Torpedoes of Russia and the USSR
The Russian fleet was the first to start the active combat use of torpedo weapons . The first example of an "underwater self-propelled projectile" was designed by the Russian inventor Ivan Fedorovich Aleksandrovsky . On January 14, 1878, Russian mine boats carried out the world's first successful torpedo attack and sank a Turkish ship.
After December 1991, NPO Uran ceased to exist. Dagdiesel, Dvigatel, Gidropribor and Morteplotekhnika remained on the territory of the Russian Federation. In that difficult period, each enterprise "floated" independently. The 1990s were extremely difficult for Dagdiesel. In all its acuteness, the plant faced the issue of deploying its own R&D as a condition for the survival and development of the enterprise. The torpedo is a guided, or homing, missile, that is designed to sink ships, and it has been proven to be immensely effective. In the process of destroying over 10,000 ships, the torpedo, a completely merciless destroyer of ships, was also responsible for untold death and suffering. There was little chance of surviving a winter sinking in the frigid North Atlantic, and many innocent people suffered terrible deaths during torpedo attacks.
The thousands of ships with torpedo holes in them that are rotting at the bottom of the ocean provide ample evidence that the torpedo was effective as the first guided missile. With the development and deployment of acoustic homing torpedoes in World War II, the torpedo became the first homing weapon used in combat.
A nuclear submarine equipped with modern homing torpedoes in an integrated combat system is vastly superior to the submarines that caused such havoc during World Wars I and II. The highperformance nuclear submarines armed with modern acoustic homing torpedoes are capable of inflicting immense damage to naval and merchant shipping. In any future war at sea, the nuclear attack submarine, with its homing torpedoes, will be a major player.
The nuclear submarine, with its torpedoes, became a major undersea threat, and the specially configured ASW aircraft, with homing torpedoes, became one of the few viable counters to the nuclear submarine threat. It is ironic that the torpedo, which makes the submarine such a potent threat, is also, in its ASW variant, the only weapon that poses a significant threat to a modern nuclear submarine.
Everyone is aware that, in the postwar period, the Russians built large numbers of submarines to challenge the U.S. Navy and that, in turn, the U.S. Navy placed a heavy emphasis on ASW warfare to counter the Russian submarine threat. Yet, few people appreciate that the acoustic homing torpedo provided the stimulus for these massive national efforts or that the modern acoustic homing torpedo would play a key role in any future war at sea. In this era of nuclear deterrence, the ballistic missile submarine is considered a key factor in maintaining a stable balance, and the acoustic homing torpedo is the only conventional weapon available for use to defend the missile submarines. These torpedoes are also the only weapon available to counter the ballistic missile submarine threat.
In the early 1990s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the plants and testing grounds of the Gidropribor Institute ended up on the territory of seven new sovereign states. Most of the enterprises were looted. But scientific work on the creation of a modern underwater weapons in Russia was not interrupted.
Russia maintains the world’s largest and most diversified inventory of torpedoes. It continues to develop, produce, and export both Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW) and Anti-Surface Warfare (ASUW) torpedoes; the most recently developed heavyweight torpedoes are dual purpose, utilizing wake-homing in the ASUW role and active/passive acoustic homing in the ASW role. Russian torpedoes and torpedo countermeasures are often proliferated to other countries as part of the sale or lease of Russian submarines.
Some of the modern torpedoes used by Russia include:
- Torpedo 53-65K: This is an anti-submarine torpedo that has been in use since the Cold War. It is a wake-homing torpedo designed to target enemy submarines by detecting the disturbance caused by their movement through water.
- Torpedo UGST (Fizik-1): UGST or "Fizik-1" is a heavyweight torpedo designed to replace the older 53-65 series. It has a range of around 50 kilometers and can be used against both submarine and surface targets. It has both wire-guided and autonomous modes and can operate at depths of up to 400 meters.
- Torpedo VA-111 Shkval (Squall): This is a supercavitating torpedo, designed to travel at high speeds of over 200 knots. It has been in use since the late 1970s. Its high speed comes at the cost of range, which is estimated to be around 15 kilometers. It's primarily designed to be a self-defense weapon for submarines, allowing them to strike fast and retreat before the enemy can react.
