Project P2 PL
In 1949, the Research Institute-4 of the Navy under the leadership of Rear Admiral N.A. Sulimovsky drafted a technical task for the design of a diesel submarine armed with a ballistic missile R-1, created in the design bureau NII-88 joint venture. According to this task, in CDB-18 is being developed, headed by F.A. Kaverin project PL (project P-2). However, the dimensions of the R-1 missile (length 15 m, maximum diameter 3.5 m, body diameter 1.7 m, weight 14 tonnes), dangerous components for use on the boat - alcohol and liquid oxygen, as well as the need to ensure the stabilization of the missile during the 7-10 seconds before launch proved technically insurmountable. Work on the project was stopped.
The history of Soviet ballistic missiles began on April 14, 1948, with the R-1 BRDD. The basis for the development of P-1 was V-2. In the creation of the P-1, 13 research institutes and 35 plants were employed. The RD-100 engine, which operates on alcohol mixtures and oxygen, passed bench tests in May 1948. On October 10, 1948, its firing tests began, and on September 17, 1948, the first R-1 missile launched on the Kapustin Yar test site pilot plant NII-88 in Podlipki.
Since 1948, for the first time in the Soviet Union, design work has been started to deploy long-range combat missiles and submarines. The use of missiles by submarines was to radically change their role and significance, both in the Navy and in the Armed Forces as a whole. In 1948, the first project of a submarine with three ballistic missiles and a 21st cruise missile was already developed at TsKB-18. Next year, TsKB-18 (Chief Designer FA Kaverin) carried out, on the instructions of the Fifth Directorate of SMEs, a pre-design P-2 project of a missile submarine with R-1 BRDD and 10X "Lastochka" projectiles.
After the end of World War II, both the United States and the Soviet Union were actively engaged in the search for German technology in a number of military areas, including the creation of submarines and rocket technology. The American project, called Project Paperclip, was implemented by the Allied forces at the time they entered France and Holland, and then Germany itself. In the process of its implementation, technical documentation, industrial equipment, and even scientists and engineers working on secret projects were captured.
In an article on the Covert Shores website, HI Sutton, an expert in the field of submarines, talks about Soviet efforts to use captured technology to build a super-submarine. Sutton emphasized that the K-2 submarine project was heavily influenced by the revolutionary German Type-XXI submarine (Typ XXI) from World War II. At that time, it was the most modern submarine, and its drawings and other data were in the hands of the Soviets. According to the project, K-2 was armed so much that it was already on the verge of being comical.
“The ability to have small submarines with tanks on board testifies to the conflicting demands of the Soviets,” Sutton emphasizes. “Options such as transport submarines and the use of submarines for landing operations were seriously considered on both sides of the Iron Curtain, but the combination of landing operations and launching missiles in one submarine is difficult to explain.”
One possible explanation for this kind of multipurpose submarine: Stalin himself. The Soviet leader, like Adolf Hitler, tended to intervene in matters of military planning, and his megalomania, perhaps, prompted him to implement such an idea. It is also possible that the leadership of the Soviet Navy tried to present such submarines as a kind of miracle weapon for obtaining funding. The more useful a weapon is for performing various functions, the greater the likelihood that it can be considered more worthy of state funding.
After the Great Patriotic War, I.V.Stalin ordered that a large new generation submarine be built for the Soviet fleet. By the end of the forties, the military expressed a desire to receive promising diesel-electric submarines with missile weapons in the future. It was proposed to install projectiles and ballistic missiles on submarines. Such weapons made it possible to solve a wide range of combat missions involving an attack on surface and coastal targets. By this time, Soviet specialists had achieved certain successes in the field of missile weapons of new classes, which made it possible to consider the possibility of using such systems not only in the ground forces and aviation, but also on ships or submarines of the fleet.
Since 1948, design work on the deployment of long-range combat missiles in submarines began for the first time in the Soviet Union. The use of missile weapons by submarines was supposed to fundamentally change their role and importance, both in the Navy and in the Armed Forces as a whole. In 1948, the first submarine project with three ballistic missiles and the 21st cruise missile was already developed at TsKB-18. The following year, TsKB-18 (chief designer F.A. Kaverin) carried out, on the instructions of the Fifth Directorate of SMEs, a pre-draft P-2 missile submarine with R-1 BRDD and 10X “Swallow” type aircraft.
Project P-2 was one of the first attempts to equip submarines with missile weapons to operate at targets in the coastal areas of the enemy’s territory. Several options for the P-2 project were completed. In one of them, the submarine had seven strong hulls and a common lightweight hull. Weapon options: either 12 R-1 BRDD, or 51 SS 10X.
