from Admiral Jonathan W. Greenert, the Chief of Naval Operations. Most likely, this was Tigr, as its commander Captain 1st rank Pavel Bulgakov received the Order of Courage on the Defender of the Fatherland Day on 22 February 2013.

Units

#NameProjectBuildersLaid downLaunchedCommissionedFleetStatus
K-284Akula971Amur Shipyard11 November 198327 June 198430 December 1984Pacific FleetDecommissioned in 2001.
K-480Ak Bars971Sevmash22 February 198516 April 198829 December 1988Northern FleetDecommissioned in 2002, scrapping began in 2010 but the hull section was used in the construction of ballistic missile submarine Vladimir Monomakh.
K-263Barnaul971Amur Shipyard9 May 198528 May 198630 December 1987Pacific FleetDecommissioned in 2011
K-322Kashalot971Amur Shipyard5 September 198618 July 198730 December 1988Pacific FleetDecommissioned on 9 October 2019.
K-317Pantera971Sevmash6 November 198621 May 199027 December 1990Northern FleetActive, overhaul and modernization completed in 2007.
K-461Volk971Sevmash14 November 198711 June 199129 December 1991Northern FleetOverhaul and modernization to finish in 2028.
K-391Bratsk971Amur Shipyard23 February 198814 April 198929 December 1989Pacific FleetDecommissioned 2022, awaiting scrapping.
K-328Leopard971Sevmash26 October 198828 June 199230 December 1992Northern Fleeturl=https://tass.ru/armiya-i-opk/10411469title=Источник: подлодка "Леопард" вернется в боевой состав ВМФ во второй половине 2021 годаtrans-title=Source: the submarine "Leopard" will return to the combat strength of the Navy in the second half of 2021date=6 January 2021website=ТАSSlanguage=ru}} projected as likely to begin post-refit sea trials in 2022
K-154Tigr971Sevmash10 September 198926 June 199329 December 1993Northern FleetOverhaul to finish in 2022.
K-331Magadan971Amur Shipyard28 December 198923 June 199023 December 1990Pacific FleetIn overhaul from July 2019 to 2022.
K-157Vepr971USevmash13 July 199010 December 199425 November 1995Northern FleetActive, overhaul and modernization completed in 2020.
K-xxx971MAmur Shipyard1990Not completed.
K-419Kuzbass971Amur Shipyard28 July 199118 May 199231 December 1992Pacific FleetActive, overhaul and modernization completed in 2015.
K-335Gepard971MSevmash23 September 199117 September 19995 December 2001Northern FleetActive, overhaul and modernization completed in 2015.
K-xxx971MAmur Shipyard1991Not completed.
K-337Kuguar971USevmash18 August 1992Not completed, the hull section was used in the construction of the Yury Dolgorukiy SSBN.
K-333Rys971USevmash31 August 1993Not completed, the hull section was used in the construction of the Alexander Nevsky SSBN.
K-295Samara971Amur Shipyard7 November 19935 August 199417 July 1995Pacific Fleeturl=http://www.arms-expo.ru/news/armed_forces/dve_apl_dostavyat_s_tof_v_severodvinsk_dlya_modernizatsii/title=Две АПЛ доставят с ТОФ в Северодвинск для модернизацииtrans-title=Two nuclear submarines will be delivered from the Pacific Fleet to Severodvinsk for modernizationdate=21 August 2014language=ruwork=arms-expo.ruarchive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104073327/http://www.arms-expo.ru/news/armed_forces/dve_apl_dostavyat_s_tof_v_severodvinsk_dlya_modernizatsii/archive-date=2018-01-04url-status=live}}
K-152Nerpa
(ex-Chakra)971IAmur Shipyard199326 July 200628 December 2009Active, has been leased to India from 2012 until 2022, returned already in 2021. Proposed to decommission in 2023.
K-519Iribis971IAmur Shipyard1994Construction halted at 42% in 1996, may be completed and leased to India.

''Nerpa'' 2008 accident

On 27 October 2008, it was reported that K-152 Nerpa of the Russian Pacific Fleet had begun her sea trials in the Sea of Japan before handover under a lease agreement to the Indian Navy. On 8 November 2008, while conducting one of these trials, an accidental activation of the halon-based fire-extinguishing system took place in the fore section of the vessel. Within seconds the halon gas had displaced all breathable air from the compartment. As a result, 20 people (17 civilians and 3 seamen) were killed by asphyxiation. Dozens of others suffered freon-related injuries and were evacuated to an unknown port in Primorsky Krai. This was the worst accident in the Russian navy since the loss of the submarine K-141 Kursk in 2000. The submarine itself did not sustain any serious damage and there was no release of radiation.

Lease to India

Chakra II

Main article: INS Chakra (2011)

''Chakra'' in the open sea, flying the [[Indian Naval Ensign

Three hundred Indian Navy personnel were trained in Russia for the operation of the Akula II submarine Nerpa. India has finalised a deal with Russia, in which at the end of the lease of these submarines, it has an option to buy them. The submarine is named INS Chakra as was the previous India-leased Soviet Charlie-I SSGN. Chakra was officially commissioned into the Indian Navy on 4 April 2012.

Whereas the Russian Navy's Akula-II could be equipped with 28 nuclear-capable cruise missiles with a striking range of 3000 km, the Indian version is reportedly armed with the 300 km-range Club-S nuclear-capable missiles. Missiles with ranges greater than 300 km cannot be exported due to arms control restrictions, since Russia is a signatory to the MTCR treaty.

In June 2021, Nerpa was reported in Singapore with Indian crew aboard and on its way back to Russia, despite one year remaining of the 10-year lease, commenced in April 2012. The stated reason was problems with maintenance of the nuclear reactors. Accordingly, the lease will not be prolonged after 2022, as was initially expected.

Chakra III

Russia said in December 2014 that it is ready to lease India more nuclear-powered submarines a day after President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged to deepen defence ties.

In January 2015, it was reported that India was involved in negotiations involving the leasing of the Kashalot and the Iribis.

On 7 March 2019, India and Russia signed a $3 billion deal for lease of another Akula-class nuclear-powered attack submarine. The submarine, dubbed as Chakra III, should be delivered to the Indian Navy by 2025.

As of November 2024, the deal was delayed until at least 2028 according to multiple sources.

References

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