The Rubin Central Design Bureau for Marine Engineering has developed the second modification of the Guardian submersible patrol ship with missile and torpedo weapons.

"Rubin" presents the second modification of the submersible patrol ship "Strazh", which combines the advantages of a submarine and a surface patrol ship... This variant has the maximum armament: a small-caliber automatic cannon, two launchers for guided missiles and four 324 mm torpedo tubes.

Such a configuration makes the Guardian a dangerous adversary even for much larger surface ships, ”TASS quoted the company’s press service as saying.

Representatives of the Rubin Central Design Bureau added that the new version of the Guardian ship is larger - 72 m long and with a displacement of about 1300 tons.

“Increasing the size allows us to offer a modification with more functionality.

New contours with a wave-piercing stem and a blockage of the sides reduce rolling, increase the stability of the ship as a weapon platform, and also reduce radar visibility.

Placing a hydroacoustic antenna in the bow bulb improves the conditions for its operation, and the bulb itself reduces the resistance to movement in the surface position.

A more powerful power plant allows you to reach speeds of up to 21 knots, ”the design bureau explained.

The design of this ship, as in other proposed options, provides for two hermetic multifunctional hangars, which can accommodate boats, armament of inspection teams, UAVs and other loads.

“In addition, the ship can be used for exercises of its own anti-submarine forces and training of classic submarine crews.

The cruising range is up to 4,000 miles at a speed of 10 knots, if necessary, it can be increased, ”TASS reports the company.

Thanks to the combination of underwater and surface properties, the ship, focused on use in peacetime, retains its value as a combat unit in the escalation of the conflict, the developers say.

“Moreover, the ability to dive allows the Guardian to solve typical tasks for a patrol ship in new ways, including simpler and more profitable ones,” the Rubin Central Design Bureau noted.

Conceptual evolution

Recall that in April 2021, Rubin Central Design Bureau announced work on the first modification of a submersible patrol ship that combines the advantages of a submarine and a surface patrol ship.

It was called "Guardian" and was intended for export abroad.

According to the Guardian developers, the submerged position gives the ship two advantages at once: the ability to conduct covert surveillance of intruders and successfully intercept them, as well as avoid adverse weather conditions without interrupting patrols.

  • The first modification of the submersible patrol ship "Guardian"

  • © JSC Central Design Bureau MT Rubin

In addition, the ability to dive will allow the Guardian to be used as a classic submarine, including for reconnaissance.

Such a ship will also be useful when studying the shelf: a “diving” patrol ship in this area provides more opportunities than a classic surface vessel.

The developers noted that this modification of the Guardian ship in its architecture and contours resembles the Soviet diesel-electric submarines of Project 613. These submarines were the most massive in the USSR - a total of 215 such submarines were built.

Doctor of Military Sciences, retired captain 1st rank Konstantin Sivkov, in a conversation with RT, noted that the project is an initiative development of the Rubin Central Design Bureau and its prospects and possible effectiveness have yet to be assessed.

At the same time, the military expert clarified, such a ship could potentially be used to solve a certain number of tasks.

“This could be providing cover for areas in the coastal strip.

Also, such a ship can be used to deliver underwater sabotage, fight against submarines at shallow depths, search for mines, ”the expert noted.

At the same time, the possibility of diving under water gives him obvious advantages, Konstantin Sivkov added.

“This makes it possible to evade anti-ship missiles: it goes under water and the enemy cannot hit it.

In addition, given its low noise level, it has certain capabilities for combating submarines, especially in the coastal zone, ”the RT interlocutor explained.

From the depths of history

The concept of a hybrid "diving" ship, which can operate both underwater and on the surface, has been around for a long time, military experts say.

The first submarines, created at the dawn of the development of the submarine fleet at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, worked precisely on this principle.

Due to technological limitations, early submarines spent most of the trip on the surface, as they could only fully submerge under water for a short time.

With the development of technology and the evolution of design thought, such "diving" hybrid ships became a thing of the past shortly after the First World War.

Despite this, the concept of such a ship was returned later.

For example, in the USSR in the 1950s and 1960s, the project 1231 Dolphin submersible missile boat was developed, which was a hybrid of a missile ship and a submarine.

The initiator of this project was the then head of the USSR Nikita Khrushchev.

During a visit to Balaklava, Khrushchev was shown high-speed boats and submarines, after which the first secretary of the Central Committee proposed to create a ship that would combine their qualities.

According to the plan of the head of the USSR, such ships could operate covertly, which would be an advantage in a potential conflict with the use of nuclear weapons.

In addition, with the stealth inherent in submarines, they would have the strike power of a surface missile ship.

However, during the development of the project 1231 Dolphin ship, the designers encountered a number of complex technical problems and limitations that reduced the effectiveness of such a vessel.

So, the ships had a short range and speed, while they were more vulnerable to aviation.

  • Submersible missile boat project 1231 "Dolphin"

  • © https://ru.wikipedia.org/

The designers failed to fully resolve these problems: work on the 1231 Dolphin project was stopped after Khrushchev left the posts of First Secretary of the Central Committee and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR in 1964.

Military expert Yuri Knutov, in a conversation with RT, noted that, despite the high level of Soviet engineers, the opportunity to create such a ship appeared only now.

“Even in the days of the USSR, tasks were set to create a ship that can operate both on water and under water, moreover, with the same speed and the same combat capabilities.

The technologies that existed then did not allow the implementation of such a project, such an opportunity has appeared only now, ”the expert explained.

At the same time, the surface mode of operation of such a ship will become the main mode of operation, and the dive will be used in emergency situations or to solve special problems, Yuri Knutov suggested.

“The advantage is that in a critical situation, including a storm or serious sea disturbances, the ship can go under water.

It also provides stealth, which can be useful in case of approaching the enemy coastline.

If the project is successfully implemented, it will turn out to be a military breakthrough, because so far no country has such ships in service, ”the military expert added.