In the USSR at the end of the 1950s. Russian designers have launched work on the formation of the appearance of the second generation nuclear submarine, intended for large-scale production. These ships were called upon to solve various combat missions, among which was the task of combating enemy aircraft carriers, as well as other large ships.
After considering several proposals from the design bureau, the technical assignment for the development of a cheap and relatively simple nuclear submarine of project 670 (code "Skat"), which was optimized to combat surface targets, was issued in May 1960 to the Gorky SKB-112 (in 1974 it was renamed into TsKB " Lapis lazuli"). This young team of designers, formed at the Krasnoye Sormovo plant in 1953, had previously worked on diesel-electric submarines of Project 613 (in particular, SKB-112 prepared documentation that was transferred to China), therefore, for SKB, the creation of the first nuclear-powered ship became a serious test. Vorobiev V. P. was appointed chief designer of the project, and Mastushkin B. R. - the main observer from the navy.
The main difference between the new vessel and the 1st generation SSGN (projects 659 and 675) was the equipment of the submarine with the Amethyst anti-ship missile system, which has the ability to launch underwater (developed by OKB-52). On April 1, 1959, a government decree was issued, according to which this complex was created.
One of the most difficult problems during the development of a project for a new nuclear submarine with cruise missiles, the serial construction of which was to be organized in the very center of Russia - in Gorky, at a distance of a thousand kilometers from the nearest sea, was keeping the displacement and dimensions of the ship within the limits that allow transportation of the submarine along inland waterways.
As a result, the designers were forced to accept, as well as "punch" from the customer some non-traditional for the domestic fleet of those. decisions that contradicted the "Rules for the design of submarines." In particular, they decided to switch to a single-shaft scheme and sacrifice the provision of surface buoyancy in the event of flooding of any watertight compartment. All this made it possible to keep within the framework of the draft design in the normal displacement of 2, 4 thousand tons (however, during further design, this parameter increased, exceeding 3 thousand tons).
Compared to other second-generation submarines, which were designed for the powerful, but rather heavy and large-sized hydroacoustic complex "Rubin", on the 670th project it was decided to use the more compact hydroacoustic complex "Kerch".
In 1959, OKB-52 developed a draft design of the Amethyst missile system. In contrast to the "Chelomeev" anti-ship missiles of the first generation P-6 and -35, where a turbojet engine was used, it was decided to use a solid-propellant rocket engine on an underwater launch rocket. This significantly limited the maximum firing range. However, at that time, another solution simply did not exist, since at the technological level of the late 1950s it was not possible to develop a system for starting an air-jet engine during flight, after the launch of a rocket. In 1961, testing of the Amethyst anti-ship missiles began.
Approval of those. project of a new nuclear submarine took place in July 1963. The nuclear submarine with cruise missiles of the 670th project had a double-hull architecture and spindle-shaped contours of a light hull. The nose of the hull had an elliptical cross-section, which was due to the placement of missile weapons.
The use of large-sized GAS and the desire to provide these systems in the aft sectors with the maximum possible viewing angles, became the reason for the "dullness" of the bow contours. In this regard, some of the instruments were placed in the bow of the upper part of the light hull. The horizontal front rudders (for the first time for the domestic submarine building) were moved to the middle of the submarine.
AK-29 steel was used to make a durable case. For 21 meters at the bow, the robust hull had the shape of a "triple eight", which was formed by cylinders of relatively small diameter. This form was dictated by the need to place missile containers in a lightweight body. The submarine hull was divided into seven watertight compartments:
The first compartment (made up of three cylinders) - battery, residential and torpedo;
The second compartment is residential;
The third compartment is a battery, central station;
The fourth compartment is electromechanical;
The fifth compartment is a reactor compartment;
The sixth compartment is turbine;
The seventh compartment is electromechanical.
The nasal end bulkhead and six inter-compartment bulkheads are flat, designed for pressures up to 15 kgf / cm2.
Low-magnetic steel and AMG were used for the manufacture of a light hull, solid deckhouse and ballast tanks. For the superstructure and fencing of the retractable deckhouse, an aluminum alloy was used. Radomes for sonar antennas, permeable parts of the aft end, and aft plumage are made using titanium alloys. The use of dissimilar materials, which in some cases form galvanic vapors, required special measures to protect against corrosion (gaskets, zinc protectors, etc.).