- Torpedo APR-3E: This is an airborne anti-submarine torpedo that can be dropped by helicopters or aircraft. It uses active sonar to locate its targets and can operate at depths of up to 800 meters.
It's important to note that Russia, like other countries, continues to invest in and develop new naval weaponry, so newer designs may be in service or development.
Russia has historically been a leader in developing and implementing new technology for torpedoes. It was the first country to field wake-homing torpedoes, a super-cavitating torpedo, and a super heavyweight 65-cm torpedo. One of Russia’s newest torpedoes is the multi-purpose depth homing torpedo (UGST), which entered service in 2002. The UGST has a monopropellant-fueled axial piston engine with pump jet propulsor. It is capable of acoustic, wire-guided, and wakehoming modes and is designed to be fired from both submarines and surface ships. It is advertised as being able to reach speeds of up to 50 knots and having detection ranges of up to 2.5 km for submarines and 1.2 km for surface ships. Technology from this weapon is believed to have proliferated to China.
MULTI-PURPOSE TORPEDOES
| KB | Torpedo | Caliber, mm | Engine | service Year | (note) |
| Research Institute "Gidropribor" | SET-72 | 400 | Electric | 1972 | PL and NK. With hydroacoustic active-passive CH, traceless |
| SET-72E | 400 | Electric | Export version | ||
| SET-73 (MGT-3) | 400 | Electric | 1973 | ||
| WEST-80 | 533 | Electric | 1980 | ||
| NPO "Uranus" | UMGT-1 | 400 | Electric | 1980 | Travel range -8 kilometers(41 knots), stroke depth - up to400 m, the response radius of the homing system is1.5 km |
| UMGT-1M | 400 | Electric | |||
| Research Institute "Gidropribor" | UMGT-1ME | 400 | Electric | Export. With hydroacoustic active-passive CH | |
| Research Institute "Marine Heat Engineering" and GNPP "Region" | UGST | 533 | Thermal (APD) | 2002 | Length7.2 m (for domestic TA) Travel range - up to50 km, speed - 50 or 30 knots |
| UGST-M | 533 | Thermal (19DT) | 2004 | Length 6.1 m(for TA NATO standard). Range - up to 50 km, speed - 40 or 20 knots | |
| TEST-96 | 533 | Electric | remote controlled | ||
| TEST-96M | 533 | Electric | |||
| TE-2 | |||||
| Research Institute "Gidropribor" | TT-1 | 533 | Thermal | PL and NK. With universal (active-passive and underjet) acoustic CH. In two modifications: weighing 2000 and 1800 kg | |
| TT-3 | 533 | Thermal | PL and NK. With universal (active-passive and underjet) acoustic CH. In two modifications: weighing 2000 and1800 kg | ||
| TT-5 | 650 | Thermal | PL. With hydroacoustic CH | ||
| "Latush" | 400 | Electric | PL and NK. With hydroacoustic active-passive CH |
T-65 / 65-73 Kit (Whale)
The development of the 65-73 torpedo began in the 1960s. The task for the designers of the Research Institute "Gidropribor" was to create a powerful long-range torpedo that would allow firing at the enemy without entering the zone of destruction of his weapon. The project became the development of the 65-73 torpedo, this is a 650 mm caliber rocket torpedo. It was used exclusively as a special ammunition and carried a 20 kiloton nuclear bomb. (Removed from service) In 1968, the Newport News Shipbuilding (USA) shipyard laid down the first nuclear super aircraft carrier of the new generation SYN-68 Nimitz, which marked the beginning of a large series of ships of this class, the construction of which continues to this day. Compared to its predecessors, it has become much more tenacious and the air defense system has improved, the frontier of which has expanded to 5,000 kilometers. The strike power of the floating American airfields also increased sharply. The need for an effective fight against new US aircraft carrier formations predetermined the further development of the class of cruising nuclear submarines (NPS) in the USSR. The Decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR on the development of a new T-65 strike torpedo of 650 mm caliber was issued on March 4, 1958. The torpedo received an increased caliber, since the atomic bomb of those years did not fit into a torpedo with a caliber of 533 mm. The caliber had to be increased. Thin 53-65K torpedoes of caliber 533 mm had a range of 16 km and the boat, when launching a torpedo attack with thin torpedoes, operates with a high degree of risk of being detected, since it is forced to shoot from a distance less than or equal to the submarine detection radius (ARS) of any anti-submarine ship. The homing system of anti-ship torpedoes is carried out along the wake of the target. However, for a thick torpedo, the lifetime of the active part of the target wake is 5 minutes, while for a thin torpedo this time is 3 minutes. This means that for a thick torpedo to hit the target, it is enough to "call" into the