The news seems insignificant in appearance, but in fact it is very important.
If for nuclear-powered submarines our continued presence at the forefront with the adoption of Boreev and Ash is no longer in doubt, then with non-nuclear submarines the situation is a little more complicated. I will try to clarify it with an excellent example, which is the non-nuclear submarine Lada of project 677.
"St. Petersburg", project 677
Why don't we focus on nuclear powered ships?
...how are the Americans? Because:
- For many tasks, the nuclear-powered ship is redundant.
- Because of the reactor, nuclear-powered ships have to implement expensive and technically complex solutions to achieve an acceptable noise level. And for submarines, the one who makes less noise wins. Modern diesel boats run under water on electric motors and do not make more noise than the environment, for which, for example, Varshavyanka was nicknamed the "black hole".
- The price is drastically lower for NAPLs (non-nuclear submarines).
- The nuclear-powered ship requires an appropriate service infrastructure, which not every country can pull.
- NATO countries that produce diesel boats allow Americans not to bother themselves, but to buy them or rent them as needed. We do not have such an opportunity.
- Non-nuclear submarines have an export potential incomparable with nuclear-powered submarines.
Why not stay at Varshavyanka?
Varshavyanka is a very successful diesel-electric submarine project, the third modernization of which is now being carried out for the Black Sea Fleet, and an export version is also being sold abroad. For example, the third of the six ordered boats should get before the beginning of 2015.
"Varshavyanka", project 636 But ordinary diesel boats, which include Varshavyanka, with all their undoubted advantages (the main of which is low noise) has several fundamental drawbacks:
- Time spent under water- just a few days. And the range under water is 400 miles. Then the batteries are discharged and you have to float up to charge them with the help of diesel engines. Therefore, classic diesel boats are called not underwater, but diving.
- Due to the need to save energy, the speed of movement under water is low, usually around 3 knots (~ 5.5 km / h). Critical when stalking.
- The lack of energy also causes restrictions on equipment and weapons.
Lada (project 677) - a long-awaited breakthrough?
The boats of this project should replace the well-proven and best-selling boats of the eighties and nineties, largely due to the export of which our marine military-industrial complex survived the nineties.
Project 677 has been developed since the beginning of the 90s, but for well-known reasons, it is only now being brought to the point where it becomes a submarine that can influence the balance of power at sea.
Submarine "St. Petersburg", project 677 So let's look at why the Lada is so good.
Armament
In addition to the traditional mine-torpedo armament (6 533-mm torpedo tubes, 18 torpedoes or mines), fires from all 6 torpedo tubes missiles("Varshavyanka" only from the top two).
In addition, the 677th project is the world's first non-nuclear submarine equipped with specialized launchers for cruise missiles (10 vertical launchers in the middle part of the hull).
Export version of the project 677 - "Amur-1650" These missiles can be:
- operational-tactical,
- anti-ship,
- long range cruise missiles, designed to hit strategic targets deep in enemy territory (generally a new use for NPLs).
And all this variety can be released in one gulp, which increases the probability of hitting a target and which other non-nuclear submarines cannot.
Straightaway significantly expands the scope.
Other innovations
- To reduce the noise of the boat, vibration isolators and an all-mode propeller motor with permanent magnets were used.
- Reducing the displacement from 2350 (figure for the project 636.3) to 1765 tons, as well as the number of crew from 52 to 35 people. This made the boat more compact and less visible.
- A significant, at times, lowering the level of the acoustic field (despite the fact that even the Varshavyankas continue to be one of the quietest submarines in their class.
- Reduction of non-acoustic fields.
- The resource of the equipment on the average is increased twice.
- "Lada" is equipped with a new generation of radio electronics. The management of the ship, its weapons and mechanisms is reduced to unified automated system and carried out from the consoles at the command post.
- The hull of the boat is covered with "Lightning" material, which absorbs sonar signals.
- The Lada has a modern hydroacoustic complex"Lira" with antenna systems, which in their area are equal to those used on nuclear submarines and surpass those on diesel-electric submarines of project 636. This allows you to detect the enemy earlier, and this is equivalent to winning the confrontation with him.
- "St. Petersburg", the lead boat of project 677, has been in service since 2010 and most of the innovations have been tested and debugged.
- Li-ion batteries. They can be easily installed in place of the standard lead-acid one, while the boat will get a longer duration of diving. “Experimental work has been carried out, funding has been allocated, and the manufacturer is working on the production of a standard installation. If it is ready on time, it will find a place on the serial hulls of the fourth generation submarines.
As a result we have a boat that can dive to 300 meters, has a full submerged speed of up to 21 knots and an autonomy of 45 days and is an excellent successor to the Varshavyanka. But one innovation can make this boat the absolute leader in its class in the world. Namely, an air-independent power plant (VNEU).
Air independent power plant (VNEU)
As the name implies, this installation does not need air to generate electricity, like diesel engines. Therefore, the boat does not need to surface to charge the batteries. More precisely, it is necessary, but much less often.
Time spent under water increases by 10 times, up to 25 days.
In fact, the Swedes began to use such power plants, in which all boats are now produced with similar power plants.
As well as the Germans with the project 212/214. That is, here we are in line with new developments.
Just like the Germans, it is based on an electrochemical generator. Electricity will be generated by converting chemical energy into electrical energy. without movement and burning. When oxygen and hydrogen are combined, electricity is generated silently, and the only by-product of the process is distilled water. The efficiency of such an installation reaches 70 percent, and the noise level of an anaerobic submarine is lower than natural sea noise. But we have additional improvements in addition to this.
