Five of the most formidable Russian submarines. Russian submarine fleet: prospects and expectations

IN lately Citizens of our country are increasingly interested in the combat effectiveness of the Russian armed forces. Questions related to the army are asked on various Internet portals: “How many submarines and surface ships does Russia have?”, “How many tanks and missiles?” etc. Why did our people suddenly begin to show such interest, what was the reason?

Lyrical digression

Today it is no longer a secret to anyone that the President of the Russian Federation and his team have radically changed direction foreign policy our country. They are increasingly giving Western powers a thumbs down. Russia's policy is becoming more and more firm; it does not bend either to the United States or to European Union, nor under the IMF. Many Western politicians they say that the “Russian Bear” has come out of hibernation and will soon make itself known in full voice. It is difficult to say what has changed in the minds of our president and those around him. Christians tend to say that the last battle of the Apocalypse is coming, and that Russia will become the savior of all mankind. Fans of Vedic teachings claim that the Night of Svarog has ended, the Dawn has come, that is, the time of lies and pretense has passed - the era of the warrior has come. We won’t say which of them is right and who is wrong; perhaps they are all right, and they are talking about the same thing, they just look at the world from their own bell tower. Let's return better to the government, which step by step strengthens our statehood and sovereignty. One of these programs was the reform of the Russian Armed Forces. In this article we will look at the state of our state’s submarine fleet, the prospects for its development, find out how many submarines Russia has and what their types are combat capabilities. After all, every person understands that only those who have an excellent army behind them can pursue a strong policy.

to date?

Despite economic crisis, which befell our country in the 90s of the last century, and the emergence random people in the post of Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation already in the new century, striving with all their might to destroy the defense power of the state, the domestic fleet is still considered one of the largest in the world, with powerful potential for performing combat and reconnaissance missions. One of the main components of the Russian Navy is submarines. The question of how many submarines Russia has is of concern to many, but it is quite difficult to answer. First, let's look at the official statistics of the Ministry of Defense. According to materials presented to the public, the Russian Navy has 70 submarines. Of these:

• 14 nuclear-powered ships with ballistic missiles: 10 for the Northern Fleet (SF) and 4 for the Pacific Fleet (PF);
• 9 nuclear powered boats cruise missiles: 4 for the Northern Fleet and 5 for the Pacific Fleet;
• 19 multi-purpose nuclear-powered ships: 14 for the Northern Fleet and 5 for the Pacific Fleet;
• 8 nuclear submarines special purpose- everything from the SF;
• 1 special purpose - for the Northern Fleet.
• 19 diesel submarines: 2 at 2 at the Black Sea Fleet (Black Sea Fleet), 7 at the Northern Fleet, 8 at the Pacific Fleet.

Real numbers differ significantly from statistics

70 units of underwater equipment is quite impressive, but statistics are statistics, and real life- this is completely different. The above figures indicate that the fleet has 50 nuclear-powered ships of various projects in service, however, as it turned out, less than half of them are in a state of combat readiness. Rest nuclear navy The Russians are either in reserve or awaiting repairs, and their return to service is very, very doubtful. In order not to be unfounded, let's look at the state of the submarine fleet in detail, so to speak, getting personal.

Most age group

The most “ancient” representatives of the Russian submarine fleet are four Project 667BDR boats. Today, two of them (K-223 and K-433) are in service, K-44 and K-129 are under repair. The likelihood of their return to service is negligible, because even those that are in use are planned to be written off when new boats arrive.

The most numerous class of submarines are multi-purpose projects. In total, there are 19 units in the Navy in five directions. The oldest of them are four boats 671RTMKK: K-388 and K-414 are in service, and K-138 and K-448 are under repair. The decommissioning of these submarines is scheduled for 2015.

The basis of the submarine fleet

The Navy has three of the largest boats in the world - 941 "Akula": TK-17 and TK-20 are put in reserve, and TK-208 is used for testing Bulava-type ballistic missiles. There are six Project 667BDRM submarines in the ranks of the Northern Fleet: K-18, K-51, K-114, K-117 and K-407 are in service, and K-407 should leave the repair docks this summer.