wake stream, which will be almost twice as long as for a thin torpedo. The chance of hitting this way increases. The anti-submarine guard of an aircraft carrier included several anti-submarine ships, which are located in a circular marching order in order to provide reliable cover for the aircraft carrier from all sides. In addition to anti-submarine ships, the guard includes anti-submarine helicopters, aircraft and submarines. They additionally search for submarines, thereby increasing the anti-submarine defense zone of the aircraft carrier. Thus, the depth of the anti-submarine defense of an aircraft carrier can be increased to 200-240 miles. However, long-range anti-submarine defense, consisting of submarines, anti-submarine aircraft and helicopters, is not at all continuous and, in general, can be overcome quite simply. Close-range anti-submarine defenses consisting of anti-submarine ships can have a depth of 20 to 80 miles, depending on the number of ships in the order.continuousthe depth of the close anti-submarine defense of an aircraft carrier is 80 miles, to put it mildly, a lot of ships are needed. Simple calculations show that there should be at least 20 of them. Otherwise, the defense will again not be continuous. Therefore, the radius of the close anti-submarine defense of an aircraft carrier is closer to 20 miles. In the history of the Cold War between the USSR and the USA, there were cases when Soviet submarines were inside the warrant for quite a long time (up to several days), and were not detected. The reason for this was the hydrology of the sea, and the looseness of the order of protection, and the difficulty of joint navigation of ships in the order for a long time, which leads to its displacement and violation, and a decrease in the vigilance of hydroacoustic operators. In reality, everything is completely different than on map and textbooks. All these guarding radii do not have a 100% guarantee of detecting an enemy submarine, moreover, if no one is waiting for this submarine. Thick torpedoes can be fired at the center of an order of ships, without even waiting for their separate direction finding from distances of the order of 180 cable new (18 miles, 20 km). That is why NATO members were horrified when they found out about the Soviet thick torpedo. The main task of the torpedo was to fight aircraft carrier strike groups (AUG). State tests of the prototype were held in 1965, but the torpedo did not placed due to lack of media. In 1973, the version of the torpedo with a nuclear warhead (WB) was assigned the index 65-73. The torpedo was produced by the plant named after S.M. Kirov. Chief designer - V.A.Keleinikov, deputy chief designer for power plant - G.I.Krestov, for hull-mechanical part - L.S.Tarasov, for control system - V.S.Luzhin. http://roe.ru/eng/catalog/naval-systems/shipborne-weapons/ugst/ http://roe.ru/eng/catalog/naval-systems/shipborne-weapons/te-2-03/ http://roe.ru/eng/catalog/naval-systems/shipborne-weapons/te2-02/ http://roe.ru/eng/catalog/naval-systems/shipborne-weapons/te-2-01/ http://roe.ru/eng/catalog/naval-systems/shipborne-weapons/mtt/65-76 torpedo
The Soviet Navy needed torpedo weapons. In addition, appropriate weapons may be needed to solve special tasks. Several decades ago, this issue was resolved by creating torpedoes with enhanced performance and a caliber of 650 mm. As recently became known, such weapons are still in service and operated by the fleet. But only the 65-76A non-nuclear torpedo remains in the arsenals of all the developed samples. It is necessary to recall the history of 650-mm torpedoes. Work in this direction started in the late fifties and had a specific goal. The command requested the creation of a promising torpedo, characterized by the highest range and capable of carrying a special warhead. It was assumed that such a torpedo could be launched outside the enemy's anti-submarine defense, and it would be able to destroy an entire naval formation with one explosion. Work on a new type of torpedo continued until the mid-seventies. After completion of all tests, the product was put into service under the name 65-76. In the course of finalizing the project in accordance with the new wishes of the customer, the torpedo received not only a conventional warhead, but also an upgraded guidance system. Thus, losing in some combat characteristics, the new 65-76 torpedo outperformed the base 65-73 in others. The development of the project was entrusted to NII-400 (now the Central Research Institute "Gidropribor"). The modernization of the torpedo for the installation of a homing system was carried out by the chief designers - V.A.Keleinikov and L.S.Tarasov. State tests of the torpedo 65-76 were carried out in two stages - on Lake Issyk-Kul (successfully