- In order not to carry high-purity hydrogen aboard the submarine, the unit provides for obtaining hydrogen in terms of consumption with the help of reforming diesel fuel. Therefore, the Russian VNEU will be much more economical than the German counterpart
- Fuel cells are also used to enrich the diesel power plant with oxygen.
There are two ways to develop mechanisms for recharging batteries in a submerged position. Electrochemical generator (ECG) or Stirling engine. The Stirling engine used by the Swedes is considered more promising. We apparently use ECG, like the Germans, but with the exception of the expensive structure for storing and charging fuel cells on board with hydrogen. The choice of technology obviously took into account a large number of factors, some of which are not obvious to outsiders.
In combination with the other advantages mentioned above, Lada becomes out of competition.
In addition, during its production it will be possible to vary the configuration depending on the desires and capabilities of the customer.
Competitors
Enough competitors.
Germany, project 212/214 
Sweden, Gotland 
France, Scorpene Are non-nuclear boats really that effective?
Examples of the effectiveness of non-nuclear submarines:
- In its first exit from the base in Kamchatka, the first Pacific "Varshavyanka" (submarine of project 877), which had just been accepted by the fleet, discovered an American nuclear submarine of the Los Angeles type.
- In October 2006, a Chinese Song-class submarine surfaced in close proximity (five miles) to the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk (CV-63) while the strike group was maneuvering near the Okinawa Islands. The boat was discovered visually by the pilot of one of the flying planes who were practicing a training task. This case was another evidence of the insufficient effectiveness of the anti-submarine defense of an aircraft carrier formation, even in relation to Song-class submarines, which ONI considers less dangerous opponents in comparison with projects 636 and 677
- During exercises in the Caribbean, the crew of the German boat Type 212A was able to overcome the defense system of the American aircraft carrier Enterprise unnoticed and simulated the launch of a torpedo fan. In another case, the reputation of an American underwater predator, the Los Angeles-class multi-purpose submarine, was damaged, around which the Germans cut several circles, and the Americans did not notice anything.
- During exercises in the Mediterranean Sea, Israeli submarines of the Dolphin type (modification Type 212) conditionally “sank” half of the US Sixth Fleet.
- In 2003, Gotland demonstrated its unique capabilities in the fight against its most dangerous adversary - enemy submarines. A Swedish submarine tracked down and "sank" a French nuclear submarine and an American submarine SSN-713 "Houston" during exercises in the Mediterranean Sea.
- During the naval exercises Joint Task Force Exercise 06-2, the Gotland "sank" the entire seventh aircraft carrier strike group, led by the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan.
Asymmetric response
The boat has been in development for a very long time. The first copy was put into service with a conventional diesel propulsion system. When designing the boat, many problems arose, both financial and technical. In addition, due to lack of funds, the fate of the lead boats had to be connected with the problems of trial operation, fine-tuning, and troubleshooting.
But the news mentioned in the epigraph suggests that the Russian Navy will soon receive this boat with all its latest technologies (including VNEU).
We need such boats. And we are guaranteed to get them, as the epic with the Mistrals shows, only by doing it ourselves. Our military-industrial complex coped with this task by creating a non-nuclear submarine that is truly competitive at the world level. And what is no less important - by creating cooperation between enterprises for its production.
- now, according to project 677, in addition to "St. Petersburg", "Kronstadt" is being built and a state contract must be signed for "Sevastopol". These boats are built without VNEU.
- VNEU will most likely start from the fourth boat. According to the plan in 2016 in the form of an additional compartment.
(according to CVL)
(according to CVL)
DG with D49 diesels
VNEU on fuel (in perspective)
mine armament
Yury Kormilitsin, general designer of the project. The series is a development of the project 877 "Halibut". Boats are intended for the destruction of submarines, surface ships and enemy ships, the protection of naval bases, the sea coast and sea communications, and reconnaissance. The low noise level was achieved due to the choice of a single-hull structural type, a reduction in the dimensions of the ship, the use of an all-mode main propulsion motor with permanent magnets, the installation of vibration-active equipment on vibration isolators of the VI type and the introduction of the technology for applying anti-hydrolocation coating of a new generation "Lightning" [ ] . Due to the shortcomings of the power plant, the planned serial construction of boats of this project in its original form was canceled, the project will be finalized.
Story
The development of a technical project cheaper than project 877 "Halibut", diesel-electric submarines for inland seas (to replace obsolete submarines of the Black Sea and Baltic fleets) under the code "Lada" was carried out at the Rubin Central Design Bureau with the support of Commander-in-Chief Chernavin at the turn of the 1980s , however, after its consideration in December 1990, the Military-Industrial Commission refused to finance the continuation of work.
According to the modernization plans of the Russian submarine fleet for 2008, Project 677 Lada diesel-electric submarines were to become one of the four types of submarines put into service. One of the features of the Soviet and Russian submarine fleet was the use of dozens of different types and modifications of submarines, which greatly hampered their operation and ship repair.
According to the original project, it was planned to build 20 units for the Russian Navy. However, after failures in testing and finalizing the lead boat of the project in 2011, it was decided to re-equip it and complete the three submarines already laid down according to the modified project.
In February 2012, the media said that the Navy was abandoning the Lada project - according to the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy V. Vysotsky:
However, a little later, the commander-in-chief added that the project was being finalized and would be put into service.
As a result, the project will receive a new power plant and will be classified as non-nuclear submarines.