In addition, nine submarines of the Antey 949A project are in service with the Northern Fleet and Pacific Fleet, but only four of them (K-119, K-410, K-186 and K-456) have undergone scheduled repairs, and five are either in reserve. or under repair, and their prospects are very vague.

The basis of multi-purpose boats are the Shchuka-B ships of Project 971. There are eleven of them in the Russian Navy, five of them (K-154, K-157, K-317, K-335 and K-461) are on combat duty in part of the Northern Fleet, two - K-295 and K-331 - in the Pacific Fleet, and the rest are not in a combat-ready state, and their repair is a big question. Four more boats belong to projects 945 and 945A: “Barracuda” and “Condor”, respectively. These ships are distinguished by a heavy-duty titanium hull. Two of them - K-336 and K-534 - are serving as part of the Northern Fleet, and K-239 and K-276 are preparing for modernization and repair.

As you can see, the real number of Russian submarines is much less than presented in the report of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

The most modern submarines of Russia

Modern Russia - Project 955 Borei - entered the Navy only in 2013. Two of them, K-535 and K-550, are on combat duty somewhere in the waters of the world's oceans, K-551 is undergoing mandatory state tests, and another one is under construction. It is planned to release a series of eight submarines of this project.

The most modern submarine of our fleet is the Project 885 Yasen K-560. She joined the Navy on December 31, 2013. According to the plans of the Ministry of Defense, ten such nuclear-powered ships will be produced. As you can see, new Russian submarines continue to enter the Navy, so there is hope that in the coming years the situation will change dramatically, and for the better.

What awaits the Russian submarine fleet?

According to a statement by Russian Defense Minister S. Shoigu, the Navy will receive 24 new submarines by 2020. Similar ships different projects and classes will help to update and improve the quality new level combat potential of the fleet. The Ministry of Defense has a clear plan for the development of the submarine navy over the coming decades. It is divided into three stages, each of which has its own goals and characteristics. The first period is already is full progress and will end in 2020, immediately after it the second will begin, which will end in 2030, and the last will last from 2031 to 2050.

Despite the different plans for each of the stages, they all have common goal: updating the technical base of the Russian submarine fleet and bringing it to the level of world leaders. Let's look briefly at each period.

First stage

The main task is the construction of new nuclear-powered ships carrying strategic weapons. After all, old boats are already reaching the end of their service life and will soon need to be replaced. They are planned to be replaced by Project 955 and 955A submarines. As mentioned earlier, by 2020 it is planned to produce 8 boats of this class. Once commissioned, they will be able to simultaneously keep more than 200 R-30 Bulava class missiles on duty. In addition, the Navy command decided to abandon large quantities different types of projects and replace them with fourth generation multi-purpose nuclear powered ships “Yasen” of Project 885.

Second stage

For reasons of secrecy, the details of this period are not made public; it is only known that it is planned to completely replace the outdated fleet with fourth-generation models and create new fifth-generation projects.

Third stage

There is even less information about this period than about the second. We only know about the formation of new requirements for sixth generation submarines. It is possible that a project for modular assembly of a submarine fleet will also be implemented, when, depending on customer requirements, one or another module is installed, for example, with anti-ship missiles or with ballistic ones, etc. Depending on the task at hand, the boat will be assembled like a Lego set.

Historical background

Officially, the history of domestic construction of submarines dates back to the time of Peter the Great (1718). Then a carpenter from a village near Moscow, Efim Nikonov, submitted a petition to the Russian emperor, in which he proposed a project for the so-called “Hidden Vessel”. This was the first submarine in Russia. In 1724, tests of this creation were carried out on the Neva River, but they ended in failure, since the bottom of the vessel was damaged during descent, and the author of the project almost died and was saved only thanks to the personal participation of Peter himself. Nikonov was given the task of correcting the shortcomings, but with the death of the emperor, as often happens, the project was conveniently forgotten. The first submarine enlisted in the Russian fleet appeared only at the beginning of the 20th century. A photo of the destroyer "Dolphin", which became the basis for subsequent domestic submarines, is presented below.

