The Russian Navy included the Kazan multipurpose nuclear submarine (nuclear submarine), which belongs to the 885M project (code Yasen-M).

At the solemn ceremony of raising the Andreevsky flag held in Severodvinsk, the commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy, Admiral Nikolai Evmenov, said that thanks to its weapons, the cruiser is capable of performing tasks in all regions of the World Ocean.

“Today we are raising the naval flag on the newest nuclear-powered submarine Kazan, which is the lead in a series of new-generation ships.

The project of the agro-industrial complex (nuclear submarine cruiser. -

RT

) "Kazan" was developed by the Malakhit design bureau and has effective strike and electronic weapons that allow performing tasks in all regions of the World Ocean, "the press service of the Russian Defense Ministry quotes Evmenov.

The ceremony in Severodvinsk was attended by the crew of the nuclear submarine and its commander, Captain 1st Rank Alexander Beketov.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Navy expressed confidence that the sailors would "strengthen the defense capability of Russia with dignity and high quality."

"An absolutely new and technically challenging project"

In recent years, "Kazan" has been tested in the White Sea for compliance with the declared characteristics.

In particular, the sailors conducted sea trials of the submarine in the surface and underwater positions, measured a number of technical parameters, including the noise of underwater movement.

Also, the submarine's crew tested the strike weapons.

"Kazan" was founded in 2009, but the planned date of its transfer to the Navy was repeatedly postponed.

In an interview with RT, the editor-in-chief of the National Defense magazine Igor Korotchenko explained the delay by the need to test a large number of new technical solutions that are integrated into the nuclear submarine of project 885M.

As the expert explained, the construction and testing of the lead submarine of an improved or new project is always a complex multistage process.

“The construction of a modern type of nuclear submarine always takes a significant amount of time, because the series is just beginning, and, of course, this affects the timing.

This is a worldwide practice, such are the realities of modern progress in the field of creating such a complex naval technology as nuclear submarines, ”explained Korotchenko.

From the expert's point of view, for the domestic shipbuilding industry and the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the refinement of nuclear-powered ships to a state that allows effective combat duty in the vastness of the World Ocean is a priority.

For this reason, there is little point in looking back at the initial deadlines.

In a commentary to RT, the founder of the Military Russia portal Dmitry Kornev also called the postponement of the raising of the Andreevsky flag at Kazan logical.

He explained the difficulties that had arisen by the presence of a large number of research and development work (R&D) and the establishment of large-scale industrial cooperation.

“You need to understand that the Yasen nuclear submarine family is an absolutely new and technically challenging project for our industry.

The cooperation was literally created from scratch, and these are hundreds of enterprises from various industries.

Of course, it took a lot of time to search for contractors and work out the delivery mechanism.

In addition, we probably had to abandon the use of imported components, ”said Kornev.

"Reasonable compromise"

Kazan is the lead nuclear submarine of the fourth generation of project 885M, developed within the walls of JSC SPMBM Malakhit (St. Petersburg).

The construction of nuclear submarines of this class is carried out at the facilities of JSC PO Sevmash (Severodvinsk).

Multipurpose nuclear submarines are designed to destroy surface combat ships, vehicles, submarines and enemy ground targets.

"Ash" is equipped with eight vertical launchers, which provide the possibility of salvo firing of high-precision cruise missiles "Caliber" and "Onyx" with a range of up to 1500 and 300 km.

  • The crew of the project 885M nuclear submarine

  • © Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

As noted on the Malachite website, these ammunition can "destroy group and highly protected targets, including those equipped with anti-missile defense systems."

Also, the strike armament of the nuclear submarine of project 885 / 885M is represented by 30 torpedoes of 533 mm caliber.

The performance characteristics of Kazan and the updated Ash were not disclosed.

However, according to experts interviewed by RT, the modernized nuclear submarine is similar to the Project 885 Severodvinsk submarine, which entered service with the Northern Fleet in June 2014 in terms of weight, dimensions, strike weapons, structural and speed properties.

The differences relate mainly to onboard equipment - electronic equipment and hydroacoustic equipment, analysts say.

The length of "Ash" is about 139 m, width - about 13 m, draft - 10 m, surface displacement - 8.6 thousand tons, underwater - up to 13.8 thousand tons, navigation autonomy - about 100 days.

The multipurpose submarine can dive to a depth of 600 m and develop a speed of 31 knots (57.4 km / h) under water.