The previous Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, V. Vysotsky, stopped the production of these boats due to problems with the power unit and acoustic complex. Rubin solved the last problem, experts say, but the power unit still does not produce the required power. Nevertheless, the new commander-in-chief, Vice Admiral Viktor Chirkov, gave the command to complete the construction of the boats. "The deadlines for the delivery of the ships will become clear towards the end of the year," a source at the Admiralty Shipyards said. He did not rule out that due to the maximum load of the shipyards, perhaps part of the state program for non-nuclear boats will be transferred to other plants. Most likely, on "Krasnoe Sormovo", hardly on Severodvinsk "Sevmash" (by 2020 it will have to manufacture eight nuclear submarine missile cruisers of project 955 "Borey" and the same number of multi-purpose nuclear submarines of project 885 "Ash").
Within the framework of the state armament program 2020 - by 2020 it is planned to build twenty diesel-electric submarines for the Navy - six will be boats of project 636.3 Varshavyanka, and the remaining fourteen, as a result of the foregoing, will most likely be boats of the modified project 677 Lada.
| To date, the decision on the serial construction of these submarines has been made by the Russian Ministry of Defense. Financing of the construction is planned in the state defense order, and the trial operation of the submarines is taking place in accordance with the program, which is being successfully implemented. All the characteristics specified by the Navy's terms of reference were basically confirmed during state tests, with the exception of the full underwater speed. Currently, the Project 677 submarine is located in the main base of the Baltic Fleet and is preparing to transfer to the Northern Fleet to complete trial operation. |
He noted that more than 130 samples of the latest radio-electronic and ship equipment were installed on the boat. According to him, modernized engines will be installed on serial submarines, which will provide the necessary power.
July 9, 2013 "Admiralty Shipyards" resumed construction of the second boat of the series, "Kronstadt". The new contract concluded with the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation provides for the construction of a ship according to an adjusted technical project. The designer of the diesel-electric submarine of the Lada project - the Rubin Central Design Bureau of MT - has done a lot of work to improve the submarine and create modernized ship complexes. On the second order of the series, modernized equipment samples will be installed - a control system for ship hardware, an electric propulsion system, and a navigation complex. During the construction of Kronstadt, the results of the trial operation of the head order will be taken into account.
As TASS was informed on January 16, 2016 by a source in the main command of the Russian Navy, the second and third submarines "Kronstadt" and "Velikie Luki" of project 677 "Lada" will be transferred to the Russian fleet later than the previously scheduled date - in 2019. The source emphasized that the second and third submarines of the series are being built taking into account all the comments identified during the operation of the lead Lada (St. Petersburg in the Northern Fleet). As for the possible installation of an air-independent (anaerobic) power plant on these submarines, “it is necessary to wait for the results of its sea tests.”
On January 21, 2016, the official representative of the Navy, Captain 1st Rank Igor Dygalo, stated that the cessation of the construction of a series of diesel-electric submarines of project 677 "Lada" is not being considered today.
On March 18, 2016, an official representative of the United Shipbuilding Corporation and a high-ranking representative of the Navy told the RIA Novosti news agency: “Two non-nuclear submarines of Project 677 Lada - Kronstadt and Velikiye Luki - will be transferred to the Navy in 2018-2019 and these will be last boats of this project. Then the construction of boats of the Kalina project will begin. ”
On July 27, 2016, it was announced that there was no final decision to stop or continue the construction of submarines of this project.
On June 26, 2017, the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, Admiral V. I. Korolev, announced that a decision had been made to continue the construction of Project 677 diesel-electric submarines, after the Kronstadt and Velikiye Luki submarines were handed over to the Navy, the construction of the series would continue.
On June 28, 2017, at the International Naval Show in St. Petersburg, Vice Admiral V. I. Bursuk, Deputy Commander of the Russian Navy for Armaments, said that two more serial submarines of this project, which will be built on the Admiralteisky shipyards" in the period "until 2025". After 2025, the series of submarines will continue.
In June 2019, at the Army-2019 International Military-Technical Forum, a contract was signed between the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and the Admiralty Shipyards for the construction of two more (fourth and fifth) Project 677 Lada submarines.
Design
The diesel-electric submarine of project 677 is made according to a one and a half hull scheme. The axisymmetric strong case is made of AB-2 steel and has the same diameter almost along the entire length. The bow and stern ends are spherical. The hull is divided along the length into five watertight compartments by flat bulkheads, the hull is divided by platforms into three tiers along the height. The light hull is given a streamlined shape, providing high hydrodynamic characteristics. The fencing of retractable devices has the same shape as that of the boats of projects 877, at the same time, the stern plumage is made cruciform, and the front horizontal rudders are placed on the fence, where they create minimal interference with the operation of the hydroacoustic complex.
Power plant
air-independent (anaerobic) power plant was planned
Modifications
"Amur-950"- export modification. The main difference from the boats of the main project is the reduction in the number of torpedo tubes to 4 and the presence of vertical launch installations (VLR) for 10 missiles capable of launching in one salvo in two minutes. Surface displacement - 1150 tons. The maximum length is 56.8 meters. Hull width - 5.65 meters. Crew - 19 people. Autonomy - 30 days. Maximum diving depth - 300 meters. Underwater speed - 20 knots.
"Amur-1650"- export modification similar to that purchased by the Russian Navy. In addition, it has a direction-finding antenna capable of detecting particularly quiet targets, and can fire a volley of 6 missiles.
