Project 1910 Kashalot
Uniform class
These small titanium hulled, deep-diving nuclear-powered submarines were probably designed for covert underwater intelligence collection [ "research" or "ocean engineering"). Little is known about these deep-diving submarines, which are similar to the US Navy's NR-1 in that it is a deep-diving nuclear submarine with bottoming skids and manipulator arms. They are said to be very fast for their size, and fitted with side thrusters. The Project 1910 was the first Russian nuclear-propelled submarine using single hull construction.
In the West, NPS Project 1910 Kashalot ('Sperm Whale') is known under the designation Uniform. The submarines are equipped with GEMs nominal capacity of 10 MW. With one reactor, there is one main and two auxiliary propellers.
In order to study new types of nuclear reactors in the early 1970s, it was decided to build a nuclear submarine special-purpose Project 1910 (the code "Kasholot). The ship, devoid of the traditional torpedoes, was decided to be used as a means of delivery of military divers. Later, by order of the Minister of the Shipbuilding Industry for the design of AGS pr. 1910, a special design group was created under the leadership of Yuri Mikhailovich Konovalov. In 1974 SPMB Mashinostroeniya and TsPB Volna were merged into SPMBM Malakhit, which was entrusted with escorting the autonomous AGS project 1910 and all subsequent complexes. Officially, AS-13 was intended for "testing new types of nuclear reactors." The "Nuclear deep-water station 1st rank" (so classified nuclear submarine Project 1910 in the Navy), AS-13 was laid down ["founded] in Leningrad (LAO) 20 October 1977, launched on 25 November 1982 and December 31, 1986 became a member of the North fleet. On February 23, 1983 the second ship of the same type - AS-15 - was laid down. It was launched on 29 April 1988 and came into operation on Dec. 30, 1991. The construction of a series of three boats was completed on December 16, 1994 by the transfer of the third AS-33 boat to the Navy. According to some sources [Wertheim, Eric (2007). Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World: Their Ships, Aircraft and Systems (15th ed.). Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press], another boat, AS-12, reached the fitting-out stage before being cancelled in 1998.
During the construction of the pilot AGS, unique technologies were mastered for forming strong bodies from stamped blanks, welding thick-sheet structures, assembling structures made of spheroplastic, manufacturing cable glands in a strong body, etc. More than 90 samples of equipment were created that had no analogues in the domestic shipbuilding industry. All submarines of the project 1910 served or are serving in the Northern Fleet as part of a submarine brigade in Olenyaya Bay, performing tasks in the interests of the GRU. The submarines were listed under a separate division of the General Staff, which worked in the interests of the Main Intelligence Directorate. In 1986, the ships entered the Navy only indirectly. The fleet was entrusted with only certain issues of support, while control was still carried out directly from Moscow. They were referred to as "ocean engineering & research ships" by the USSR, code-speak for covert operations. According to some sources, they were designed to tamper with the USN's SOSUS network. The most distinguishing feature is "fenders" on the hull near the sail, for many years Jane's Fighting Ships reported that these were wheel-wells for driving on the seafloor, however in the 1990s similar shapes were seen on the undersides of "Alfa" class SSNs being scrapped. They are now assumed to be related to the reactor somehow, or, lateral thrusters of some type. The HF whip antenna is curiously mounted on the aft deck. Hull material is assumed to be titanium.
By 2008 the International Institute for Strategic Studies reported that of the eight remaining support submarines [SSAN], only three were active while the remainder were in reserve. It seemed probable that the Uniform class are in reserve, and with the recent introduction of the Project 09786 ex-Kalmar and Project 210 Losharik boats, unlikely to return to service.
In 2021 it was reprooted that Russia was set to return the Project 1910 special-mission submarine AS-15 to service for operations from the Project 09852 nuclear-powered research mother submarine Belgorod.
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