The Malachite website reports that the project 885 nuclear submarine has a "mixed architectural and structural type with a single-hull structure on a part of the length with a strong hull made of steel with a high yield strength."

As Dmitry Kornev explained, St. Petersburg engineers moved away from the two-hull scheme for the manufacture of nuclear submarines, traditional for the Soviet school, which assumed the presence of strong and lightweight shells, between which there were ballast tanks.

“The two-body scheme is a priori more buoyant and resistant to mechanical damage, but more expensive and has a relatively high noise level.

In my opinion, a reasonable compromise was found in Yasen: two hulls covered the bow of the submarine and structural elements near the launchers, that is, those parts that are exposed to the greatest loads, "said Kornev.

The hull of the project 885 / 885M is divided by strong bulkheads into eight compartments: the main command post, torpedo, residential, electro-mechanical, rocket, reactor, turbine and auxiliary mechanisms compartment.

“To create optimal conditions for the operation of the hydroacoustic complex, the torpedo tubes are removed from the bow and are located at an angle to the center plane.

A spherical antenna of the GAK (hydroacoustic complex. -

RT

) of large diameter

is located in the bow end

, "- noted in the materials of" Malachite ".

In turn, some media reports that the Kazan transferred to the fleet, like the Borey family of Russian nuclear-powered cruisers, is equipped with a new generation of hydroacoustics - the MGK-600B Irtysh-Amphora-B-055 complex.

According to journalists, this product is a single automated digital SAC with a high signal processing speed and a range of 320 km.

The unique system can simultaneously track at least 30 hydroacoustic targets.

Experts emphasize that the quality of sonar equipment plays an extremely important role for the nuclear submarine to fulfill its tasks in the vastness of the World Ocean.

SAC is used for enemy detection, target classification, noise direction finding, ice thickness measurement, mine and torpedo detection, search for ice holes for safe ascent and missile launch.

  • The deckhouse and the surface of the hull of the nuclear submarine "Kazan"

  • © JSC "SPMBM" MALAKHIT "

According to "Malachite", the main power plant of project 885 / 885M submarines belongs to the new generation.

It consists of one pressurized water reactor and a modular single-shaft steam turbine unit "with a wide redundancy of mechanisms and equipment" and provides a decrease in the acoustic parameters of the carrier.

Another technical innovation in the Ash family is a pop-up rescue chamber designed to evacuate the entire crew "from depths to the extreme."

Experts suggest that this device was modified by domestic specialists, taking into account the experience of accidents and incidents on domestic and foreign submarines.

"Impact Power Component"

According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Project 885M submarines "will become an important component of the strike power" of the Navy and will be able to operate effectively as part of groups at any distance from the basing points.

“In the nuclear submarine project (Yasen-M. -

RT

), a number of technical solutions were used that were not previously used in domestic submarine shipbuilding ... The element base of electronic weapons complexes, modernized equipment and life support systems is exclusively Russian,” the military departments.

In the short term, Project 885M nuclear-powered ships will become the main multipurpose nuclear submarines of the Russian Navy.

Currently, seven such submarines are under construction: Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Arkhangelsk, Perm, Ulyanovsk, Voronezh, and Vladivostok.

Experts expect that the manufacture and testing of these submarines will not take much time due to the fact that the verification of technical solutions and the development of cooperation ties were successfully completed when creating the lead nuclear-powered ship.

“The official transfer of Kazan to the Navy allows us to conclude that the main difficulties for the consistent implementation of plans for the Yasen-M project are behind.

This is a modern, completely Russian nuclear submarine, which, in my opinion, surpasses all types of nuclear submarines currently available abroad in terms of the aggregate capabilities, "Kornev emphasized.

The expert believes that the commissioning of Project 885M submarines will significantly enhance the combat capabilities of the Navy.

According to Kornev, in the future, the Yasen-M nuclear submarine should receive the Zircon hypersonic missile in its arsenal.

Currently, this ammunition is still being tested.

Igor Korotchenko is also confident that the appearance of Project 885M nuclear-powered ships will increase the strike and defensive potential of the Russian Navy.

According to him, the improved "Ash" have "enhanced capabilities of destruction" of surface and underwater objects.

"Ash" will significantly strengthen the position of the Russian Navy, will allow more efficient and high-quality performance of the assigned tasks.

With the commissioning of new nuclear submarines, the Navy will receive a very significant upgrade of the potential of the submarine nuclear forces, ”concluded Korotchenko.