The development of the project was entrusted to the Central Design Bureau - 18 (currently the Central Design Bureau of MT Rubin). The project was named "P-2" and was completed in 1949. The project envisaged a submarine with a length of 119 meters and a displacement of 5360 tons . Even by modern standards - this is a giant submarine! This colossus was supposed to accelerate to 17 knots (about 31 km / h) in the underwater position with a combined-type propulsion system - diesel-electric and steam-gas-turbine with a total capacity of 15,000 hp:
- 6 diesel engines of 2000 hp (3 for each shaft)
- 2 PTTU of 7500 hp each (one for each shaft)
- 2 electric motors for low speed.
The submarine of the P-2 project was structurally not like any other submarine in the world - inside the light external hull, 7 strong hulls were supposed to be placed (three hulls located one above the other in the bow, and then two hulls were placed on the sides aft to the propellers). The space between these side hulls had to be filled with three payload modules, with the possibility of combining them:
- R-1 ballistic missiles (according to the NATO classification "Scunner") - a copy of the fascist V-2 - 12 pieces;
- Cruise missiles "Swallow" (NATO classification 10XH) - a copy of the Nazi V-1 - 41 pieces;
- in the bow were 16 torpedo tubes for 533-mm torpedoes, weighing 1.8 tons each.
- Ultra-small submarines carrying tanks - 3 submarines with 3 tanks each.
In the surface position, the submarine could use twin units with 57-mm and 25-mm artillery guns.
Missile systems were to be carried out in the form of units of similar size and shape with different equipment. They should be placed between two stern strong hulls. In this position, the module occupied all the space from the deck to the bottom of the light hull and contained all the necessary weapons . The dimensions of the P-3 submarine made it possible to mount and use up to three modules for various purposes.
The P-2 project proposed the construction of diesel-electric submarines with a length of about 110-120 m, a maximum width of 12.5 m and a draft of less than 10 m with a normal displacement of 5360 tons. The design of the boat was to be based on seven strong hulls of cylindrical shape of different sizes, interconnected and placed inside a common light body. The combined architecture of the main power plant was considered, from which it was required to develop a capacity of 15 thousand hp It was proposed to use six diesel engines with a capacity of 2000 hp, two steam and gas turbine units with a capacity of 7500 hp, as well as two electric motors of the appropriate type for economical underwater running.
According to calculations, diesel engines when moving in the surface position allowed to reach speeds of up to 18 knots. With a steam and gas turbine installation, the underwater speed reached 17 knots, while using electric motors - 4 knots. The maximum cruising range was determined at the level of 12 thousand nautical miles. A steam-gas-turbine installation made it possible to go under water up to 700 miles at maximum speed, an electric motor - 100 miles. The strength of the hulls was to provide immersion to depths of up to 200 m.
In the central part of the submarine, behind the wheelhouse guard or closer to the stern, a compartment for accommodating ballistic missiles of the required length should have been located. The module for ballistic missiles was supposed to be in the form of a large block with a sturdy hull installed in the corresponding part of the submarine. Inside this module four launchers were to be placed, as well as a set of special equipment. For use by the project P-2 submarine, R-1 missiles were considered, which imposed significant restrictions on the design of the carrier and its systems.
Recall that the R-1 rocket was a copied version of the German product A-4, the development of this project was carried out by NII-88 under the leadership of S.P.Korolev. The first missiles of this type were made from captured German components, and subsequently the production of their own products of the required types was launched. Until the end of the forties, the R-1 missile passed all the necessary tests, after which it was adopted by special-purpose missile brigades. The operation of this weapon continued until the mid-fifties, after which it was replaced with newer systems.
The module for ballistic missiles was equipped with four retractable launchers, on which rockets were to be fixed before the submarine entered the sea. Before launching the rocket, the submarine had to rise to the surface and bring the rocket up to its starting position. For such a launcher, a new launch pad with a stabilization system was required. Special mechanisms had to compensate for pitching and maintain the position of the starting table for 7-10 s after the start command. The launch pad was supposed to stabilize before the rocket engine reached its rated mode and before it rose.
An unusual solution was required by the task of refueling rockets with fuel components. Relatively stable ethyl alcohol could be poured into the tanks of all four missiles in preparation for going to sea. Liquid oxygen, however, was required to be stored separately from the rocket. For its transportation, a special insulated tank and corresponding pipelines were included in the missile module. Also, a liquefaction plant was included in the oxygen system, the task of which was to return evaporated oxygen to the required liquid state. Missile oxygen tanks should be refueled only in preparation for launch.