Conclusion

Today, Russian and US submarines are the backbone of the world's submarine fleet. To maintain its position, the domestic submarine fleet needs to be developed and modernized. And I would like to end this article with a quote Russian Emperor Alexandra III(1881-1894): “In the whole world we have only two loyal ally- our army and navy. “Everyone else will take up arms against us at the first opportunity.”

This section is dedicated to the submarine fleet - one of the most important components of the modern naval forces of any country. Submarines are ships that can strike the enemy directly from the depths of the sea, while remaining virtually invulnerable to the enemy. The main weapon of any submarine is its stealth.

First combat use submarine incident occurred in the middle of the 19th century. However in mass form submarines became weapons only at the beginning of the last century. During the First World War, German submarines became a formidable force that wreaked havoc on Allied sea lanes. Submarines were no less effective during the next global conflict - World War II.

The power of the submarine fleet has increased many times since the beginning of the atomic era. Submarines received nuclear power plants, which turned them into real masters of the sea depths. A nuclear submarine can not appear on the surface for months, develop unprecedented speed under water, and carry a deadly arsenal on board.

During the Cold War, submarines became underwater launch pads for ballistic missiles, capable of destroying entire countries in a single salvo. Many decades in sea ​​depths There was a tense confrontation between the submarine fleets of the USA and the USSR, which more than once brought the world to the brink of a global nuclear disaster.

Submarines are still one of the most promising types of naval weapons today. Development of new ships is underway in all leading world powers. The Russian design school of submarine shipbuilding is considered one of the best in the world. This section will tell you a lot of noteworthy things about Russian submarines, as well as promising developments by domestic shipbuilders.

Foreign work in this area is no less interesting. We will tell you about the submarines of the world that are currently in operation and about the most famous submarines of the past. Of no less interest are the main trends in the development of submarines, and promising projects submarines from different countries.

A modern combat submarine is a real masterpiece of design, which in its complexity is not much inferior to a spaceship.

Submarines, which are currently in service with the strongest navies in the world, can not only destroy enemy military or transport ships, they are also capable of striking enemy military or administrative centers located hundreds of kilometers from the sea coast.

To hit targets, they can use not only ballistic missiles with a nuclear warhead, but also cruise missiles with conventional explosives. Modern submarines are capable of conducting reconnaissance, laying mines, and landing sabotage groups on enemy shores.

The latest generation of submarines are very difficult to detect and are usually less noisy than the background noise of the ocean. Nuclear reactor allows modern submarines not to float to the surface long time and develop significant speed under water. In the future, it is expected that combat submarines will become practically uninhabited; crew functions will increasingly be performed by automation controlled by complex computing systems.

On June 15, 2010, in Severodvinsk, the newest submarine cruiser of Project 885 was removed from the dock of the Northern Engineering Enterprise. Thus, today in Russia the lead submarines of new series of three main classes have been built: SSBN of Project 955 (“Yuri Dolgoruky”), diesel-electric submarines of Project 677 (“ St. Petersburg") and finally SSGN project 885 ("Severodvinsk").

It is worth paying attention to this intermediate milestone in order to understand what prospects await the domestic submarine fleet and on what submarines those future officers and sailors who today are only finishing the 9th-11th grades of secondary schools will serve.

FOURTH GENERATION

The history of the new, fourth generation of domestic submarines began at the turn of the 70-80s of the last century, immediately after the requirements were formed and preparations began for the construction of third-generation submarines - projects 941, 945, 949, 971 and others. The new generation of boats was supposed to build on the success that was achieved with the creation of third-generation submarines, capable, despite some shortcomings, of competing with their American and British peers in terms of equipment capabilities and level of stealth.

According to the tradition of the Soviet Navy the simultaneous construction of several submarine projects was envisaged to perform various tasks - strategic, anti-aircraft carrier, multi-purpose, anti-submarine and special purpose. However, at the end of the 80s it became clear that such a practice leads to an unjustified increase in costs for the Navy, and following the example probable enemy it was decided to reduce this diversity to three main classes: two classes of nuclear submarines - strategic and multi-purpose and one class of multi-purpose diesel-electric submarines.

As a result, work on new boats led to the creation of three projects, which were approved as the main ones. The role of the new “strategist” was intended for Project 955 “Borey”, and the new multi-purpose submarine cruiser - Project 885 “Yasen”. It was planned to build promising diesel submarines according to Project 677 Lada.