To reduce hydrodynamic noise when driving at high speeds, as well as to improve hydrodynamic characteristics, for the first time on domestic submarines, mechanisms for closing ventilation and scupper openings were used.
The main power plant (power 15 thousand hp) was largely unified with the twice more powerful power plant of the high-speed nuclear submarine of the 671st project - the OK-350 single-reactor steam generating unit included a water-cooled VM-4 reactor (power 89, 2 mW). The GTZA-631 turbine drove a five-blade propeller into rotation. There were also two auxiliary water cannons with an electric drive (270 kW), which provided the ability to move at speeds up to 5 knots.
SSGN S71 "Chakra" passes next to the Indian aircraft carrier R25 "Viraat"
On the boat of the 670th project, as well as on other submarines of the second generation, a three-phase alternating current with a frequency of 50 Hz and a voltage of 380 V was used in the power generation and distribution system.
The ship is equipped with two independent turbine generators TMVV-2 (power 2000 kW), a 500-kilowatt AC diesel generator with an automated remote control system and two groups of storage batteries (each with 112 cells).
To reduce the acoustic field of the SSGN, sound-insulating amortization of mechanisms and their foundations was used, as well as lining of deck decks and bulkheads with vibration-damping coatings. All the outer surfaces of the light hull, the deckhouse fence and the superstructure were sheathed with a rubber anti-hydrolocation coating. The outer surface of the sturdy case was covered with a similar material. Thanks to these measures, as well as the single-turbine and single-shaft layout, the Project 670 SSGN had a very low, for that time, level of acoustic signature (among the Soviet nuclear-powered ships of the second generation, this submarine was considered the quietest). Its noise at full speed in the ultrasonic frequency range was less than 80, in the infrasonic - 100, in the sound - 110 decibels. At the same time, most of the acoustic range and natural sea noises coincided. The submarine had a demagnetizing device designed to reduce the vessel's magnetic signature.
The submarine's hydraulic system was divided into three autonomous subsystems, which served to drive general ship devices, rudders, and missile container covers. The working fluid of the hydraulic system during the operation of the submarines, which, due to its high fire hazard, was the subject of a constant "headache" for the crews, was replaced with a less flammable one.
The SSGN of the 670th project had an electrolysis stationary air regeneration system (this made it possible to abandon another source of fire hazard on the submarine - regenerative cartridges). Freon volumetric fire extinguishing system provided effective fire fighting.
The submarine was equipped with the Sigma-670 inertial navigation system, the accuracy of which exceeded the corresponding characteristics of the navigation systems of the first generation boats by 1.5 times. SJSC "Kerch" provided a detection range of 25 thousand meters. On board the submarine to control combat systems was placed BIUS (Combat Information and Control System) "Brest".
On the ship of the 670th project, in comparison with the ships of the first generation, the level of automation was sharply increased. For example, control of the movement of the submarine along the course and depth, stabilization without moving and on the move, the process of ascent and diving, prevention of emergency failures and trims, control of preparation for torpedo and rocket firing, and the like were automated.
The habitability of the submarine has also been somewhat improved. All personnel were provided with individual sleeping places. The officers had a wardroom. Dining room for midshipmen and sailors. The interior design has improved. The submarine used fluorescent lamps. In front of the wheelhouse fence, there was a shuttle pop-up rescue chamber designed to rescue the crew in an emergency (ascent from depths of up to 400 meters).
The missile armament of the Project 670 SSGN - eight Amethyst anti-ship missiles - was located in SM-97 container launchers located outside the strong hull in the forward part of the ship at an angle of 32.5 degrees to the horizon. The P-70 solid-propellant rocket (4K-66, NATO designation - SS-N-7 "Starbright") had a launch weight of 2900 kg, a maximum range of 80 km, a speed of 1160 kilometers per hour. The rocket was carried out according to the normal aerodynamic configuration, had a folding wing that opens automatically after launch. The missile flew at an altitude of 50-60 meters, which made it difficult to intercept it by means of air defense of enemy ships. The radar homing system of anti-ship missiles provided automatic selection of the largest target in the order (that is, the target that has the largest reflective surface). The submarine's typical ammunition consisted of two missiles equipped with nuclear ammunition (power 1 kt) and six missiles with conventional warheads weighing about 1000 kg. Fire with anti-ship missiles could be carried out from a depth of up to 30 meters with two four-rocket salvoes at a speed under boats of up to 5, 5 knots, with a sea state of less than 5 points. A significant drawback of the P-70 "Amethyst" missiles was the strong smoke trail left by the solid-propellant rocket engine, which unmasked the submarine during the launch of anti-ship missiles.