Representatives
| Name | Shipyard | Laid down | Launched on the water |
Accepted into service |
Fleet | State | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
I was just being very emotional
in general terms from my bell tower it looks like this:
1. both this and that, and will be used as there is a lobby and a certificate, according to which for the IMS (information and control system) firms developing something for MO are required to use a very narrow list of pieces of iron (element base as a limitation, they are afraid of bookmarks, I don’t remember the markings for sure, but these are old Motorrolls and Altera, it is understood that they are checked for bookmarks, and these processors are far behind the performance of all of us known and loved, but this is mostly garbage, because we could push competently optimized algorithms and interfaces in terms of functionality are no worse than projects written for the same PSs, i.e. performance is not the main thing, but more on that later) which "is and will be" .. so Corundum is in some way a monopolist in this area, therefore it can do hack work, which in fact, it is done .., in the process of testing, glitches are detected even in operation with direct access to memory., i.e. Software (software) in the same situations, completely identical, worked out differently ... (but this is more likely to be inf. support), as iron troubles, we were most tormented by the fact that when transferring data even within the same bus (all modules so let's say they sit on a common bus, such as a motherboard, current without it (they are inserted sequentially one into the other)) there was data loss and interference associated with the physical relative position, suppose the network card and the processor unit.
I would write to the same point, let's say, let's take a 23-baguette, a technology with the so-called VME bus .. once the guys from LabView came to us, there is such a company. do something like CAD in the field of inf. design, hardware and software, in fact, about this wonderful VME Bus, which was said as follows. It’s not like the day before yesterday, it’s yesterday’s posture, posture, posture, because there are already several generations already higher than this bus ...
Of course, the option remains, to actually make the office a new bicycle, i.e. take a list of the available element base, arm yourself with a soldering iron, and do powerful brainstorming, and pile it all over again, but why invent a bicycle? I want to take ready-made pieces of iron that are already allowed, which is what Corund actually offers, and for them to write software for the necessary tasks ... new is not a task .. it doesn’t turn out so simple
2. everything is just like with hardware itself ... I have not removed and do not remove the blame for many flaws, failures from myself, as a programmer and from our team, we were all wrong, but excuse me, we have a RAW system, more it was not handed over, we invented it, and there were such moments ... when, well, it doesn’t work, well, the exchange just doesn’t go. on the bus .. (suppose PC104) and so and so .. or on the grid, well, crooked data goes on and on, and no tests and checks helped ... one smart head suggested, just take and delve into the operating system, the well-known OS2000 ( who does not know, this is a heavily castrated and bookmarked UNIX FRee BSD, by the way, also licensed and being a practically monopoly real-time OS for military purposes), I draw your attention to the fact that it is already being sold with might and main, and because of the monopoly for very good money (by the way, thanks to I’ll tell you about this baguettes, too, they’re not cheap at all. like a baguette-83 with a processor, nuuuu, in terms of performance, it’s 100 MHz, or rather, one scarf with a processor, a bus and a small ROM, costs the price ... well, like Sun’s a simple couple) I just mean that thanks to the monopoly there is a real overpayment ... moreover, the money is either the Moscow Region, that is, the state, and they are paid, it seems, also to the state ... or not? in general, this is not my business. it's just a guess... So here's to the OS. the system is patented and licensed. and what do we see? why there is no exchange .. but everything is simple .. a child's mistake ... in the definitions of registers (define = definition) in general, the address of one I / O register, for example, is indicated with an error. and therefore, some of the information falls when contacting this address is completely in the wrong place, and therefore this segment of our software did not work) I understand, of course, that the same recent students as we were working at the NIIS RAS also wrote the same way. I do not belittle their merits in this regard, tk. such an OS is difficult to create, but why are they selling us a RAW system that has not been fully tested for crazy money. we just don’t have the right to take it from ourselves and wave the address from ourselves under a license. agreement .. of course we correct it and test our own further, but red tape begins on official kicks of each other until they give a new officially corrected version.
3. it depends on the contingent, I do not beg the merits of the people who wrote the software, but you must admit, the one who is interested writes, and writes well, for the most part, the people have changed a little for the better, but there are, there are other cases ... just The point is that of all the byaks described above, we naturally do not have time in time. but if you don’t meet the deadlines, they will immediately give you less money from above, and if so, then when the deadline is running out, there is a kick from the high authorities. what should work and it doesn’t matter how, it is understood that it needs to be done in such a way, but so that the grandmothers pay, and therefore the original idea, beautiful and fluffy, is reduced at best to a thin, nasty “dwarf”, but it works poorly, according to the principle for military, "you need one red button, and there is no more load and everything should work on it" (as the authorities said), and by the way, no one cares what is hidden under the caddy in the end. sooo often this is a completely different development .. old .. but working, it is quickly redone and shown under the guise of a new one, or even worse, this idea is not implemented at all, and tinsel is shown to the military, and dust is thrown into the eyes, and maybe later .. they will say .. "But we didn't succeed" people will be fired, let's put it .. and that's it ... but where is a lot of money that was mastered?
in general, so approximately, but at the expense of not being optimal specifically for the boats of this topic, so .. very simple, software for some kind of IUS dvig. my friend wrote the gearbox ... he is a zhuuuut gouging, when I found out that the boat was able to go to the test, I was terribly surprised, I'm afraid everything is used there as an email. fillings, according to the principle of the dwarf that I said, one thing is stated, but in fact everything is full of junk, and everything was put there according to the principle of the type, "they say it will roll like that. And then they say we'll figure out how to get rid of it, or maybe we'll have time to finish everything competently!"