Unfortunately, the implementation of these plans came at an extremely difficult time for our country. The collapse of the USSR and the destruction of industry, primarily the defense industry, led to the fact that in the 90s and most of the 2000s, the fleet received “Soviet backlog” submarines, without dreaming of new submarines. The construction of the latter progressed with enormous difficulties. Meanwhile, the number of submarines of the Russian Navy was sharply reduced due to the withdrawal of a large number of boats of early projects from its composition, many of them combat units, nominally remaining in service, could not go to sea for years.

As a result, the following situation has now developed in the Russian submarine fleet.

MARINE STRATEGIC NUCLEAR FORCES

Currently, the Russian strategic nuclear forces include six RPK SN project 667BDRM (built in the 80s - early 90s), five RPK SN project 667 BDR (built in the 70-80s), one RPK SN project 955 (launched in 2007, not yet put into operation). In addition, three Project 941 RPK SN remain in service with the Russian Navy, one of which (Dmitry Donskoy), after conversion, is used for testing missile complex D-30 with the Bulava ICBM, and two more are waiting for their fate to be decided.

Currently, the construction of three more Project 955 missile submarines is underway. Two of them should be delivered to the Russian Navy during 2011, and the third in 2014 or 2015. The history of this project is quite dramatic: construction of the lead ship officially began in 1995, but almost did not progress due to underfunding. IN further project had to go through a serious rework when, after several unsuccessful launches, they abandoned the promising Bark missile system in favor of the Bulava, the development of which turned into a real drama. As a result, the renewal of Russia's naval strategic nuclear forces is being delayed. Today, very significant intellectual, financial and industrial resources have been allocated to solve the problems of the Bulava, and this allows us to hope that in the near future the missile will be put into service.

In general, despite the existing difficulties, the state of Russia's naval strategic nuclear forces can be considered the most favorable compared to the rest of the domestic submarine fleet. Their basis is six RPK SN project 667BDRM, currently undergoing repairs with re-equipment on the Sineva ICBM, and it is expected that they will remain in the Navy until the 2020s, and subject to further modernization, even longer.

Taking into account the construction of a series of ships of Project 955 (assuming that all the problems of the Bulava can be eliminated within the next year) and taking into account the restrictions of the START-3 Treaty, signed in the spring of this year, we can say that the presence in service of six RPK SN of Project 667BDRM and the construction of the same number of Boreys will make it possible to remove the issue of updating Russian strategic nuclear forces for the next 20 years from the agenda.

"AIRCARRIER KILLERS"

Today, the Russian Navy retains eight nuclear-powered submarine cruisers of Project 949A Antey. These boats, the construction of which began in the 80s, are among the most modern in the Russian Navy, but the state of this component of the submarine can be called a crisis. First of all, due to the failure of the Legend ICRC and the decommissioning of most of the Tu-95RC reconnaissance aircraft, as well as difficulties with the commissioning of the new Liana ICRC. As a result, boats of this type can only use the P-700 to guide their missiles own funds detection, which excludes the use of this missile at full range and requires approaching the target.

The second and more serious problem is the narrow specialization of these submarines. “Sharpened” to fight aircraft carrier formations of the US Navy, Project 949A submarines turned out to be very large, complex and expensive to build and operate ships, whose purpose was modern conditions unclear. In addition large sizes make these boats very noticeable, and they are also quite noisy.

You can extend the life of Anteevs and expand their capabilities by overhaul and modernization with the replacement of the Granit missile system on boats with a new missile system with universal launchers. Such re-equipment will allow the Anteys to use a wide range of modern cruise missiles and make them multi-purpose ships. However, such a modernization will not eliminate all the shortcomings of the project, and in addition, it will be extremely time-consuming and expensive.

SUBMARINE HUNTERS

In December 2009, the K-152 Nerpa nuclear submarine was commissioned into the Russian Navy. The new Project 971I nuclear submarine is intended to be leased to the Indian Navy. Before this, the already formed Indian crew will undergo training on the submarine.