The torpedo armament of the Project 670 submarine was located in the bow of the vessel and consisted of four 533-mm torpedo tubes with ammunition of twelve SET-65, SAET-60M or 53-65K torpedoes, as well as two 400-mm torpedo tubes (four MGT-2 or SET-40). Instead of torpedoes, the submarine could carry up to 26 minutes. Also, the submarine's torpedo ammunition included decoys "Anabar". The Ladoga-P-670 fire control system was used to control torpedo firing.
In the West, Project 670 submarines were designated "Charlie class". It should be noted that the appearance of new missile carriers in the USSR fleet significantly complicated the life of the aircraft carrier formations of the US Navy. Having less noise than their predecessors, they were less vulnerable to anti-submarine weapons of a potential enemy, and the possibility of underwater missile launch made the use of their "main caliber" more effective. The low firing range of the "Amethyst" complex required an approach to the target at a distance of up to 60-70 kilometers. However, this had its advantages: the short flight time of low-altitude transonic missiles made it very problematic to organize counteraction to a strike from under the water from "dagger" distances.
Modifications
Five SSGNs of the 670th project (K-212, -302, -308, -313, -320) were modernized in the 1980s. The Kerch hydroacoustic complex was replaced by the new Rubicon State Joint Stock Company. Also, on all submarines, a hydrodynamic stabilizer was installed in front of the fence of the retractable deckhouse, which was a plane with a negative angle of attack. The stabilizer compensated for the excessive buoyancy of the "swollen" bow of the sub. On some submarines of this series, the old propeller was replaced by new low-noise four-bladed propellers with a diameter of 3, 82 and 3, 92 m, mounted in tandem on the same shaft.
In 1983, the nuclear submarine with cruise missiles K-43, slated for sale to India, underwent overhaul and modernization under project 06709. As a result, the submarine received the Rubicon hydroacoustic complex. Also, in the course of the work, an air conditioning system was installed, equipped with new quarters for personnel and cabins for officers, and secret control and communication equipment was removed. After completing the training of Indian crews, the submarine again stood up for repairs. By the summer of 1987, it was fully prepared for transmission. On January 5, 1988, K-43 (renamed UTS-550) in Vladivostok raised the Indian flag and departed for India.
Later, on the basis of the 670 project, an improved version of it - the 670-M project - was developed, which has more powerful Malachite missiles, the firing range of which was up to 120 kilometers.
Construction program
In Gorky, at the Krasnoye Sormovo shipyard in the period from 1967 to 1973, eleven SSGNs of the 670th project were built. After transportation to the special. dock along the Volga, the Mariinsky water system and the White Sea-Baltic Canal, the submarines were transferred to Severodvinsk. There they were completed, tested and handed over to the customer. It should be noted that at the initial stage of the implementation of the program, the option of transferring the project 670 SSGN to the Black Sea was considered, but it was rejected, mainly for geopolitical reasons (the problem of the Black Sea straits). On November 6, 1967, the acceptance certificate was signed for the K-43, the lead ship of the series. On July 3, 1968, after tests on the K-43 submarine, the Amethyst missile system with P-70 missiles was adopted by the Navy.
In 1973-1980, 6 more submarines of the modernized project 670-M were built at the same plant.
2007 status
K-43 - the lead nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine of Project 670 - became part of the Eleventh Division of the First Submarine Flotilla of the Northern Fleet. Later, the remaining vessels of the 670 project were also included in this connection. Initially, the SSGN of the 670th project was listed as a CRPL. On July 25, 1977, they were assigned to the subclass of UAVs, but on January 15 of the following year, they were again assigned to the KRPL. April 28, 1992 (individual submarines - June 3) - to the ABPL subclass.