completed in April 1975) and in the Northern Fleet (July-December 1975). During the State tests, 8 torpedo shots were fired during 4 outings of the nuclear submarine pr. 671RTM "Shchuka". By order of the Minister of Defense of the USSR dated 11/19/1976, a modification of the torpedo with a new homing system (CCH) and without a nuclear weapon - torpedo 65-76 (NATO designation - Type 65) is adopted for armament of the nuclear submarine pr. 671RTM "Pike". The torpedo received an increased caliber from the atomic version 65-73. The atomic bomb of those years did not fit into a torpedo with a caliber of 533 mm. The caliber had to be increased. Then they decided to modify the torpedo, but everything was urgent and fast, and therefore they attached a guidance seed and installed a conventional warhead. Due to this, modification 65-76A was developed for less than a year. Serial production of torpedoes was subsequently mastered by the machine-building plant. Kirov (Alma-Ata). As the project developed and new types of weapons appeared, the composition of the project participants did not change. It was quickly enough determined that a nuclear warhead simply did not fit in a standard caliber 533 mm case, which is why this parameter had to be increased to 650 mm. In 1961, tests of a promising nuclear torpedo began, which took several years. The checks were completed in 1965, but the carriers for the torpedo were not yet available. Only in 1973, this weapon was adopted by the fleet and was included in the regular submarine ammunition. In accordance with the adopted notation, the new long-range torpedo was named 65-73. The first number indicated the caliber in centimeters, the second - the year of adoption.TE-2 Futlyar "Case" ("Physicist-2", UETT, "Product 2562")
The product "Case" is the latest of the well-known domestic developments in the field of torpedo weapons. According to reports, the purpose of this project was to further improve the existing UGST "Physicist" torpedo, which was put into service several years ago. In particular, in connection with this, the new project also bears the name "Physicist-2". The UGST "Case" will be able to operate at a depth of up to 700 meters, reach speeds of up to 65 knots and hit a target at a distance of up to 70 km. At the same time, its onboard homing system makes it possible to detect Virginia-type nuclear submarines of the Block III model in a sphere with a radius of up to 4 km. In Russia, state tests of a new electric torpedo have been completed and it has begun to be put into service with the Russian fleet. First of all, the novelty will be received by the latest multi-purpose submarines of the Borey and Yasen types. Torpedoes remain one of the main tools of naval warfare to this day. However, even with the current level of technology, they still have a serious vulnerability - noise. To reach a maneuvering target 30 km away, a torpedo needs to develop a speed of 55 knots. This requires compact but very powerful engines, most often internal combustion engines, which unmask the torpedo and enable the target to dodge in time or use light interceptor torpedoes. Soviet engineers tried to approach the problem outside the box by creating the VA 111 Shkval supercavitation torpedo. She roared terribly, but developed 190 knots, so it was impossible to turn away from her. True, the firing range was only 13 km, and the limit of the depth of use was 30 meters. An alternative way is electric torpedoes. They are much quieter. They can be driven at low speed, controlled by cable, to a distance of almost a dagger strike, without giving out their own position. In 1980, the Soviet fleet adopted the USET-80 universal homing electric torpedo, which developed up to 45 knots, and was almost inaudible at 19-22 knots. As a weapon of self-defense, she justified herself, but as a means of attack - not very much, since she had a range of only 18 km. In addition, it was extremely expensive to manufacture, as it contained more than 20 kg of silver. To replace it, in 1986, the development of an electric homing torpedo UGST "Physicist" began, which was adopted by the fleet in 2002. The cable range reached 25 kilometers. Further, the "Physicist" could independently search for a target for another 30 km. Including find it by its wake, which could be detected even 350 seconds after its passage. In March 2017, RIA Novosti”, referring to unnamed sources in the military-industrial complex, wrote about the current successes of the Case project. Then it was indicated that the new torpedo had by that time been tested. In addition, some of the necessary checks have already been successfully completed. Also, an unnamed source revealed the future plans of the industry and the Ministry of Defense. So, in the foreseeable