The development of the Russian submarine fleet is of interest to the foreign press, including Chinese publications. At the same time, new publications affect both successful and not the most successful projects. For example, the Chinese online publication Sina.com recently told readers about the construction of Russian diesel-electric submarines of Project 677 Lada. His article described the course of the project, its results and difficulties. In addition, the Chinese authors tried to assess the prospects for new boats and the plans of the Russian command in relation to them.
On October 15, a publication appeared on the Sina.com portal with the loud title “俄罗斯13年才研制出这型潜艇 为何仅建造3艘就被放弃” – “Russia has been creating these submarines for 13 years. Why were they abandoned after the construction of the third? The title of the article recalls the events of recent years and the well-known failures of the 677 project, due to which such boats lost the chance to become the main ones in their class.
At the beginning of the article, the authors remind that not so long ago, the Kronstadt submarine, built according to project 677 Lada, was launched in St. Petersburg. This ship is important for the Russian fleet, but still has specific features. It is equipped with a traditional diesel-electric power plant and has not received a more advanced air-independent system. The authors also point out that back in 2016, the Russian command announced plans for Project 677 diesel-electric submarines. The construction of such ships will be completed after the delivery of the third one. As a result, representatives of Project 636.3 Varshavyanka will become the main non-nuclear submarines of the fleet.
The reasons for the abandonment of the Lada project are well known. Russia spent large sums on the development and construction of such submarines, but the finished lead ship was far from ideal. He had a lot of problems associated with the underdevelopment of the necessary technologies. The lead boat of the Lada type was laid down in 1997. The launch took place in 2004, and until 2010 she could not get into the fleet. Thus, the new "sword" for the fleet was "forged" for 13 years.
The authors point out that the Soviet Union in the past had a developed industry for the construction of submarines, but various organizations from its composition were distributed among the union republics. After the collapse of the USSR, a significant part of these enterprises left the military sphere. In addition, some of the important organizations went to Ukraine, and due to ongoing political contradictions, Russia does not have access to them.
In connection with these problems, Russia had to take action. For the construction of diesel-electric submarines of project 677, it was necessary to reconstruct many production lines and train qualified personnel to work on them. As a result, a special situation has developed. Russia, in general, did not want to abandon the Lada project, but technological and financial problems forced it to suspend work for some time.
The Chinese edition asks the question: what new technologies did Russian designers use in the promising project 677?
First of all, Sina.com points to outstanding Russian achievements in the construction of double-hulled submarines. In addition, the publication explains the features of the architecture of the buildings. It recalls that the double-hull design provides for an internal strong hull that takes on water pressure and an outer lightweight hull of less strength. Ballast tanks and various equipment are located between the hulls. A monohull boat has only a solid hull with all the necessary units.
Both variants of submarine architecture have their advantages. So, a double-hull submarine is stronger, develops a higher speed and emerges faster. At the same time, it has less interior space. The single-hull design provides 40% more internal volume for the same submarine dimensions, which can be used to install equipment or improve crew working conditions.
Diesel-electric submarines of project 677 "Lada", according to the original plans, should serve for three decades. At this time, they are planned to be repaired and modernized. To create a modernization potential, the project uses a special version of the boat architecture. Most of the ship is made single-hull, while there is a light hull in the stern. This idea itself was a departure from tradition. In addition, for its implementation it was necessary to cope with some difficulties.
The second key element of the Lada project is the Lithium automated combat control system. During its development, new approaches and solutions were used. ASBU has a modular architecture, and its individual components interact through a common bus. All means of observation and detection of the submarine transmit data to the central computer responsible for their processing. This creates high demands on system performance.
Project 677 diesel-electric submarines also differ from other Russian submarines in an increased number of detection tools. For example, sonar antennas are placed on the bow of the hull, along the sides and in the stern. Many samples used as part of the on-board equipment complex were developed specifically for the Lada.
At the same time, as Chinese authors note, the power plant of the new boats turned out to be “raw”. According to the original plans, the Ladas were to be equipped with an air-independent power plant, which would increase the main driving characteristics. When it was created, Russian scientists and engineers focused their efforts on the study and development of fuel cells. In 2011, the Russian industry created the so-called fuel cells. third generation. Such devices were tested on board the B-90 Sarov submarine. According to the plans of the past, Lada-class boats were to receive two sets of fuel cells and a diesel-electric installation. The result was to be a combined installation that combines the main qualities of the basic systems.
However, during lengthy tests, Russian experts found that the existing fuel cells have a lot of problems, and this increases the risk of an accident. Shortly after the start of testing the lead submarine of the St. Petersburg project, the shortcomings and shortcomings of its power plant began to appear. Russian officials have repeatedly argued that the fuel cells do not meet the requirements. Their characteristics turned out to be insufficient, because of which the power plant could not produce the required power.
It was due to the shortcomings of the power plant that the Saint Petersburg boat was unable to start service on time. In addition, all this led to a revision of plans for the construction of the following ships. The construction of the second submarine was postponed indefinitely.
The Sina.com edition notes that during the development of the 677 project, Russian specialists abandoned many successful and proven design solutions. Instead, new ideas for Russian shipbuilding were used. Their use was directly related to the desire to obtain high performance and new features. When creating completely new components and assemblies, engineers had to make difficult choices. In some cases, it was necessary to reduce the characteristics of the device or design it again, which negatively affected the reliability and safety.
Financial difficulties ultimately led to the fact that the Russian industry was unable to complete the development of fuel cells with the required characteristics. In this regard, the command had to abandon the further construction of submarines of the Lada type.