One module for R-1 missiles accommodated four launching tables with weapons. Thus, when using the maximum possible three modules of the P-2 diesel-electric submarine, it could carry up to 12 ballistic missiles and attack coastal targets at ranges up to 270 km. The ability to simultaneously equip the submarine with ballistic and cruise missiles, as expected, was supposed to expand the range of combat missions.
An alternative weapon for the P-2 submarine was to be Swallow cruise missiles. This weapon was created by V.N. Chelomea based on the product 10X / 10XH, which, in turn, was the result of the development of developments and the design of the German Fi-103 projectile. At the end of the forties, several modifications of the 10X rocket were proposed for aviation, ground forces, and, finally, for the fleet. They had the highest possible degree of unification, but differed in various design features.
A special module was developed for the use of the Swallow missile on the P-2 submarine. Inside the durable case, in its lower part, there was a mechanized installation for transporting missiles and their subsequent supply to the launcher. The missiles were supposed to be transported in tucked form, with undocked wings and stabilizers. In the upper part of the module, reaching the level of the deck of the submarine, a beam launcher was provided for firing at the stern.
To launch from a submarine, the Lastochka rocket had to use two launch boosters. In this case, only one of them was mounted directly on the rocket. The second was proposed to be left on one of the elements of the launcher. The joint work of the two accelerators was to lift the rocket into the air and accelerate it to a speed that ensures the operation of the main engine.
The launcher of the P-2 submarine module consisted of a rail guide and a movable trolley with mounts for the rocket. Before firing, the submarine had to rise to the surface and begin preparations for launch. A rocket was removed from the cellar, which should have been installed on the launcher carriage and equipped with planes. In addition, at this stage it was planned to suspend two accelerators. Immediately before firing, a 20-meter-long guide should be raised at an angle of 8-12 °. In this case, a stabilizer should be included in the work, compensating for the side rolling.
The initial acceleration was to be carried out with the RBT-70 solid fuel accelerator mounted on a trolley. After 20 m, the cart was supposed to drop a rocket. After that, “Swallow” was supposed to continue flying with its own accelerator of the same model, and then turn on the main engine and head towards the target.
Up to 16 missiles could be transported in one module for projectile shells. In the variant of the P-2 submarine, equipped only with cruise missiles, the total ammunition would consist of 51 Swallow products. Such weapons would allow the submarine to hit coastal targets from a distance of up to 240 km.
The pre-draft version of the P-2 diesel-electric submarine project, which provided for the use of cruise and ballistic missiles, was developed in 1949. Further, representatives of the fleet and industry, who made their decision, got acquainted with this project. The promising design of the modular submarine was considered too complex and unsuitable for immediate implementation. Thus, in view of the impossibility of the full implementation of all plans, it was decided to abandon the further development of a new submarine. By the end of 1949, TsKB-18 and related organizations stopped developing the P-2 project. Released efforts were devoted to the development of other projects, not so bold, but much more realistic.
The ambitious project of I.V.Stalin's “P-2” remained only on paper, since it turned out to be very expensive and technically difficult. And designers shifted the focus of attention in favor of the specialized SSGN and SSBN (nuclear submarines with cruise and ballistic missiles).
According to reports, by the time the P-2 project was stopped, some success had been achieved, but a number of critical elements had not been created. In particular, work on the stabilized launch pad for the R-1 rocket was not completed. We should also expect problems with the creation of oxygen equipment for the ballistic missile module. As for weapons, the R-1 and Swallow missiles, in general, did not have much difficulty. These systems in theory could be adapted to a new medium.
The serial construction of P-2 submarines made it possible to significantly increase the striking power of the submarine forces of the navy. They got the opportunity to carry out not only torpedo attacks of ships and ships, but also to fire at coastal targets at some distance from the coast. All this could significantly increase the combat effectiveness of the submarine forces, as well as give them some new tactical roles.
Nevertheless, the P-2 project was considered too complicated. A submarine of modular design with the possibility of carrying aircraft-shells and ballistic missiles attracted a potential customer, but its development and construction were associated with a host of problems of a different nature. In addition, existing missiles could have become obsolete by the time they are supposed to be completed. As a result, a promising project had to be abandoned in favor of more realistic developments.
After the pre-design design was completed, the further development of the P-2 project was not carried out. Further work on the project was not carried out because of the unresolved at that time problems of stabilizing launchers at rocket launching, as well as due to the very complex design of the submarine related to the specification Submarine missiles of two types. At the same time, the design experience of the P-2 was apparently taken into account in the USSR when creating submarine missile carriers, for example, the Shark type.
As a result of the evaluation of the P2 project, comparative studies of the P-1, P-2, P-101 and cruise missiles, it was recommended to continue work on the R-101 missile with underwater launch for submarines and cruise missiles for all carrier vehicles.
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