New generation nuclear submarine successfully launched in Russia

The Russians have finally launched their fourth generation nuclear attack submarine Severodvinsk K-329. Russian Times Images are here and here

Published 15 June, 2010, 16:18

Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev traveled to the northwest of the country on Tuesday to join in the launch of a new generation nuclear submarine.

The ceremony of launching the submarine of the fourth generation “Severodvinsk” has been held at the Sevmash defense shipyard.

The construction of this submarine began in 1993, but due to the financial setbacks that Russia experienced in the late 1990s, the project was deferred. The submarine was completed just recently.

The Severodvinsk general-purpose submarine is unique, and there are plans to build six more similar submarines in Russia.

At the launch ceremony, Dmitry Medvedev said that this is only the first step in the modernization process of the Russian Navy.

According to Global Security the specifications for the Project 885 Yasen / Graney Severodvinsk class are:

Designer J.N. Kormilitsin, SKB-18
Designer J.N. Kormilitsin, SKB-18
Displacement (tons): 5,800-7,700-9,500 surface
8,200-11,800-13,000 submerged
Dimensions (m): 111-120 meters long
12-15 meters beam
8.4-10 meters draft
Propulsion: One KPM type (OK-650B?) reactor
200 MWt pressurised water reactor
turbines of 43,000 shp
Speed (kts): 17-20 knots surfaced
28-31-35 knots submerged
Operating Depth 1,475 feet Maximum Safe Depth
1,804 feet Never-Exceed Depth
2,160 feet Crush depth
endurance 100 days
Crew: 50 [24 officers / 26 enlisted]
or 80-85 (30 officers)
Armament:
# Missiles: ? 8 VLS tubes for 24 cruise missiles ? 24 3M51 Alfa SLCM
# ? 24 SS-N-26 Oniks SLCM
# ? RKP-55/SS-N-21 Granat/Sampson SLCM
Torpedoes: 8 25.6 inch torpedo tubes
# (24 torpedoes, mines or missiles) RPK-7/SS-N-16 Veter/Stallion ASROC
# VA-111 Schval rocket torpedo
# SAET-60M, Type 65-76, Type 65K torpedoes
# Sonar: Irtysh-Amfora suite MGK-500 Shark Gill LF active/passive
# Mouse Roar passive array
# Skat 3 towed array
# Electronics: Rim Hat ESM/ECM
# Snoop Pair Surface Search Radar
# Myedvyeditsa-971 Radar
# Molniya-M Communications

Seems the Russians are in the process of modernizing their fleet, albeit rather slowly. They are in the process of integrating their civilian and military shipbuilding programs Rian. That article quotes Russian President Medvedev at today's sub launching ceremony

He added that most world powers were investing significant resources in offensive and defensive systems.

"We should do the same. Russia simply must carry out an effective modernization of its Navy. We should build the most advanced ships [in the world]," Medvedev said

Also mentioned in the same Rian article:

The Severodvinsk is expected to enter service with the Russian Navy by late 2010 - early 2011.

I don't know why, but I just get the feeling I'm looking at a tool of a bygone era. A boat conceived in the late communist era, shelved for a while then brought out of mothballs to prove they have money.

It's important to be informed about this so thanks, but still puzzling in my eyes.

I'd be more worried about the stuff they aren't parading in front of the cameras, than the stuff they are!!


S+F thought mate, thank you!

Kiwi

I just found this on Youtube showing the general characteristics of the sub. The audio is kind of annoying, but here it is.

THIS IS WHY WE NEED SHELTERS UNDER TEN FEET OF DIRT DAMMIT >.<
how many dead children and women will there be if we stop paying our extortionists in Russia?! i will not have their blood on my hands. for the price of >$500 each we could all have access to fully stocked bomb shelters. thats way less then what our defence spends yearly on stupid things such as UAVs to spy on ourselves. get with the program people this isnt the fifties any more. if they nuke us its not gonna be one tiny bomb. it'll be a strike on our missle bases first then a firestorm on our most densly populated areas. im SICK of watching lazy poiticians downplay this while they have their own shelters scratch that PROBABLY FULLY STOCKED SUITES. if we let the American government play grab-democrat all day then we die while they sip cristal on our tab.

reply to post by TheBranch


Maybe its wiser to spend money on building defenses (and offences) against realistic threats which are in the region of asymmetric warfare, terror attacks and the likes, and yes UAVs/intelligence gathering are the very areas that need money to fight such threats

spending money on survival methods for post-doomsday scenarios involving nuclear war is actually more of a waste of money because it never really going to materialize as an effective investment from a national spending point of view. Even if it does materialize, then that point onwards the whole concept of 'effective investment on national spending' is void.
Not only that, it actually kind of provokes the other side to build more effective methods to get you under 10 feet of dirt, and bury their stuff at 20 feet of dirt.
There is no perceivable tactical/strategic edge in full scale nuclear war. If there really really was, it would have happened already, undoubtedly..