Project 908 Triton-2
Project 908 Triton-2 small submarine was a highly classified project during the Cold War, and some mystery still surrounds the project. Museum display exemplars and models depict an entirely enclosed vessel with a vestigial conning tower of sorts and various portholes for surface navigation. More recent artwork and models depict a rather more sleek vehicle that is more of a swimmer deliver vehicle than a subamrine.
The Russian Navy has reportedly developed a project for an "upgraded version" of the Triton-2 and an entirely unrealated special semi-submersible boat Triton-NN. While the upgraded Triton-2 is superficialy similar in appearance and specifications to the earlier Triton-2, the internal layout is completely different. Only time will tell.
Tasks solved by the midget submarine "Triton-2" include covert transportation underwater, disembarkation and return of combat swimmers when they perform special tasks of the Navy in coastal areas. Project 908 "Triton-2" developed by CPB "Wave" St. Petersburg. Development of the project began in 1970, and in 1974 the first prototype was made. Triton-2 submarines were in service with the Soviet navy from 1975 to the 1990s.
"Triton-2" was equipped with an electric motor powered by batteries. The boat was unarmed and used as a vehicle. The ultra-small boat "Triton-2" is a transporter of "wet" type - that is, the crew while moving under water is in compartments filled with water.
With the end of the Cold War, the primary emphasis of the Malachite Design Bureau was the development of miniature and superminiature submarines. Such superminiature submarines as Triton-1 and Triton-2 and miniature submarines such as Pirahna built to the Bureau's design specifications were demonstrated at international exhibitions and recognized by specialists as the most modern undersea craft of this class.
The hull of the midget submarine is made of an aluminum-magnesium alloy. "Triton-2" could dive to a depth of 40 meters. The cockpit of the crew and divers was filled with water, but the electrical part and the control panel were sealed. On board the boat there could be two crew members and four divers. Everyone on board must be in full diving suits, the boat is not sealed and is filled with water when submerged (except for the engine compartment). An 11 horsepower electric motor allowed the boat to reach a speed of 5 knots under water. The cruising range under water could reach 60 miles.
A new milestone in the development of small and ultra-small submarines was shown in 2021 at the International Maritime Defense Show, a small anti-sabotage class submarine of the Serval project may have on board one more - the midget submarine Triton-2, which floats out of it through special doors. The leading designer of the Malakhit Design Bureau, Igor Karavaev, told Voennoy Acceptance 19 December 2021 that such submarines are intended primarily for the delivery of combat swimmers.
“Through special flaps in the bow of the Serval, an ultra-small submarine emerges, a carrier of combat swimmers of the Triton-2 type. In this modification, its crew is 6 people, "said the designer. The Triton-2 ultra-small submarine is 9 meters long and can reach speeds of up to 5 knots (9.2 km / h). The length of the small, "mother" for the "Triton-2" anti-sabotage submarine "Serval" reaches 65 meters, the speed - 18 knots (33.3 km / h). According to Karavaev, there was a place on board for serious weapons. “Its main options are the same as on the Piranha-T, that is, firing cruise missiles, torpedoes and laying mines,” the specialist explained.
Materials on the new pr. 09070 and 09080 regularly appeared at various exhibitions, but there is still no information about actual orders. Probably, SMPLs do not attract the attention of potential buyers.
Around 2010, a new submersible boat-carrier of divers, pr. 21310 "Triton-NN" developed by the Central Design Bureau "Lazurit", entered service. Unlike its predecessors, it combines the qualities of a submarine and a high-speed surface vessel. In addition, the boat carries a set of various modern equipment. Thus, the development of the direction of carriers of divers / ultra-small submarines continues, but now it is based on fundamentally new ideas.
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