This fact is especially interesting given the state of the group of domestic multi-purpose nuclear submarines. The last multi-purpose nuclear submarine entered service with the Russian Navy in 2001. It was the same type of submarine as the Nerpa, the Gepard. Today, the Russian Navy has 12 Project 971 submarines in service, not counting the Nerpa. middle age which exceeds 15 years. In addition to these nuclear submarines, the fleet also has multi-purpose nuclear submarines of other projects - 671RTMK (four units) and 945 (three units). In the next decade and a half, at least half of the submarines of this class will fail, in particular, all submarines of Project 671RTMK and Project 945, as well as the first Project 971 nuclear submarines built. Such a reduction, if not compensated by the introduction of new submarines into the fleet, will lead to that by the mid-to-late 2020s, the group of multi-purpose nuclear submarines of the Russian Navy will not be able to carry out combat missions - even such important ones as covering Russian strategic submarine cruisers in combat service, but about the allocation of any noticeable number of nuclear submarines to perform tasks in remote areas of the World Ocean will be out of the question.

How can this situation be avoided?

There are currently two Project 885 multi-purpose nuclear submarines under construction for the Navy. As is known, the lead ship of the project, the K-329 Severodvinsk, was recently removed from the construction shop. Existing plans provide for the commissioning of a fleet of six nuclear submarines of this type over the next ten years, and they obviously will not be able to replace all 27 multi-purpose submarines (including the anti-aircraft 949A submarines) currently in service with the Navy.

They intended to lay down the lead boat of Project 885 at the turn of the 80s and 90s, but financial restrictions and the collapse of the USSR delayed the start of work until 1993. Then a long epic of its construction began. Initially, it was assumed that this ship would be handed over to sailors in 1998, and rumors appeared about the laying of two or three more Project 885 hulls. But in 1996, due to lack of funding, construction was practically frozen.

In 1998, the commissioning dates shifted to the early 2000s, then to 2005, to 2007... Work on the boat began again only in 2004. After the renewal of funding, the project had to be modernized - the equipment laid down by the creators of the submarine in the late 80s was outdated and it was pointless to complete the cruiser with it. In addition, according to some information, difficulties have arisen with the main power plant new generation, which had to be modified.

In fact, rumors about the construction of the next buildings of Project 885, allegedly founded back in the 90s, turned out to be untrue. In reality, work on the second ship of the improved Project 885M, named Kazan, began only in 2009.

It should be noted that the need to build a series of six Project 885 cruisers raises questions. In order to understand this topic, you need to understand the origin and evaluate the characteristics of Severodvinsk. This is a large submarine ship with a standard displacement of 9,700 and a total displacement of more than 13,500 tons, about 120 meters long and 13 meters wide. He has high speed course (according to some sources, up to 33 knots) and has powerful weapons: 8 torpedo tubes with a caliber of 533 and 650 mm, as well as 8 launchers silo-type, each of which can accommodate up to three cruise missiles of various types.

The boat is equipped with powerful electronic equipment and hydroacoustics, and the cost of its construction, according to some sources, is close to two billion dollars. The closest analogue of the domestic project in terms of functionality and characteristics is American project SSN-21 Sea Wolf. Sea Wolves are also large, fast, heavily armed and expensive combat units. In the late 80s, they were supposed to be a response to the introduction of Project 971 submarines into the USSR Navy. Then the United States wanted to build 30 submarines of this type. However, due to the end cold war There was no longer any need for such a series, and in 1989-2005 the American Navy received only three boats, while the price of each submarine reached four billion dollars. The Virginia, which was smaller in size and not so outstanding in terms of performance characteristics, was chosen as the main nuclear submarine of the new generation. Submarines of this type are planned to be built in the amount of 30 units to replace the aging Los Angeles-class submarines.

In this regard, the question arises: does Russia today need to build a series of ships similar to the Sea Wolf, the characteristics of which were at one time calculated based on the expected big war with the most powerful enemy on earth? Or, taking into account the current international situation, we can limit ourselves to commissioning two or three Project 885 (885M) submarines, and choose a cheaper option as the main nuclear submarine in the future, which retains the necessary capabilities due to modern equipment and weapons.

