india,Akula-class submarine and Nuclear submarine

The Russian Navy has 14 Bars Class project 971 submarines known in the West as the Akula Class nuclear-powered submarines (SSN). A number of Russian Akula class submarines are deployed in the Pacific region. It is a nuclear -powered attack submarine (SSN) first deployed by the Soviet Navy in 1986. The class is also known under the name Bars (meaning "snow leopard) There are four sub-classes or flights of Shchuka, consisting of the original seven Akula Is, commissioned between 1984 and 1990; six Improved Akulas, commissioned between 1991 and 2009; one Akula II, commissioned in 1995; and one Akula III, commissioned in 2001. The Russians call all of the submarines Shchuka-B, regardless of modifications.

The submarines were built by the Amur Shipbuilding Plant Joint Stock Company at Komsomolsk-on-Amur and by Sevmash at the Severodvinsk shipbuilding yard. Seven Akula I submarines were commissioned between 1986 and 1992, and three Improved Akula between 1992 and 1995. The improved Akula I and Akula II are also designated as Project 971U and Project 971A respectively. The Akula Class submarine was deployed for the first time in 1986 by the Soviet Navy. Three Akula II submarines, with hull length extended by 4m and advanced machinery-quietening technology, have been built.

Some potential for confusion may exist, as the name Akula  was used by the Soviets for a different submarine, the Projekt 941, which is known in the West as the Typhoon class. By contrast, the Projekt 971 (the subject of this article) was named Shchuka-B by the Soviets but designated as the "Akula class" by the West after the name of the lead ship, K-284. The first, Viper, was commissioned in 1995, the second, Nerpa, in December 2000 and the third, Gepard, in August 2001. The Akula II submarines are 110m long and displace up to 12,770t. They have a maximum speed of 35kt submerged and a maximum diving depth of 600m. The oldest submarine, Akula I, is likely to be removed from service by 2015, while the Gepard Akula II is expected be withdrawn from service by 2025.

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. This design requires more power than single-hull submarines[citation needed] because of the greater wetted surface area, which increases drag.

The distinctive "bulb" or "can" seen on top of the Akula's rudder houses its towed sonar array, when retracted. Most Akulas have the SOCKS 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. All Akulas have two T-shaped doors on the aft bottom of the hull, on either side. These are where the OK-300 auxiliary propulsion devices are located, which can propel the submarine at up to 5 knots (9.3 km/h). Akulas (excluding Nerpa) are armed with four 533 mm torpedo tubes which can use Type 53 torpedoes or the SS-N-15 Starfish missile, and four 650 mm torpedo tubes which can use Type 65 torpedoes or the SS-N-16 Stallion missile. These torpedo tubes are arranged in two rows of four tubes each. Improved Akulas, Akula IIs have an additional six 533 mm torpedo tubes mounted externally, capable of launching possibly up to 6 decoys 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 mines.

Missiles

The Akula Class carry up to 12 Granit submarine-launched cruise missiles. The missiles are fired from the 533mm torpedo launch tubes. Granit (Nato designation: SS-N-21 Sampson) has a range of about 3,000km and delivers a 200kt warhead. The CEP (the circle of equal probability) is 150m. The CEP value is a measure of the accuracy of strike on the target and is the radius of the circle within which half the strikes will impact. The land attack Granit missile uses inertial and terrain following guidance. The submarine’s anti-ship missiles are the Novator SS-N-15 Starfish and the Novator SS-N-16 Stallion. The Starfish, fired from the 533mm tubes, has a target range of 45km. The Stallion, fired from the 650mm tubes, has a longer range of up to 100km. The Stallion and the Starfish can be armed with a 200kt warhead or a type 40 torpedo. An air defence capability is provided by a Strela SA-N-5/8 portable missile launcher with 18 missiles.

Torpedoes

The submarine has eight torpedo launch tubes, four 650mm and four 533mm tubes. The Improved Akula and Akula II have ten, with six 533mm tubes. The four 650mm tubes can be fitted with liners to provide additional 533mm weapon launch capacity. The torpedo tubes can be used to launch mines instead of torpedoes. The Akula can launch a range of anti-submarine and anti-surface vessel torpedoes.

overview

Name:  Akula

Builders: Sevmash

Operators

 Soviet Navy Ensign Soviet Navy

Russian Navy Ensign Russian Navy

Indian Navy Ensign Indian Navy

Preceded by :    Victor class, Sierra class

Succeeded by:   Yasen class

Cost: $1.55

In service:           1984–present

Active:  5 (4 active +5 on modernization in Russia, 1 active in India)

Retired: 3

General characteristics

Type: Nuclear attack submarine

Displacement   

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.

Length: 110.3 m (362 ft) for Akula I and Akula I Improved

                113.3 m for Akula II and Akula III

Beam:   13.6 m

Draught: 9.7 m

Propulsion: one 190 MW OK-650B/OK-650M pressurized water nuclear reactor

1 OK-7 steam turbine 43,000 hp (32 MW)

2 OK-2 Turbogenerators producing 2 MW

seven-bladed propeller

2 OK-300 retractable electric propulsors for low-speed and quiet maneuvering at 5 knots (9.3 km/h)

Speed

10 knots (19 km/h) surfaced

28–35 knots (52–65 km/h) submerged

Endurance: 100 days

Test depth

480 m (1,570 ft) test depth for Akula I and Akula I Improved

520 m (1,710 ft) for Akula II and III

600 m (2,000 ft) maximum operating depth

Complement

73 for Akula I & Improved, 62 (31 officers) for Akula II & III

Sensors and processing systems            

MGK-500 or 540 active/passive suite

Flank arrays Pelamida towed array sonar

MG-70 mine detection sonar

Electronic warfare & decoys      

Bukhta ESM/ECM MG-74 Korund noise simulation decoys (fired from external tubes)

MT-70 Sonar intercept receiver Nikhrom-M IFF

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

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

Granat cruise missiles, now Kalibr