Project 670 submarines began their combat service in 1972. The submarines of this project monitored the aircraft carriers of the US Navy, were actively involved in various exercises and maneuvers, the largest being Ocean-75, Sever-77 and Runaway-81. In 1977, the first group firing of Amethyst anti-ship missiles was carried out as part of 2 Project 670 SSGNs and 1 small missile ship.
One of the main areas of combat service for the ships of the project 670 was the Mediterranean Sea. In this region in the 1970s and 80s. the interests of the USA and the USSR were closely intertwined. The main target of the Soviet missile carriers is the warships of the American Sixth Fleet. It must be admitted that the Mediterranean conditions made the Project 670 submarines in this theater the most formidable weapon. Their presence caused justified concern among the American command, which did not have at its disposal reliable means of countering this given threat. An effective demonstration of the capabilities of the submarines in service with the USSR Navy was rocket firing at a target conducted by the K-313 boat in May 1972 in the Mediterranean Sea.
Gradually, the geography of the campaigns of the North Sea submarines of the 670th project expanded. In January-May 1974, the K-201, together with the Project 671 nuclear submarine K-314, made a unique 107-day transition from the Northern Fleet to the Pacific Fleet across the Indian Ocean along the southern route. On March 10-25, the submarines entered the Somali port of Berbera, where the crews received a short rest. After that, the voyage continued, ending in Kamchatka in early May.
K-429 in April 1977 made the transition from the Northern Fleet to the Pacific Fleet by the Northern Sea Route, where the SSGN on April 30, 1977 became part of the Tenth Division of the Second Submarine Flotilla, based in Kamchatka. A similar transition in August-September 1979, which lasted 20 days, was made by the submarine K-302. Later, K-43 (1980), K-121 (until 1977), K-143 (1983), K-308 (1985), K-313 (1986) arrived to the Pacific Ocean along the Northern Sea Route.
K-83 (renamed K-212 in January 1978) and K-325 in the period from August 22 to September 6, 1978 made the world's first group transarctic under-ice transition to the Pacific Ocean. Initially, it was planned that the first submarine, passing from the Barents Sea to the Chukchi Sea under the ice, would transmit a signal of ascent, after which the second ship would set off. However, they proposed a more reliable and effective way of transition - a transition as part of a tactical group. This reduced the risk of ice navigation of single-reactor boats (if one of the reactor's SSGNs failed, another boat could provide assistance in finding the ice hole). In addition, the boats in the group were able to maintain telephone communication with each other using the UZPS, which allowed the submarines to interact with each other. In addition, the group transition made the issues of surface ("ice") support cheaper. The ship commanders and the commander of the Eleventh Submarine Division were awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union for their participation in the operation.
All Pacific ships of the 670th project became part of the Tenth Division of the Second Submarine Flotilla. The main task of the submarines was to track (upon receipt of the corresponding order - the destruction) of the aircraft carriers of the US Navy. In particular, in December 1980, the submarine K-201 carried out long-term tracking of the strike aircraft carrier group, which was headed by the aircraft carrier "Coral Sea" (for this she was awarded the thanks of the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy). Due to the shortage of anti-submarine submarines in the Pacific Fleet, Project 670 SSGNs were involved in solving problems of detecting American submarines in the combat patrol area of Soviet SSBNs.
The fate of the K-429 was the most dramatic. On June 24, 1983, as a result of an error by the crew, the submarine sank at a depth of 39 meters in the Sarannaya Bay (near the coast of Kamchatka) at the training ground. As a result of the incident, 16 people died. The submarine was raised on August 9, 1983 (during the lift operation, an incident occurred: "additionally" flooded four compartments, which greatly complicated the work). The refurbishment, which cost the treasury 300 million rubles, was completed in September 1985, but on September 13, a few days after the completion of work, as a result of violations of survivability requirements, the submarine sank again in Bolshoy Kamen near the wall of the shipyard. In 1987, the submarine, which had not yet been commissioned, was excluded from the fleet and converted into a training station UTS-130, which is based in Kamchatka and is used for a long time.
Following the nuclear submarine K-429, which left its combat formation in 1987, in the early 1990s, other submarines of the 670 project were also written off.