The above considerations regarding the upcoming significant reduction in the group of multi-purpose nuclear submarines allow us to conclude: the construction in the next decade and a half of a cheaper “mass” nuclear submarine in the amount of at least 12-15 units is vitally necessary. In terms of basic characteristics, such a boat should correspond to the Project 971 or even 671RTM nuclear submarines, surpassing these submarines in terms of stealth and, of course, the capabilities of equipment and weapons. Judging by some information, the development of such a project is being carried out by a number of design bureaus.

DIESEL BOATS

Back in the late 90s of the last century, the question was raised about the need to replace Project 877 boats, which today form the basis of the domestic diesel submarine fleet. Deliveries of submarines of this project to the Russian Navy were completed in 1994. Currently, according to various sources, our fleet contains from 12 to 15 diesel-electric submarines of this type, the oldest of which were built in the early 80s.

As replacement options, the construction of either improved Project 636/636M submarines or the latest Project 677 submarines was considered. The first option promised the possibility of a relatively cheap and quick renewal of the submarine due to the structural similarity of the Project 636 and 877 submarines, at the same time, the capabilities of the latter were to increase significantly due to new equipment. The second was more risky - the Project 677 boat was a completely new product, the development of which in the conditions of the post-Soviet collapse of industry promised great difficulties.

Nevertheless, in 1997, the lead submarine of Project 677 was laid down, but it was launched only eight years later, and the submarine was ultimately put into operation only in May 2010. At the same time, the boat was accepted for “limited operation” - according to available information, a standard sonar system was not installed on it, the development of which had problems, and there were difficulties with the main power plant.

The delay in commissioning of the lead boat also “suspended” the fate of the next submarines of the project - B-586 “Kronstadt” and B-587 “Sevastopol”, laid down in 2005 and 2006. As a result, they have not even been launched yet. Whether it will be possible to correct the problems that have arisen without deteriorating the performance characteristics of the boat and in what time frame this can be done is still unknown.

As a result, today a paradoxical situation arises: for almost 15 years, having in its hands a successful, modern, competitive project 636, which is in demand on the world market and maintains its competitiveness through constant improvement, Russia is not building these boats for itself. Trying to bet on newest project 677, our country is faced with a number of organizational and technical problems, as a result of which the renewal of the diesel submarine has been delayed for ten years. With a different development of events, over the past ten years the fleet could have received six, and maybe eight submarines of the 636th project. It is possible that he will eventually receive them - but a decade and a half later than he should have.

FUTURE OPTIONS

The renewal of the Russian Navy, including the submarine fleet, directly depends on what funds the country can allocate to solve this problem and how carefully it will control their spending. According to representatives of the Russian Ministry of Defense, in order to fully finance the needs of the Armed Forces, it is necessary to spend 28-36 trillion rubles in the next 10 years. If the least expensive, 13 trillion version of the State Arms Program for 2010-2020 is adopted, funding for the Navy will be on a residual basis - strategic nuclear forces, air force and air defense will have priority. According to information from a number of sources, in this case, the replenishment of the fleet with new ships will be carried out through the implementation of a joint military and civilian shipbuilding program that is not included in the State Armed Forces. At the same time, in addition to the actual financing issues, a lot of problems with the reorganization and modernization of the shipbuilding industry must be solved.

In the event of one or another scenario, what will the Russian submarine look like 15 years later? The following main scenarios can be distinguished:

1. Minimal. In the absence of the necessary funding, only “protected” items will receive development; in the case of the submarine fleet, these are naval strategic nuclear forces. The grouping of multi-purpose nuclear submarines will retain 2-3 Project 949A submarines and 6-7 Project 971 boats, and will also receive 4-6 Project 885 ships. In total, it will include 10-16 nuclear submarines. The group of diesel boats will include the last 5-6 submarines of Project 877 and a similar number of boats of Project 677 and/or 636M. Taking into account the distance from each other of the main naval theaters, Russia will not have the opportunity to create a more or less strong underwater group in any of them, without allowing the others to become critically weakened. The capabilities of the submarine to carry out combat missions will be sharply reduced.