It is this situation that Chinese authors call the reason that the Russian Navy eventually decided to build ships of the 636.3 Varshavyanka type instead of Project 677 submarines. Project 636.3 was a modernized version of the older project 636M. From the point of view of a number of technologies, Varshavyanka was not inferior to the newer Ladas. During the development of the new project 636.3, the designers had to transfer to it ready-made ideas, solutions and components from the existing project 677. At the same time, ready-made components and technologies were used in Varshavyanki, which led to cost reductions.
Nevertheless, as Sina.com recalls, the Russian fleet does not plan to completely abandon non-nuclear Project 677 Lada submarines. In fact, the Russian industry is developing both submarine projects. The Varshavyanka serial project is being modernized, and the Lada is also being improved. In the foreseeable future, the third Project 677 submarine will be completed. Chinese authors suggest that its appearance may have interesting consequences. If, during its construction, designers and shipbuilders manage to fulfill all the requirements, but project 636.3 will cease to be the main pillar of Russia's non-nuclear submarine fleet.
The specific project of the non-nuclear submarine 677 "Lada" is well known in our country and is not a secret for the foreign press. Moreover, once again it becomes the topic of publication in a foreign publication. Now the Chinese media have shown interest in the protracted Russian project, and we are talking about a fairly large online publication.
Apparently, the reason for the appearance of a new publication from Sina.com was the recent ceremony of launching the first serial submarine of the Lada type. The Kronstadt submarine was laid down in 2005, but later its construction was suspended for several years. After the relaunch, construction continued, and now the ship is preparing for future tests. In the near future, the third submarine of the project, Velikiye Luki, will also be launched.
Chinese authors in their article briefly revealed the history of the Lada project, and also indicated its main problems, due to which the fleet and industry had to repeatedly revise their plans. In doing so, however, they made a serious mistake. Sina.com claims that the construction of Project 677 diesel-electric submarines will be limited to only three units. However, last year official statements were made, according to which the number of such ships will increase, perhaps even at times.
In June last year, at the command level of the Russian Navy, statements were made about the imminent construction of two new Lada-class submarines. In the near future it was planned to sign a contract for them. However, almost a year and a half has passed, but the required agreement has not yet appeared. The third and fourth submarines of project 677 will be built until 2025, after which they will be replaced by new ships of the same type in the workshops. However, the exact plans for the second half of the twenties and the following periods have not yet been announced.
According to current plans, in the early twenties, diesel-electric submarines of project 636.3 Varshavyanka in the amount of 12 units will become the basis of the non-nuclear part of the submarine forces of the fleet. By the same time, the fleet will receive the first three Ladas. A little later, two more Project 677 boats will appear. This means that for a long time the Varshavyankas will retain their special status, and the duration of such a period is still unknown. Similar prospects for project 636.3 boats directly depend on the success of project 677.
The exact number of Project 677 diesel-electric submarines planned for construction in the near and distant future has probably not yet been determined. At the same time, there are plans to build an alternative in the form of Varshavyanka. The Chinese edition of Sina.com believes that with a certain development of events, the existing and under construction "Varshavyanka" will cease to be the main support of the non-nuclear submarine fleet. Depending on the success of further work, the new Ladas will be able to become both an addition and a replacement for existing ships.
Despite the fact that there are many submarines with a nuclear reactor on board in the fleets of different countries of the world, military sailors are in no hurry to abandon diesel-electric submarines. The leaders in the creation of such ships for many years were the USSR and Germany. Russia, unfortunately, has largely lost its former positions, as evidenced, in particular, by the long and painful history of the development of Project 677 Lada submarines. Their design began in the Soviet years, but only now it has come to mass production. In the near future, the Ladas may strengthen the Navy, but they have not been able to endow them with the qualities that the designers once sought to achieve.
History of creation
A little over thirty years ago, in 1988, a submarine was introduced into the Swedish Navy, equipped, along with traditional diesel engines, with a special auxiliary engine. It was the so-called anaerobic power plant. Its main difference is the ability to work without the use of atmospheric air. This feature allows submarines that do not have a nuclear reactor on board to spend up to twenty days underwater, which radically increases stealth.
In the USSR, submarines with power plants of this type, "Stirling engines", were created back in the 50s of the last century, but their practical use turned out to be extremely dangerous due to technical difficulties associated with the need to store liquid oxygen on board. Nevertheless, after the appearance of new Swedish submarines, it became clear that the old idea needed to be considered at a new level.
In subsequent years, the presence of VNEU (air-independent power plant) has become a key feature of fourth-generation non-nuclear submarines. Meanwhile, submarines with conventional diesel generators and electric motors continued to be in service with the Soviet, and then the Russian fleet.
In order to eliminate the emerging lag, it was decided to create a domestic VNEU. It was planned to install it on large submarines of project 677 (code "Lada"), the development of which began in 1987. At the same time, the Soviet anaerobic power plant was not supposed to become a Stirling engine - it was about creating a so-called electrochemical generator (ECG). Subsequently, German submarine designers followed this path, eventually creating quite successful fourth-generation Project 212A non-nuclear submarines at the end of the twentieth century.
Previously, ECGs for spacecraft had already been produced in the USSR, so there was every reason to expect success. The level of optimism was so high that the development of Project 677 non-nuclear submarines began even before the creation of VNEU. This turned out to be the wrong decision.
The first blow came in 1991, when the Soviet Union collapsed. A sharp reduction in all funding programs led to a real degradation of the 677 project and an almost complete curtailment of work on the creation of an anaerobic engine. True, the first ship of the new series, called "St. Petersburg", was nevertheless laid down in 1997, but its subsequent construction was significantly delayed.
