Silent sub: Russian noiseless Borei class nuclear submarine immersed

RT.Com ^ | 30 December, 2012, 17:26

[null and void]

Borei class nuclear submarine Vladimir Monomah at the “Sevmash” shipyard before its launch in Severodvinsk. (RIA Novosti/A. Petrov)

Super-modern, powerful and almost noiseless Russian nuclear submarine Vladimir Monomakh has been put in water to become the third ship of the Borei project. The cruiser is about to begin sea trials and mooring to become fully operational in 2013.

­Vladimir Monomakh was laid down at Russia’s largest shipbuilding complex Sevmash, located on the shores of the White Sea in the town of Severodvinsk in northern Russia on March 19, 2006 – the 100th anniversary of the Russian submarine fleet.

­Borei-class submarine

Length: 170 m

Beam: 13.5 m

Draught: 10 m

Test depth: 450 m

Displacement:

14,720 tons surfaced

24,000 tons submerged

Speed: 29 knots (54 km/h)

Complement: 107 (55 officers)

Armament: 16-20 × Bulava SLBMs

6 × 533 mm torpedo tubes

It belongs to a class of missile strategic submarine cruisers with a new generation of nuclear reactor, which allows the submarine to dive to a depth of 480 meters. It can spend up to three months in autonomous navigation and, thanks to the latest achievements in the reduction of noise, it is almost silent compared to previous generations of submarines. The submarine is armed with the new missile system, which has from 16 to 20 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles Bulava (SS-NX-30 by NATO classification). The rocket is able to overcome any prospective missile defense system.

On August 27, 2011, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on a successful test of Bulava to investigate its maximum range. The missile was launched from the White Sea, flew 9,300km in just 33 minutes, and then fell in the specified area in the Pacific Ocean.

All Borei class submarines are equipped with a floating rescue chamber designed to fit in the whole crew.

Nuclear submarine (NS) "Yuri Dolgoruky" undergoing sea trials. (RIA Novosti)

The Borei family

The first and head submarine of Borei class, Yury Dolgoruky, has already completed the test program and is to be officially adopted by the Russian Navy on Sunday. Construction of the missile carrier is approximately estimated at around US$770 million, while other Borei class submarines are believed to cost less.

“The hoisting of the flag and the signing of the acceptance act is to be adopted at the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk on Sunday, December 30,” the Rubin design bureau that designed the submarine said in a statement on Saturday.

Another missile cruiser of this project, the Aleksandr Nevsky, is undergoing tests, according to Borisov. While a fourth, more advanced submarine, the Knyaz Vladimir, with enhanced technical characteristics and increased ammunition is currently being built.

Over the next eight years Russia plans to have built 10 Borei class submarines altogether, according to the state armaments program of 2011-2020. All Borei class submarines are believed to provide a basis of naval strategic nuclear forces of Russia in the coming decades.

The nuclear submarine (NS) "Yuri Dolgoruky" in the area of the JSC "Sevmash". (RIA Novosti)

[Smorgasbord]

Many years ago I heard about Toshiba being caught selling Russia the technology to make our submarine propellers as quiet as they are. I haven’t bought a Toshiba product since.

[Campion]

I will live in Montana, then, marry a round American woman, and own a recreational vehicle.

[R. Scott]

So that tells me that nearly all of the 24 subs are being built in a TOP SECRET LOCATION, one that no one knows about.

Except for Newport News Shipbuilding in VA and General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton CT.

[Iscool]

Seen Russian made motorcycles here in the U.S...And after inspecting those, I don’t blame those sailors for wanting a quick way out...

In the pic it looks like they used caulking compound on some of the joints/seams...

[bytesmith]

The rescue chamber is the sub itself. After it ruptures for no apparent reason, it turns upside down and the water drains out of the conning tower

---

Don’t you just love gravity. Its always there when you need it.

[Lees Swrd]

Thats nothing a half ton pickup ran into a river around here had 10 people in the cab and 30 people in the back ya know some of our friends south of the boarder anyway the 10 in the cab got out safely the 30 in back drowned..... they couldn’t get the tailgate open!!! /SS

[RoadGumby]

What decompression? Subs operate at atmospheric. That is purposeful, to negate need for decompression.

[RoadGumby]

You said: I was in the submarine service at the time this happened. While Toshiba may make fine products, not a single dollar of mine has or WILL go to them since. They tried to kill me and injured this country.

[RS_Rider]

“What was their penalty?”

Westinghouse

[Slump Tester]

Pump Jet propulsion - that’s what Tom Clancy wrote about in the hunt for red october, isn’t it?

[rottndog]

The words "Violent and traumatic decompression" come to mind. I wonder how that works out from the depths these marvels run at?

No decompression would occur, because the air pressure in the boat remains approximately constant regardless of depth. I say approximately, because some air pressure differential will develop between the inside of the boat and sea surface air pressure (one atmosphere) over time while submerged, but it is only slight. Once the boat reaches PD or surfaces, it is required to 'equalize' before snorkeling or ventilating, but that will only result in minimal ear popping, similar to what is experienced on an airplane changing altitude.

[Sirius Lee]

I looked for articles on all of these 24 subs, and the best that I can find is something that says we’re building at the rate of maybe 1 sub every 4 years. So that tells me that nearly all of the 24 subs are being built in a TOP SECRET LOCATION, one that no one knows about.

Maybe the Chinese are building them for us at Hainan Island.

[listenhillary]

Who to believe?

Pentagon Denies Reports of Russian Sub near U.S.
http://en.rian.ru/military_news/20120816/175258313.html

[Robe]

Was the Kursk fitted with one?????
If so , it sure didn’t help those poor ba$tards

[Oztrich Boy]

In the pic it looks like they used caulking compound on some of the joints/seams...

Probably. The exterior joints/seams are between the anehcoic panelling which is glued (for want of a better word) to the outside of the steel hull. It's not load bearing, it just has to not reflect sonar.

[UCANSEE2]

Pump Jet propulsion - that’s what Tom Clancy wrote about in the hunt for red october, isn’t it?

No. I believe they are two totally different concepts. The one in the movie was a large magneto-hydrodynamic pump.

The pump jet technology here is closer to the jet-ski propulsion.

Basically the idea is to have a much smaller propeller surrounded by a radial flow chamber. (I wish I knew what I just said)

Here is an example.

[Rockingham]

That was a different era, before the US and the West had made dramatic advances due to computers and other high tech and while the USSR was still a going concern. Moreover, nuclear submarines generate a substantial and irreducible level of noise due to reactor cooling pumps. This makes the Borei class subs inherently noisy in ways that simply cannot be remedied no matter how much sound deadening is applied.

[Rockingham]

I think the issue there is not that Russian subs are quiet — they are not — but that US anti-submarine defenses have been allowed to decay due to lack of training, vigilance, and funding.

[UCANSEE2]

Here is a real one. ,

Some of these are rotatable (vortex), some not.

You can usually tell by whether there are control surfaces on the planes and rudders.

The French have a submarine with a vectorable drive, and this Russian one mentioned in the article is 'fixed'.

[UCANSEE2]

Here is one with vector ability.