The most important part of the navy is its submarines. Modern submarines can perform a wide range of missions to detect and destroy enemy ships, submarines or ground targets. In addition, the naval component of the strategic nuclear forces is entirely submarine-based. Currently, as part of the renovation of the Navy, new submarines of various types are being built. In the foreseeable future, the fleet should receive several dozen submarines, both strategic or multipurpose, and diesel-electric or special. Nevertheless, so far the basis of the submarine fleet in quantitative terms is submarines built earlier, including before the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The four fleets of the Russian Navy (with the exception of the Caspian Flotilla) now have a total of 76 submarines of various types. Strategic missile submarines (SSBNs), nuclear multipurpose submarines, diesel submarines, as well as a number of special nuclear and diesel submarines are in service and in reserve.
Strategic missile cruisers
The core of the naval component of the nuclear forces is the Project 667BDRM Dolphin nuclear submarines. Currently, the Russian Navy has six such submarines: K-51 Verkhoturye, K-84 Yekaterinburg, K-114 Tula, K-117 Bryansk, K-118 Karelia and K-407 "Novomoskovsk". The Yekaterinburg submarine is currently undergoing repairs. Completion of work and delivery of the boat are scheduled for the end of this year. Another submarine of the Dolphin project, the K-64, was decommissioned in 1999 and soon set off for re-equipment. All six submarines of Project 677BDRM serve in the Northern Fleet.
The second largest type of SSBN in the Russian Navy is Project 667BDR Kalmar. Submarines of this type were built from the mid-seventies to the early eighties. Most of the Kalmar submarines have been decommissioned and scrapped by now. Now the fleet has only three submarines of this type: K-433 "St. George the Victorious", K-223 "Podolsk" and K-44 "Ryazan". The latter is the newest of the available submarines of the 667BDR project and was transferred to the fleet in 1982. All three Squids serve in the Pacific Ocean.
Until the mid-nineties, the task of nuclear deterrence was carried out by the K-129 Orenburg submarine, built according to the 667BDR project. In 1996, it was decided to convert it into a carrier for deep-sea vehicles. Currently "Orenburg" belongs to the 09786 project and has the designation BS-136.
In the ranks and in the reserve of the Northern Fleet there are three nuclear submarines of projects 941 and 941UM "Akula". The heavy missile cruiser TK-208 "Dmitry Donskoy" continues to serve. This was facilitated by the repair and modernization in accordance with project 941UM, during which the submarine received equipment for the Bulava missile system. The other two Akuls, TK-17 Arkhangelsk and TK-20 Severstal, were put into reserve in the middle of the last decade due to the lack of R-39 missiles. Their further fate has not yet been determined.
In January 2013, a flag-raising ceremony was held on the head SSBN of the new Project 955 Borey. The submarine K-535 "Yuri Dolgoruky", built since 1996, passed all tests and was handed over to the fleet. At the end of December of the same year, the K-550 submarine "Alexander Nevsky" was accepted into the Navy. The lead submarine of the Borey project became part of the Northern Fleet, the first serial submarine - into the Pacific Fleet.
Multipurpose nuclear submarines
The tasks of destroying various surface, submarine and coastal targets are assigned to multipurpose nuclear submarines armed with cruise missiles and torpedoes. The most massive nuclear submarines of this class are the Project 971 Schuka-B submarines. The Russian Navy has 11 submarines of this type, distributed between the Northern and Pacific fleets. Five submarines "Shchuka-B" serve in the Pacific Fleet, six are in the Northern Fleet. At the moment, five Project 971 submarines are under repair or are being prepared for it. To date, the Navy has lost three submarines of this type. The boat K-284 "Akula" has been in storage since 2002, the K-480 "Ak Bars" was handed over for scrapping at the end of the last decade, and the dismantling of the K-263 "Barnaul" started last year.
The fate of the K-152 "Nerpa" boat is worth a separate consideration. It was laid down in 1991 for the Russian fleet, but financial difficulties led to the disruption of all the deadlines for the work. In 2004, a contract was signed, according to which the submarine was planned to be completed and transferred to the Indian Navy. After a number of difficulties, all work was completed, and in January 2012 the submarine was accepted by the customer.
The second largest multipurpose nuclear submarines in the Russian Navy are Project 949A Antey submarines. In the Pacific and Northern fleets there are 5 and 3 submarines of this type, respectively. Initially, it was planned that the Navy will receive 18 such submarines, but the financial capabilities of the fleet made it possible to build only 11. To date, three boats of the Antey project have been out of service. In August 2000, the submarine K-141 "Kursk" tragically died, and since the end of the 2000s, work has been underway to dismantle the submarines K-148 "Krasnodar" and K-173 "Krasnoyarsk". Of the remaining submarines, four are currently undergoing repairs.
From the late seventies to the early nineties, four submarines of projects 945 Barracuda and 945A Condor were built. The ships B-239 "Karp" and B-276 "Kostroma" were built under Project 945, and B-534 "Nizhny Novgorod" and B-336 "Pskov" were built on Project 945A. All of these submarines are part of the Northern Fleet. Last year, work began on the repair and modernization of the Karp submarine. After it, Kostroma will be repaired. "Pskov" and "Nizhny Novgorod" continue to serve.