The difficulties were largely due to the fact that the leadership of the Rubin design bureau, which designed the new submarine, decided to take the most ambitious path - to create a closed-cycle engine without any emissions to the environment and at the same time not to store on board the necessary for the electrochemical reaction hydrogen, and produce it directly from diesel fuel. The corresponding process is called reforming.
The boat "St. Petersburg" was launched back in 2004. It was equipped with conventional diesel generators with the prospect of further re-equipment at VNEU. It was assumed that in the future, Project 677 submarines would gradually replace the Halibut and Varshavyanka submarines of the third generation of Projects 877 and 636 from the fleet.
Factory tests of "St. Petersburg" took place from 2009 to 2010, after which the ship was transferred for trial operation in the Russian Navy without being put into service. It immediately turned out that the practical use of this submarine was out of the question. In particular, the power plant could only safely operate at 50% of the power declared in the documentation. For a short time, the thrust could be increased to 70% of the nominal value, but this often caused a number of parts to break down, which then required a long repair. In addition, the characteristics of the combat information and control system of the submarine and its sonar complex turned out to be unsatisfactory.
Commenting on the results, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy Vysotsky categorically stated that the fleet does not need such submarines. However, then he explained that the Lada project itself remains promising - only St. Petersburg will remain a prototype for testing technologies.
Subsequently, after the change of command of the Navy, funding for the project 677 submarine program was resumed. In 2013, in particular, the construction of the second submarine of this series, called the Kronstadt, was resumed.
Meanwhile, the developers of the anaerobic power plant continued to pursue failures. Representatives of the Rubin Central Design Bureau, in different years, gave rather conflicting comments about the progress of their project, either promising to demonstrate the finished engine of proper power as soon as possible, or complaining about the complete cessation of funding.
The situation with VNEU remains uncertain today. Apparently, the 677 series submarines will never receive this fundamentally new power plant. In any case, the Kronstadt already launched does not have it, nor will it appear on the Velikie Luki submarine under construction. In accordance with the announced plans of KB Rubin, submarines of the Kalina project will be equipped with air-independent engines, but if this happens, it will be in a rather distant future.
We have to admit that the program to create submarines of project 677 turned out to be clearly unsuccessful. In its current form, both St. Petersburg, and Kronstadt, and Velikie Luki are not the fourth, but the third generation submarines, which do not have tangible advantages over the old Varshavyankas.
The lag behind foreign designers was still in the "zero" years to such an extent that the question arose of purchasing German submarines of project 212A for the needs of the Navy.
Today there are no such plans, but the situation remains uncertain. If the refinement of VNEU is not completed in the near future, the Russian creators of non-nuclear submarines risk falling behind their foreign competitors not by a few years, but forever.
The role of diesel-electric submarines in the Russian Navy
The appearance of nuclear submarines was once considered by many experts as the end of the era of the former diesel-electric boats. In the United States, their construction ceased in the late 50s. This is quite understandable - after all, the American fleet is mainly ocean-going, not sea-based. Nuclear submarines are the best suited for long underwater passages - they do not need to "surface" and find themselves.
Meanwhile, for the Soviet, and then for the Russian fleet, operations in the near and coastal communications, especially in the Baltic and Black Seas, are of great importance. For these conditions, Russian diesel-electric multipurpose submarines are more suitable. They are less noisy than nuclear ones, much smaller and much cheaper.
In addition, the development of electronic equipment and missile weapons makes it possible to successfully use modern diesel-electric submarines to destroy ground targets. In particular, both the Project 677 submarines and the Varshavyankas developed back in the USSR can launch Caliber long-range cruise missiles, which significantly increases their strike potential.
New submarines with air-independent engines can significantly outperform their nuclear rivals even on ocean communications, since they no longer need to "surface". The prospects of this direction have been repeatedly proved in naval exercises, when diesel-electric submarines successfully “sinked” larger and noisier boats with nuclear reactors on board.
Design features
One of the main differences between Project 677 and the Halibut and Varshavyanka submarines was the one and a half hull design. At the same time, the light body is so small that sometimes the Lada is also called a single-hull. This decision led to a decrease in the size of the submarine and its displacement. At the same time, it was possible to further reduce the level of noise generated by the movement of the submarine, and it became much more difficult to detect.
The body and its layout
The strong hull of Project 677 submarines is made of special steel AB-2. Its shape is close to cylindrical, and the diameter almost does not change along the entire length. On the bow and stern there are hemispherical ends. The front depth rudders are installed on the wheelhouse, and the rear rudders are installed on the stern, forming a kind of “cross” together with the rudder. In general, the control surfaces are placed in such a way as not to interfere with the operation of the hydroacoustic complex.
The hull is divided into separate rooms by transverse bulkheads and longitudinal platforms.
The list of compartments is as follows:
- Bow (torpedo compartment). It contains torpedo tubes, spare ammunition and a silent reloading system;
- Second compartment. The main room is the central post from which the submarine is controlled. On the lower tiers there is a part of the batteries and auxiliary mechanisms;
- The third (residential) compartment. There is a wardroom, a galley, a medical unit, as well as cabins for all crew members;
- Fourth compartment. Designed to accommodate diesel generators;
- Fifth compartment. Here is an electric motor that drives the propellers of the submarine.
Thanks to a rather large wardroom and the availability of sleeping places for each of the crew members, Project 677 Lada submarines have become the most comfortable of all built for the Soviet and Russian fleets.
An anti-hydroacoustic coating is installed on the submarine's hull, the layer of which reaches forty millimeters in thickness. Due to this, the own noise level is reduced, and the signals of the enemy's active hydroacoustic stations are absorbed.