future, the Physicist-2 / Case torpedo was planned to be put into service. The corresponding order was supposed to appear in 2018. On 12 July 2017, Izvestia published new reports on the progress of a promising project. From the published data it followed that by now the industry had managed to complete all the required work. The designer of the torpedo armament of the Research Institute of Marine Thermal Engineering, which developed the new project, Alexander Grigoriev told Izvestia that the UGST Fizik-2 torpedo had already been adopted by the Russian Navy . Also, a participant in the creation of a torpedo noted that in the future this product will have to replace all analogues of existing types in service, equipped with electric power plants. Recent reports on the adoption of the Case torpedo into service suggest that the tests were completed ahead of schedule - several months ahead of schedule. As a result, no later than mid-2017, the product was put into service, although earlier these events were attributed to the next 2018. Thus, serial products can enter the naval arsenals with a certain lead in the existing schedules. Although the "Physicist" has already caught up in parameters with its counterparts in NATO, the Russian fleet needed something more. The torpedo, known as the UGST "Case" is a further development of the "Physics". As follows from the sources, the maximum working depth of the product has been reduced from 1000 to 700 meters. This is quite enough to destroy NATO submarines. On the other hand, the engineers directed the released technical resource to a significant increase in the cruising range and a cardinal increase in maximum speed. There is evidence that the "Case" develops up to 65 knots and has a range of up to 70 km. And the capabilities of the onboard homing system make it possible to independently find submarines of the Virginia submarine type, Block III model, in a sphere with a radius of up to 4 km. Thus, in terms of the totality of parameters, the Russian torpedo UGST "Case" surpassed the most modern American torpedo Mk48 mod. 7 Spiral. And since the weight and size characteristics of the “Case” differ little from its predecessor, re-equipping Borey and Ash-type boats with it will not cause any difficulty, but it will definitely increase their combat capabilities. Like all modern domestic torpedoes, the UGST "Case" has a cylindrical body of high elongation with a cut hemispherical head fairing and a conical tail section, which serves as the basis for the propulsion and steering system. The total length of the product, according to available data, is 7.2 m, the caliber is 533 mm. The mass of a combat-ready torpedo is 2.2 tons. In terms of its layout, the torpedo probably repeats the design of the base "Physics". Recall that the UGST of the first version had a head compartment with homing equipment, behind which the charging and tank compartments were located in series. The tail compartment was given for the installation of the engine and actuators of the control system. Apparently, in the new project, such a torpedo architecture was not changed or improved. According to published data, the "Case" is equipped with an axial-piston internal combustion engine using a single-component fuel. The type of engine and its main characteristics have not yet been announced. At the same time, it is known that the base "Physicist" had a 350 kW (469 hp) engine, which used a rotating combustion chamber. Fuel was supplied by a high-pressure pump. Tanks for transporting fuel were located in the central part of the hull. It was proposed to start the engine using a starting powder charge. The engine shaft passes through the tail compartment of the hull and is brought out, where it is connected to the jet propulsion. The impeller of the latter is placed inside the annular channel, which increases performance while reducing noise. Rudders are located next to the annular channel of the water cannon. A curious feature of the projects of the UGST "Physicist" family is the use of controlled surfaces that are laid out after leaving the torpedo tube. For greater efficiency, the rudders have a box-shaped design with a pair of large planes and a small jumper between them, brought into the stream. This design increases the efficiency of the rudders and simplifies control to a certain extent. It is known that the product "Physicist-2" has a means of homing, but the type of such a system was not specified. At the same time, there is certain information about the control systems of the previous UGST torpedo. According to reports, within the framework of the R&D "Physicist", enterprises of the domestic defense industry immediately created two variants of active-passive homing systems that have certain differences. Together