Breaking news
Russian Navy Project 971 Akula-class Nuclear-Powered Submarines to Receive Kalibr Missile System.
| 2016
Russian Navy K-322 Kachalot, Akula class submarine underway. India may get the nuclear-powered submarine Kashalot. Picture: US DOD |
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The
Northern Fleet has six submarines of the class, of which three - K-154
Tigr, K-335 Gepard and K-317 Pantera - are operational. Three Project
971 subs - K-461 Volk, K-328 Leopard and K-157 Vepr - are in various stages
of repair. The Leopard and Vepr are planned for the return to the operational
status as soon as 2016 and the Volk in 2017. The Gepard was repaired and
upgraded in 2015. The submarines of the class carry eight 650-mm and 533-mm torpedo tubes, with an ammunition load of 12 and 28 torpedoes for each type of the torpedo tubes respectively. All missiles of the Kalibr system will be launched via the 533-mm tubes. As of now, there is no information on the number of torpedoes subject to replacement with cruise missiles of the Kalibr system. Presumably, each of the boats in the class will be furnished with 12-14 3M-54 antiship missiles or 3M-14 land-attack ones. Thus, the massive cruise missile attack capabilities of the Northern and Pacific Fleets will increase. The Project 971 third-generation nuclear-powered attack submarines are designed for eliminating surface combatants, submarines and land targets with torpedoes and cruise missiles of the 533-mm and 650-mm calibers. The submarines carry Type 65-76 torpedoes, antisubmarine missiles, Granat (SS-N-21 Sampson) cruise missiles and a lot of mission equipment, including the MGK-540 Skat-3 sonar. They feature high acoustic stealth typical of third-generation submarines. The Project 971 submarines are on a par with the US Navy’s Los Angeles-class boats in these terms. © Copyright 2015 TASS. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
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