Power point
The submarine is driven by the main propulsion electric motor SED-1. Its power is 4100 horsepower. Batteries (submerged) or 28DG generators can be used as a current source, generating direct current with a total power of 2000 kilowatts and connected to D-49 diesel engines (V-shaped engines with eight cylinders).
In addition, there are two PG-102M auxiliary electric motors on board. Each of them develops 140 horsepower. These motors are intended for screw remote columns, with the help of which steering is carried out.
Unfortunately, the air-independent power plant on Project 677 submarines is not currently used. Its parameters are unknown, although earlier representatives of the Rubin Design Bureau claimed that the anaerobic engine they created would allow the submerged submarine to move at speeds up to 10 knots.
target equipment
The main tool for searching for targets on Project 677 submarines is the Lira sonar system. It consists of the following elements:
- Noise direction finding antennas. The main one, L-01, is located on the bow of the submarine. The other two are also in front of the boat, but on the sides;
- Hydroacoustic station with towed antenna;
- Active sonar for communication under water, measuring distance and searching for mines.
Data processing is carried out by the combat information and control system "Lithium". In the surface position, the KRM-66 radar system can be used.
Project 677 submarine armament
There are six torpedo tubes of caliber 533 in the bow compartment of the Lada diesel-electric submarine. With their help, the following weapons are used:
- USET-80K torpedoes. Range - up to 18 km, speed - 45 knots;
- Torpedoes (underwater missiles) "Shkval". Range - up to 13 km, speed - 300 km / h;
- Cruise missiles P-800 "Onyx". Designed to destroy surface ships of all classes. Launch range - up to 600 km, speed - 2M when flying over the sea;
- Cruise missiles "Caliber".
Initially, it was supposed to arm the submarine with TE-2 torpedoes, but they were not ready for operation at the time of the launch of the head St. Petersburg. If you believe the latest reports, it is possible to use both the anti-ship Caliber and another version of this missile, designed to destroy ground targets at a distance of one and a half thousand kilometers or more.
The submarine's ammunition load includes up to 18 torpedoes or missiles. Instead, you can also load 44 naval mines for covert productions.
Some publications claimed that the Lada submarines were equipped with special vertical shafts for salvo launching of missiles. Such a project does exist. It was developed as a special, export modification and received the special name "Amur-950". One of its features, along with missile silos, was the reduction in the number of torpedo tubes to four.
Things have not yet gone beyond the project, since foreign customers have shown practically no interest in Amur-950. This is most likely due to the same thing as that of the Lad, the lack of an air-independent power plant, without which the submarine is uncompetitive.
In addition, it was reported several times that Project 677 submarines are supposed to be equipped with Zircon hypersonic anti-ship missiles, however, according to the most recent information, this promising weapon will not be installed on the Lada.
Specifications
| Displacement | 1765 tons surface, 2650 tons underwater |
| Submarine length | 66.8 m |
| Width | 7.1 m |
| Draft | 6.7 m |
| surface speed | 10 knots |
| underwater speed | Up to 21 nodes |
| Power reserve in the surface position with an economic move | Up to 16,000 miles |
| Power reserve when driving with a snorkel (RDP) | Up to 6500 miles |
| Power reserve in submerged position | 650 miles |
| Working depth | 240-260 m |
| Limit depth | 300 m |
| autonomy | 45 days |
| Crew size | 35 people |
Air-independent engines, if they do appear on the Ladas, will greatly improve the performance of these submarines.
Combat and training use
So far, the fleet has had only one Project 677 submarine, the St. Petersburg. Its use was exceptionally experienced - various on-board systems and equipment were tested. At the same time, a huge number of various shortcomings were discovered. Suffice it to say that after the transfer of the submarine to the customer, it turned out that there was no hydroacoustic complex on board - only external antennas were installed.
The seaworthiness of the ship, due to a poorly functioning power plant, did not allow exits from the port in stormy conditions and significant waves. Many other components and assemblies also caused complaints. Over the following years, most of the detected defects were eliminated, but even today the reputation of St. Petersburg is not brilliant.
In April, this submarine carried out a test launch of a cruise missile - for some reason, directly from the base. Despite the successful defeat of the target, the state of the submarine and the degree of its combat readiness is still in question.
The next ship in this series, the Kronstadt, has been launched and is undergoing a test cycle. In July 2019, this submarine took part in the naval parade in St. Petersburg.
Advantages and disadvantages
Unfortunately, Project 677 submarines are still difficult to recognize as successful. Despite the fact that in publications they are called fourth-generation submarines, in fact they belong to the third. Their most significant advantages are:
- Acoustic stealth. According to the designers, they managed to achieve a 50% reduction in noise level compared to Varshavyanka;
- Improved characteristics of the hydroacoustic complex. Exact values are not named here;
- Ability to use the most advanced weapon systems;
- Excellent conditions for the crew on board.
The main drawback of the boat is obvious - it did not receive the power plant planned in accordance with the project. Because of this, Project 677 submarines are the same "diving" ones as their predecessors, no development in this direction has occurred. In addition, there is still no detailed information about whether it was possible to achieve full-fledged operation of the hydroacoustic complex.
The volley launch capability declared by the manufacturer has not yet been evaluated in any way. Most likely, the Amur-950 submarines should have had this characteristic, but they have not yet been built.
On the whole, it can be assumed that Project 677 submarines will not supplant, but rather complement the Paltus and Varshavyanka diesel submarines already in the Russian Navy. The reduced displacement will allow the use of new boats primarily near the sea coast.
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