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This article is about the Soviet/Russian submarine class with NATO reporting name "Akula". For the submarine class with native Russian name "Akula" (Акула), see Typhoon class submarine.
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Akula |
| Operators: |  Soviet Navy Russian Navy Indian Navy |
| Preceded by: |
Operational predecessor: Victor class By sequence of construction: Sierra class |
| Succeeded by: | Yasen class |
| Cost: | est. $1.55 billion (1995 dollars) |
| In service: | 1984 |
| Planned: | 21 (6 later cancelled)[1] |
| Completed: | 15 |
| Active: | 10 (9 In Russia, 1 In India) |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | nuclear-powered attack submarine |
| Displacement: |
surfaced: 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 2,000 kW 1 seven-bladed propeller 2 OK-300 retractable electric propulsors for low-speed and quiet maneuvering at 5 knots (6 km/h) |
| Speed: | 10 knots surfaced 28-35 knots submerged[2] |
| Endurance: | 100 days[1] |
| Test depth: | 480 m test depth for Akula I and Akula I Improved 520 m for Akula II and III 600 m maximum operating depth[3] |
| Complement: | 73 for Akula I & Improved,[4] 62 (31 officers) for Akula II & III [5] |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
MGK-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 × 533mm torpedo tubes (28 torpedoes) and 4 × 650mm torpedo tubes (12 torpedoes) (K-152 Nerpa has 8 × 533mm torpedo tubes) 40 torpedoes total 1–3 × SA-N-10 Igla-M Surface-to-air missile launcher fired from sail (surface use only),RK-55 Granat cruise missiles |
| Notes: | Chiblis Surface Search radar 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 name Akula (Акула meaning "shark" in Russian) is the Soviet designation of the ballistic missile submarine class designated by NATO as the Typhoon class submarine. The name Akula was used as the NATO designation of the Projekt 971 because the first of the class was the K-284 christened Akula.
Contents
Construction
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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[citation needed] 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[citation needed]. 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).[citation needed]
Current status
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.Akula-I (project 971)
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Akula-I Improved (project 971 and 971I)
The six Akulas of this class are all thought to be in service. They are quieter than the original MGK-500 Skat sonar system on Akula-I is upgraded to the MGK-501 Skat-MS. 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 SOCKS hydrodynamic sensors except Leopard.[12] The Akula-I Improved submarines have 6 533 mm decoy launching tubes, as do subsequent submarines. They have a different arrangement of limber holes on the outer hull than Akula Is. Nerpa and Iribis (not completed) have a different rescue chamber in the sail.[citation needed] I can be distinguished by the large dome on the top surface.
Akula-II (project 971U)
K-157 Vepr is the only completed Akula II[citation needed]. The Akula II is some meters longer and displaces about 700 tons (submerged displacement) more than the Akula I. The added space was used for additional quieting measures. The MGK-501 Skat sonar system on Akula-I is replaced to a new MGK-540 Skat-3 sonar system,.[13] K-157 Vepr became the first Soviet submarine that was quieter than the latest U.S. attack submarines of that time, which was the Improved Los Angeles class (SSN 751 and later).[14] Two of these submarines were used to build the Borei class SSBNs.Akula-III (project 971M)
K-335 Gepard is the only completed Akula III (see table for others)[citation needed](There is no AKULA III NATO classification). 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 is the most advanced Russian submarine before the submarines of the Severodvinsk and Borei classes are commissioned. One of this class was used to complete the Borei SSBNs.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.
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-II as Viper (the actual name is "Vepr", "wild boar" in Russian), commissioned November 25, 1995, Gepard (Cheetah), launched 1999 and commissioned December 5, 2001, and Nerpa, laid down in 1993[1] began sea trials in October, 2008 and was commissioned by the Indian Navy as INS Chakra II in April 2012.[16]
Lease to India
Three hundred Indian Navy personnel are being trained in Russia for the operation of the Akula II submarine Nerpa. India has finalized a deal with Russia, in which at the end of the lease of these submarines, it has an option to buy them. The submarine will be named INS Chakra as was the previous India-leased Soviet Charlie-I SSGN.[26] INS Chakra was officially inducted into the Indian Navy on April 4, 2012.[27][28]Whereas the Russian Navy's Akula-II could be equipped with 28 nuclear-capable cruise missiles with a striking range of 3,000 km (1,620 nmi; 1,864 mi), the Indian version was reportedly expected to be armed with the 300 km (162 nmi; 186 mi)-range 3M-54 Klub nuclear-capable missiles.[29] Missiles with ranges greater than 300 km (162 nmi; 186 mi) cannot be exported due to arms control restrictions, since Russia is a signatory to the MTCR treaty.
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.[30] 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)[31][32] were killed by asphyxiation. Dozens of others suffered freon-related injuries and were evacuated to an unknown port in Primorsky Krai.[33] 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.[34]Recent overseas deployments
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.[35] The U.S. Northern Command confirmed that this 2009 Akula-class submarine deployment did occur.[36]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.[37]
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