Until now, four multipurpose nuclear submarines of Project 671RTMK "Shchuka" remain in the Northern Fleet. Two submarines, B-414 "Daniil Moskovsky" and B-338 "Petrozavodsk", continue to serve, and two others, B-138 "Obninsk" and B-448 "Tambov" are under repair. In accordance with the current plans, all the "Pike" in the fleet in the foreseeable future will end their service. It was previously reported that all of them will be written off by the end of 2015. They will be replaced by new types of multipurpose submarines.
On June 17, 2014, a solemn ceremony of raising the flag took place on the K-560 Severodvinsk submarine, the lead and so far the only ship of Project 885 Yasen. The first "Ash" was laid down at the end of 1993 and launched only in 2010. By 2020, it is planned to build 8 submarines of the Yasen type with missile weapons. Due to the long construction time of the lead submarine, all other submarines of the series will be built according to the updated project 885M. At present, there are three submarines of a new type on the stocks of the Sevmash enterprise: Kazan, Novosibirsk and Krasnoyarsk.
Non-nuclear submarines
Since the beginning of the eighties, several domestic shipyards have been engaged in the serial production of diesel-electric submarines of Project 877 "Halibut". Over the past decades, several versions of this project have been created, thanks to which "Halibuts" of various modifications have become the most massive submarines in the Russian Navy.
The Baltic Fleet has two DPLEs of the Halibut project: B-227 Vyborg and B-806 Dmitrov (pr.877EKM). The Black Sea Fleet has only one submarine of Project 877V - B-871 Alrosa. The Northern Fleet has the second largest group of "Halibuts" - five diesel-electric submarines of project 877 and one project 877LPMB. Finally, eight diesel-electric submarines of Project 877 "Halibut" serve at the bases of the Pacific Fleet.
Further development of the 877 project is the 636 Varshavyanka project and its versions. On August 22, 2014, the lead submarine of project 636.3 - B-261 Novorossiysk was accepted into the combat strength of the Black Sea Fleet. By the end of the decade, the Black Sea Fleet will receive five more submarines of this type. Two of them, B-237 Rostov-on-Don and B-262 Stary Oskol, have already been launched.
Until recently, great hopes were pinned on diesel-electric submarines of project 677 "Lada", which are the further development of "Halibuts". Previously, there were plans to build a series of several Project 677 boats, but the tests of the lead ship forced them to make serious adjustments. As a result, the first submarine of the project, B-585 "Saint Petersburg", is in trial operation by the Northern Fleet. Two serial ships of Project 677 are under construction. In connection with the problems of the lead submarine, the construction of serial submarines was suspended for some time.
Special equipment
In addition to combat submarines, the Russian Navy has a number of special submarines and underwater vehicles designed to perform specific tasks of various kinds. For example, the Baltic, Northern and Pacific Fleets operate four Project 1855 Prize deep-sea rescue vehicles.
According to open data, the Northern Fleet has 10 special-purpose nuclear and diesel-electric submarines designed to perform various tasks. This technique is designed to carry out research work, conduct rescue operations and provide combat alert for underwater missile cruisers. The most famous representative of this class of equipment is the special submarine AS-12 "Losharik", capable of diving to a depth of several kilometers. It was reported that in September 2012 "Losharik" participated in research work in the Arctic, during which its crew collected soil samples at a depth of more than 2 kilometers.
In the future, the Russian Navy should receive a number of new special-purpose submarines. So, since 2012, the project 949A submarine "Belgorod" is being completed according to a special project, thanks to which it will be able to become a carrier of deep-sea research vehicles. In the spring of last year, representatives of the Navy argued that the plans of the military department included the construction of a special submarine for hydroacoustic patrol, the task of which would be to detect underwater targets at a distance of up to several hundred kilometers.
Perspectives
At the moment, in total, the Russian Navy has more than seven dozen submarines and vehicles for various purposes. The overwhelming majority of this equipment was built even before the collapse of the Soviet Union, which accordingly affects both the condition and the capabilities of the submarine fleet. However, in recent years, a number of measures have been taken to update it. In accordance with current plans, the Navy should receive a relatively large number of new submarines by 2020.
By the end of this decade, the fleet will receive eight Project 955 Borey strategic missile carriers, the same number of Project 885 Yasen multipurpose nuclear submarines and six Project 636.3 Varshavyanka diesel-electric submarines. The nuclear powered Borei and Ash trees will be distributed between the Northern and Pacific fleets. "Varshavyanka", in turn, will serve on the Black Sea bases. Earlier it was reported about plans for the future project 677 "Lada". In the near future, it is planned to develop an updated version of this project, in which a new power plant will be used. Successful completion of this project will expand plans for the construction of non-nuclear submarines.
In parallel with the construction of new submarines, old ones will be written off. For example, by 2015-16, it is planned to terminate the operation of the remaining nuclear submarines of Project 671RTMK "Shchuka". Almost all submarines of this type have already been withdrawn from the fleet and disposed of, and only four remain in service. Over time, similar processes will occur with other types of submarines, which will be replaced by new "Ash", "Borei", "Varshavyanka" and, possibly, "Lada". Nevertheless, a complete renovation of the submarine fleet will take a long time and will become one of the most expensive projects in the history of the Russian Navy.