with homing, telecontrol from the appropriate remote control of the carrier submarine can be used. The torpedo is equipped with an acoustic homing system (SSN) with guidance inside the wake of the target and a telecontrol system.To transmit commands to the onboard systems of the torpedo, a cable placed on two coils is used. One of them is equipped with 25 km of wire and is located inside the torpedo, and towed from 5 km of cable in the transport position is placed near the jet propulsion. The third coil can be installed on board the carrier. The remote control system is activated when using torpedoes from submarines with the appropriate equipment. STU works until the target is detected by the SSN torpedo. When using a hose boat reel in the design of the control system, the combat effectiveness of the torpedo (according to experts) will be higher than that of the UGST torpedo. When used in surface ships, telecontrol is not used. The homing system "Physics" has a flat nasal receiving-emitting antenna, which includes a large number of individual elements. The torpedo is capable of finding both the targets themselves and their wake. Automation detects surface ships at distances up to 1.2 km, submarines - up to 2.5 km. The wake indication time is 350 s. Undermining the warhead is carried out using a proximity fuse. It works at distances up to several meters from the target. Behind the head compartment in the body of the torpedo "Case" is a combat charging compartment. Torpedoes of the new family carry a similar charge in the form of 300 kg of explosive. The power of such a fighting compartment is sufficient to inflict the most serious damage to enemy surface ships and submarines. Probably, simultaneously with combat torpedoes carrying a powerful explosive charge, products of a practical type can be produced. In this case, the charging compartment must be filled with ballast of the required mass. According to the Russian press, the UGST "Physicist-2" / "Case" torpedo is capable of speeds up to 50 knots (more than 90 km / h) and move at depths of up to 400 m. The firing range is up to 50 km. Various publications have repeatedly noted that the promising product surpasses existing domestic and foreign torpedoes in terms of range. This feature of the new weapon significantly increases the likelihood of successful timely destruction of the target with minimal risks for its carrier. According to previously published data, the new Case torpedo is primarily intended for arming modern nuclear submarines of the latest projects. Thus, the multi-purpose nuclear submarines of project 885 Yasen and strategic cruisers of project 955 Borey can become the first carriers of these weapons. At the same time, it cannot be ruled out that in the future such torpedoes will be included in the ammunition load of other domestic submarines built according to older projects. The production of Cases should be deployed at the Dagdiesel plant in the city of Kaspiysk. According to available data, this enterprise manufactured products of the Fizik UGST, and in the near future will master the mass assembly of its modernized version. According to some reports, the launch of serial production of the Physicist-2 torpedoes will lead to a halt in the production of basic model products. Apparently, such a replacement will not lead to technological or operational difficulties, but at the same time it will allow to increase the potential of submarine forces to a certain extent. Years (design-test / armament / production) 1990s/n.d./n.d. carriers PL (with TU), NK (without TU) Torpedo: index (weight / explosive weight (kg.) TE-2( 2350(2400 with specifications)/425 ); Type of target PL+NK Dimensions: LxD (m.) 8.3 (7.945 without TU) x 0.533 Warhead type / fuse FBCH / NV Motor type(power(kW), power supply ED DP-31U, AB VKhIT Guidance system TU (torpedo coil + boat) + acoustic SSN location along the wake (VLKS) SSN response radius (m) n.a. Proximity fuze response radius (m) n.a. Speed\stroke mode (knots) 45(1st mode), 32(2nd mode) Range / detection (km.) 15(1st mode), 25(2nd mode) Shot depth (for submarines) (m) up to 350 Travel depth (m) 20-200 Development (chief designer) Central Research Institute "Gidropribor" (Sobolev I.I.) Manufacturers plant "Engine" No. 181 (Petersburg) Issue (piece) n.a. Modifications: UETT (product 2562) (1999) - an export version of the USET-80KM torpedo with a telecontrol system, a prototype of TE-2 torpedoes. TE-2-01 (20xx) - basic version with mechanical input of shooting data; TE-2-02 (product 2556) (20xx) - a simplified export version with electric input of shooting data (China); TE-2-03 (20xx) - a modernized version of a torpedo with electrical input of firing data.|
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