Khaski [Husky] - Variants
The principles and developments laid down in the basis of multi-purpose atomic submarines of the "Ash" type will be used in the design of the next fifth generation submarines that will be built after 2020. This was announced 01 August 2016 in an interview with TASS by the general director of the design bureau "Malachite", who developed Yaseni, Vladimir Dorofeev.
"The creation of the fifth generation submarines will take into account the results of construction, testing, experienced and routine operation of the head submarine of Project 885 Severodvinsk," the source said.
According to him, the concept of partial modularity, universalization of the tasks of "Yaseney" "showed its full viability." "The decisions that were the basis for the creation of multipurpose submarines of the Russian fleet have been tested by time and will be implemented when creating submarines of the fifth generation," the head of the design bureau said. Answering the question about the possible timing of the construction of the first new generation submarine, Dorofeev said that it was a ship that "will be laid after 2020".
The permanent observer of Russian military equipment from The National Interest Dave Majumdar suggested that Russian designers could go a step further and develop two versions of the new submarine. One of them, like the "Ash" submarine, will be designed to deal with the enemy's underwater and surface fleets, and the other to destroy ground targets. To do this, it is only needed to insert into the body section with installations for launching ballistic missiles.
Indeed, the Russian press reported that KB Malakhit is developing two versions of the Husky submarine on the basis of the same hull design. Differences in weapon systems: in one version, only torpedoes and anti-ship weapons are to be on board, and in another version, the submarines will be armed with cruise and ballistic missiles. The first version, the fastest, will replace the submarines of project 971 "Pike-B", project 945 "Sierra" and project 671RTM "Pike". The second version will replace the Project 949A "Antey". This version of the "Husky" is supposed to install hypersonic cruise missiles "Zircon".
Other sources claim the new submarines, previously called the "Husky" project, will be built in three versions - in the basic version with torpedo armament, in the version armed with Zircon missiles, and in an enlarged version equipped with ballistic missiles. As expected, the construction of new submarines will begin in 2020 - 2021 years. All three versions of the "Husky" are likely to be maximally unified.
The Russians will start with a basic project, displacement of 8 to 9 thousand tons and a speed of 32 to 33 knots. This submarine will have a mine-torpedo armament, but it will also be able to launch cruise missiles. It is planned that on the submarine could, like the Virginia, station a unit of combat swimmers. In variants with cruise and ballistic missiles, the submarine's body will be lengthened by an additional section, similar to how on the Virginia the additional module provides the submarine with four more launchers with containers capable of carrying seven cruise missiles. The Russians are also going to develop such containers, which will enable them, if necessary, to quickly re-equip submarines with ballistic missiles with cruise missiles - five to seven missiles per installation.
Apparently, the version of "Husky" with ballistic missiles will refer to the other two options, like "Columbia" to "Virginia" - that is, it will be their increased version, which for the most part has the same basic systems, including hydroacoustics and power engineering. All "Huskies" will use the same hydroacoustic and power systems - in particular, the same water-water reactors, the use of which was tested on the submarines of Project 995A "Borey" and Project 885M "Ash".
Russia hopes that the "Husky" will be much cheaper than the 885M submarines - very good, but extremely expensive. Taking into account the savings on standardized components and systems, Moscow wants to reduce the cost of the "Husky" to the level at which it will be possible to build a minimum of 16-20 submarines - conventional and cruise missiles. Russians ideally would like to build one new submarine every two years with a construction period of not more than four and a half years. If everything goes as planned, the first "Husky" will be accepted for service in 2025, and the latter will be delivered to the customer in the 2030s.
The version with ballistic missiles will be built after the fleet receives the last strategic missile submarine cruiser 995A "Borey". The presence of a strategic submarine of a new generation will allow Russia to "continue rearmament of the naval strategic nuclear forces in the 2020s if a compromise on further reduction of strategic offensive arms between Russia and the US will not be achieved."
However, American experts - and in particular the staff of the Naval Analytical Center Michael Kofman - Russia's intention to create another type of submarines with ballistic missiles is somewhat surprising. "It's not very clear why they need one more such submarine," Kofman told the National Interest. "In my opinion, they need a conventional multi-purpose submarine."
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