Raising the sunken nuclear submarine K-429 by pontoons
One of the ships of the 670th project - K-43 - became the first nuclear submarine of the Indian Navy. This country in the early 1970s. launched a national program for the creation of nuclear submarines, but seven years of work and four million dollars spent on the program did not lead to the expected results: the task turned out to be much more difficult than it seemed at first. As a result, they decided to rent one of the nuclear submarines from the USSR. The choice of the sailors of India fell on the "Charlie" (ships of this type proved to be excellent at the Pacific theater).
In 1983, in Vladivostok, at the training center of the Navy, and later on board the K-43 submarine, scheduled for transfer to the Indian Navy, training of two crews began. By this time, the submarine had already undergone overhaul and modernization under the project 06709. The boat, after completing the training of Indian crews, again stood up for repairs. By the summer of 1987, it was fully prepared for handover. K-43 (designated UTS-550) on January 5, 1988 raised the Indian flag in Vladivostok and a few days later departed for India with a Soviet crew.
For the new, most powerful warship of the Indian Navy, which received tactical number S-71 and the name "Chakra", very favorable basing conditions were created: special. pier equipped with a 60-ton crane, covered dock boathouse, radiation safety services, workshops. Water, compressed air and electricity were supplied on board the boat during anchorage. In India, "Chakra" was operated for three years, while she spent about a year in autonomous voyages. All conducted practice firing was crowned with direct hits on the target. On January 5, 1991, the lease of the submarine expired. India has persistently tried to extend the lease and even buy another similar submarine. However, Moscow did not agree to these proposals for political reasons.
For Indian divers, Chakra was a real university. Many of the officers who served on it now occupy key positions in the naval forces of this country (suffice it to say that the nuclear submarine with cruise missiles gave India 8 admirals). The experience gained during the operation of the nuclear-powered ship made it possible to continue work on the creation of its own Indian nuclear submarine "S-2".
On April 28, 1992, "Chakra", again enlisted in the Russian Navy, arrived under its own power in Kamchatka, where it completed its service. She was expelled from the fleet on July 3, 1992.
The main tactical and technical characteristics of the PLACR project 670 "Skat":
Surface displacement - 3574 tons;
Underwater displacement - 4980 tons;
Dimensions:
Maximum length - 95.5 m;
Maximum width - 9, 9 m;
Draft at design waterline - 7.5 m;
Main power plant:
- steam generating unit OK-350; VVR VM-4-1 - 89.2 mW;
- GTZA-631, steam turbine, 18800 hp (13820 kW);
- 2 turbine generators TMVV-2 - 2x2000 kW;
- diesel generator - 500 kW;
- auxiliary ED - 270 hp;
- shaft;
- five-blade fixed pitch propellant or 2 according to the "tandem" scheme;
- 2 auxiliary water cannons;
Surface speed - 12 knots;
Submerged speed - 26 knots;
Working immersion depth - 250 m;
Maximum immersion depth - 300 m;
Autonomy 60 days;
Crew - 86 people (including 23 officers);
Strike missile armament:
- launchers SM-97 anti-ship missile system P-70 "Amethyst" - 8 pcs;
- anti-ship missiles P-70 (4K66) "Amethyst" (SS-N-7 "Starbright") - 8 pcs.;
Torpedo armament:
- 533 mm torpedo tubes - 4 (bow);
- 533 mm torpedoes 53-65K, SAET-60M, SET-65 - 12;
- 400 mm torpedo tubes - 2 (bow);
-400 mm torpedoes SET-40, MGT-2 - 4;
Mine weapons:
- can carry up to 26 minutes instead of part of the torpedoes;
Electronic weapons:
Combat information and control system - "Brest"
General detection radar system - RLK-101 "Albatross" / MRK-50 "Cascade";
Hydroacoustic system:
- hydroacoustic complex "Kerch" or MGK-400 "Rubicon" (Shark Fin);
- ZPS;
Electronic warfare means:
- MRP-21A "Zaliv-P";
- "Paddle-P" direction finder;
- VAN-M PMU (Stop Light, Brick Group, Park Lamp);
- GPD "Anabar" (instead of part of the torpedoes);
Navigation complex - "Sigma-670";
Radio communication complex:
- "Lightning";
- "Paravan" buoy antenna;
- "Iskra", "Anis", "Topol" PMU.