2. Acceptable. With larger amounts of funding, it is possible to take the necessary measures to preserve it in service. more boats " Soviet projects" Modernization of all 12 existing Bars and, for example, four Project 949A boats in combination with the commissioning of six Project 885 nuclear submarines and, possibly, the first 2-3 boats of the new project will help maintain the size of the group multi-purpose boats at the level of 22-25 units, which will make the situation somewhat easier. The group of diesel submarines, having completely gotten rid of the obsolete Project 877 submarines, will consist of 12-15 new submarines.

3. Optimal. Regular funding in combination with the modernization of shipbuilding will allow, in particular, to completely update the composition of the strategic nuclear forces, without bothering with the modernization of the RPK SN of old projects. The grouping of multi-purpose boats will retain the old combat units: 4-6 Project 949A submarines, which have undergone deep modernization, and 8-10 Project 871 submarines, also improved. The order for the construction of Project 885 boats will be reduced to two or three units, but at the same time the fleet will receive 12-15 more compact and cheaper submarines. In this case, the number of multi-purpose nuclear submarines will at least remain at the current level, and perhaps even increase slightly, while improving quality. The group of diesel boats in this case will consist of up to 20 units of project 677 and/or 636M, and probably some others.

Submarines that are integral part The Navy performs a number of important tasks related to the security of the Russian Federation in the World Ocean and inland waters. Currently, Russia has several varieties of such military equipment in service.

Types of submarines

The sovereignty of the state in 2018 is protected by submarines:

• diesel-electric;
• atomic.

The boats can be equipped with missiles:

• winged;
• ballistic.

Diesel-electric models can be multi-purpose or special-purpose vehicles. In the middle of the last century, one steam and gas turbine boat was built in the USSR. However, after the accident that occurred on board, she never recovered. Subsequently, such boats were not built in the country.

Nuclear underwater technology, among other things, can be:

• torpedo;
• multi-purpose;
• special purpose.

Generations of submarines

Thus, ships began to be classified after the Second World War based on their combat characteristics in anti-submarine defense conditions. The concept of “generation” arose with the advent of nuclear submarines. At that time, in the conditions of a tough arms race, it was important to carry out a radical modernization of nuclear submarines. As a result, the efforts of engineers led to qualitative leaps in the development of underwater shipbuilding.

Currently, Russia is developing the fifth generation of nuclear submarines. We started designing these vessels in March 2014. Presumably, serial production of such military equipment of the Husky project will begin in the period from 2020 to 2030.

How many in Russia today

As of 2018, the Russian Navy has 72 units of such military equipment. There are 13 different boat designs in service in the country. At the same time, Russia’s sovereignty is protected by:

• nuclear boats with ballistic missiles in the amount of 13;
• nuclear with cruise missiles - 9 pcs.;
• nuclear multi-purpose - 18 pcs.;
• nuclear special purposes - 8 pcs.;
• diesel engines for special purposes - 1 pc.;
• diesel engines of other types - 23 pcs.

The very first model

So, we found out. Currently there are 72 of them. The country's sovereignty these days is protected by powerful equipment of this variety with excellent combat characteristics. Russian submarines are equipped with the latest navigation systems, can detect targets at the longest distances, and have fast-acting weapons.

The very same military equipment This variety has existed in our country for more than 100 years. The first submarine in Russia put into service was built at the beginning of the last century. A primitive prototype of such equipment was constructed in the state under Peter I. The author of this, in fact, the very first boat was a craftsman from the city of Sestroretsk, Efim Nikonov. The master tested his invention in the presence of the king himself. Nikonov's submarine was something like a huge barrel. Among other things, a prototype periscope was installed on it. The boat moved using ordinary oars. If necessary, it could accommodate up to 8 people.

Efim Nikonov called his brainchild a “hidden ship.” The boat's dives were successful twice. However, her trials before Peter I, unfortunately, ended in failure. The boat hit the ground, causing its bottom to break. Later, the master tried to repair his brainchild, but a leak was discovered in the boat again.

Underwater technology of Tsarist Russia

Real ships of this type began to be produced in our country back in 1902. Then, in the strictest secrecy, the tsarist government built the small submarine “Peter Koshka”. In fact, this ship was not a combat boat. It was used for sabotage in harbors. A full-fledged underwater vessel in Russian Empire built in 1904. This boat was gasoline-electric and was called “Dolphin”. She was expelled from the Navy in 1917.

