Simultaneously with the USA, the USSR began to create a new look of the 4th generation nuclear submarines in 1977. It was supposed to create several types: anti-submarine, multipurpose, anti-aircraft. Later, they limited themselves to work on a project of a single multipurpose submarine, but capable of solving the widest range of tasks. The designer of the new submarine was the Malakhit Design Bureau, which at that time had extensive experience in creating successful multipurpose nuclear submarines.
The new submarine, created according to Project 885, received the secret code "Ash" (NATO - "Gra-nay"). The keel-laying of the lead ship under the name "Severodvinsk" took place at the end of 1993 in the city of Severodvinsk at the Sevmash enterprise. Construction soon slowed down due to insufficient funding.
The new submarine, created according to Project 885, received the secret code "Ash" (NATO - "Gra-nay"). The keel-laying of the lead ship under the name "Severodvinsk" took place at the end of 1993 in the city of Severodvinsk at the Sevmash enterprise. Construction soon slowed down due to insufficient funding.
Project 885 submarines are built on a single-shaft scheme. Extremely robust special steel housing. The nuclear power plant of the Yasen-class submarine belongs to the closed reactors of the 4th generation, which use an integrated layout circuit. The advantage of this arrangement is the localization of the built-in primary coolant in a separate monoblock casing, as well as the complete absence of branch pipes and pipelines of significant diameter. Such a scheme provides for the use of equipment that has ultra-high reliability. According to a number of specialists, new unique ship reactors will be able to serve much longer without additional recharge than they are used now. It is known that the power plants existing today have the ability to operate for 25-30 years. In other words, the life of a nuclear reactor is comparable to the life of a submarine itself.
The exact date when "Severodvinsk", the lead ship of a series of new submarines will go to take "final exams" in the waters of the White Sea, is not advertised in advance, but they no longer make a special secret of this. “Expect news in the second half of August,” said the administration of the city of Severodvinsk, which established full official patronage over the combat crew of the ship of the same name. This agreement was signed in December 2009, and the document was signed by the mayor of Severodvinsk Mikhail Gmyrin, the commander of the submarine's combat crew, Captain I Rank Serey Mityaev, as well as the official representative of the Sevmash enterprise. And in July 2010, the Severodvinsk submarine was launched to carry out outfitting work and the first mooring tests. Here are the main performance characteristics of nuclear submarines of project 885: maximum length - 120 meters, maximum width - 15 meters, draft - 10 meters. Maximum displacement - 11800 tons. Underwater cruising speed - 30 nautical knots. The crew of the vessel is 85 people. The sub is equipped with a pop-up rescue chamber for the entire crew.
“This is the first multipurpose submarine of the fourth generation, and it is quite symbolic that it is named after your beautiful city,” said then, addressing the residents of Severodvinsk, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who specially visited the northern shipyard to attend the launching ceremony.
The construction period, which was a record for almost 18 years, was the result of an unprecedented and sharp reduction in defense state orders and the collapse of scientific and production cooperation directly in military shipbuilding. Many other significant factors, both objective and subjective, have been added here.
However, be that as it may, the modern ship is afloat, the necessary outfitting work has been completed, the combat crew has been trained. According to Vladimir Pyalov, general designer of SPMBM "Malakhit", the readiness of the submarine cruiser is estimated at about 98.9 percent. Complex mooring tests are now coming to an end. Literally after this, the first exit to the open sea will follow. And not just an easy walk, but an intense test program of running capabilities, designed for a period of two months.
Such a long birth of the first "Ash", as its creators indicate, is associated not only with the economic difficulties that have arisen in the country, but also with fundamentally new weapons and architecture of the submarine. Severodvinsk carries on board a powerful armament complex, which includes the Onyx supersonic cruise ballistic missiles. It combines the qualities of a fast and stealthy torpedo nuclear submarine with the combat capabilities of a missile cruiser, to which the deceased Kursk belonged. The submarine also received the latest navigation and communication systems, and is equipped with a fundamentally new and unique nuclear power plant. Observers note that Severodvinsk differs from previous missile nuclear submarines, including projects 949A and 971, both in terms of the range of the weapons on board, and in terms of size and technical capabilities. Considering these indicators, it can be concluded that the project 885 "Ash" is not intended to replace any of the previous obsolete series, but, as necessary, fills the existing "niche" in the underwater defense of the state. Such an extremely “non-standard for Russians” variant of approach to their own defense is very alarming for foreign analysts.
Western experts believe that Yasen-class submarines, equipped with stealthy, high-precision cruise missiles, will be able to take on a significant part of conventional deterrence, while remaining a very serious threat to enemy submarines, transport and warships.
The crew of the submarine "Severodvinsk" was formed on the basis of the 11th division of the submarine Northern Fleet in 2005, was trained in a special 270th training center of the Navy located in Sosnovy Bor. In October 2009, the sailors who are part of the crew arrived from the Arctic to the base in Severodvinsk and for eighteen months, together with the commissioning team of the factory, have been preparing their submarine to join the combat strength of the Russian Navy.
The Russian Navy (Navy) will receive by 2020 at least eight multipurpose nuclear submarines of the Severodvinsk type (project 885, code Ash), RIA Novosti reported on Friday, citing Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Vladimir Vysotsky.