Despite the fact that the first vessel of this type was built in the country in 1904, the official day of the formation of the submarine fleet in Russia is considered to be March 19, 1906. It was then that Emperor Nicholas II signed a decree on the withdrawal of the first 20 submarines from the destroyer forces.

From 1904 to 1908, the projects “Killer whale”, “Carp”, “Chum salmon”, “Catfish”, “Sturgeon” were implemented in Russia. Later the boats “Kayma”, “Akula”, “Poshtovy” and others were produced. The last development of the tsarist government before the revolution was the Bars class vessels.

USSR submarines

The first project in Russia after the revolution was “Decembrist”. These boats, unlike the Bars, were double-hulled. Each of the six ships of this series built in the young republic was equipped with eight torpedo tubes and two guns. The crew of the boats consisted of 47 people.

By the beginning of the Second World War, the Russian Navy already had 212 submarines. In addition to destroying enemy ships, during the war they were used to install minefields, reconnaissance, transportation of people and fuel. From 1941 to 1945 23 boats were awarded the Order of the Red Banner. At the same time, 12 became guards, and 4 also became red banners.

The country's most successful submarine was the S-56, laid down in 1936. It became famous, among other things, for being the first Soviet ship to complete trip around the world. The submarine's voyage lasted 67 days, and during this time it survived 3 enemy attacks.

First nuclear submarine

During the Second World War, diesel-electric submarines were used to perform combat missions. The first one nuclear boat was built in the country in 1959. It was called “Leninsky Komsomol”. This submarine was not the first in the world. Two more boats were built before her. The ship inherited its name from the M-106, which was previously in service. This boat was lost during the fighting in 1943.

In 1962, this ship passed under ocean ice and surfaced at the North Pole to plant the USSR flag. Since this boat was brand new and was built in a hurry, it, unfortunately, was constantly in need of repairs. On September 8, 1967, a fire occurred on the ship, which killed 39 people. But the crew managed to avoid the explosion of torpedoes, including those with nuclear warheads. The boat returned to base on its own.

The first Soviet nuclear submarine was decommissioned in 1991. Currently, the boat is being rebuilt with the aim of organizing a museum on board. Visitors will be able to view the exhibits on board directly under water.

State of affairs today

New Russian submarines, the projects of which are being implemented at the moment, have good potential. But back in the 90s of the last century, due to well-known events, the Russian Navy was in a deplorable state. A similar situation existed in the country until 2000. The impetus for the new development of the country's submarine fleet was the tragedy that happened to the Kursk ship. It was after this event that the society of our country realized the deplorable state of the Russian Navy.

In subsequent years, the Russian government implemented a number of fleet reforms. This concerned both the improvement of material conditions and the training of personnel. The crisis that began in the 90s was overcome. However, even at the present moment the combat effectiveness of the submarine fleet in our country is lower than in Soviet times. There were even more ships in the Soviet Union - 250. Today, the answer to the question of how many submarines Russia has is 72 units. That is almost 4 times less. In addition, some ships today are undergoing reconstruction and modernization at shipyards.

Modern submarines

But be that as it may, some improvements were still achieved in the Russian Navy. The number of submarines in Russia has recently increased. Not long ago, two nuclear submarine projects began to be implemented in the country:

• 955 Borei, which replaced the outdated 667 Kalmar BDR;
• ships with 885 Yasen cruise missiles.

Russia's modern Borei submarines are part of the government's strategic defense program. Therefore, their construction at the moment is a priority. Yasen boats have better characteristics than Borey. However, they also cost twice as much. Each one is made to order.

US and Russian submarines

The USA and the Russian Federation are currently the two powers with the most developed submarine fleet. At the same time, experts believe that the American one, developed largely during the Cold War, has great attack potential. The Russian fleet is currently smaller in number. We found out how many submarines Russia has - 72. However, the defense potential of the Navy in this area has recently been replenished with new specimens. No new submarines have been developed for the US Navy for quite some time.