Typhoon class submarine
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- This article is about the submarine class with Soviet name "Akula". For the submarine class with the NATO reporting name "Akula", see Akula class submarine.
 Typhoon class submarine underway |
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Akula ( Акула ) (NATO : Typhoon ) |
| Builders: | Rubin Design Bureau |
| Operators: |  Soviet Navy Russian Navy |
| Preceded by: | Delta class submarine |
| Succeeded by: | Borei class submarine |
| In commission: | December 12, 1981 |
| Completed: | 7 |
| Active: | 1 |
| Laid up: | 2 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | ballistic missile submarine |
| Displacement: | Surfaced: 23,200-24,500 tonnes Submerged: 33,800-48,000 tonnes |
| Length: | 175 metres |
| Beam: | 23 metres |
| Draught: | 12 metres |
| Propulsion: | 2×OK-650 pressurized-water nuclear reactors →90 megawatt each 2×VV-type steam turbines →37 megawatt each 2 shaft, 7 blades shrouded screws |
| Speed: | Surfaced: 12 knots Submerged: 27 knots |
| Test depth: | 400 metres |
| Complement: | 163 |
| Armament: |
1×9K38 Igla SAM |
| Notes: | Ships in class include: TK-208[2] TK-202 TK-12[3] TK-13 TK-17[4] TK-20[5] TK-210 |
The Typhoon class submarine is a type of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine deployed by the Soviet Navy in the 1980s. With a maximum displacement of 26,000 tonnes, Typhoons are the largest class of submarine ever built. The NATO reporting name stems from the use of the word "typhoon" (тайфун) by Leonid Brezhnev in a 1974 speech while describing a new type of nuclear ballistic missile submarine.
| NATO reporting name | Soviet project number | Soviet name |
|---|---|---|
| Typhoon | 941 | Akula |
Contents |
[edit] Description and history
The Typhoon class was developed under Project 941 as the Russian Akula class (Акула), meaning shark. It is sometimes confused with other submarines, as Akula is the name NATO uses to designate the Russian Project 971 Shchuka-B (Щука-Б) class attack submarines.
Typhoon submarines are among the quietest sea vessels in operation,[citation needed] being quieter and yet more maneuverable than their predecessors. Besides their missile armament, the Typhoon class features six torpedo tubes; two are designed to handle RPK-2 (SS-N-15) missiles or Type 53 torpedoes, and the other four are designed to launch RPK-7 (SS-N-16) missiles, Type 65 torpedoes, or mines. A Typhoon class submarine can stay submerged for periods up to 180 days in normal conditions, and potentially more if necessity arises (e.g. nuclear war).
Typhoon class submarines feature multiple pressure hulls that simplify internal design while making the vessel much wider than a normal submarine. In the main body of the sub, two Delta class pressure hulls lie parallel with a third, smaller pressure hull above them (which protrudes just below the sail), and two other pressure hulls for torpedoes and steering gear. This also greatly increases their survivability - even if one pressure hull is breached, the crew members in the other are safe and there is less potential for flooding. High internal volume also allows Typhoon class submarines to provide good conditions for their crews, including rooms for relaxation, sauna and swimming pool. [1]
Six Typhoon class submarines were built, with each carrying 20 R-39 missiles (SS-N-20) with a maximum of 10 MIRV nuclear warheads each. Originally, the submarines were designated by hull numbers only. Names were later assigned to the four vessels retained by the Russian Navy, which were sponsored by either a city or company. The construction of an additional vessel (hull number TK-210) was canceled and never completed. Only the first of these submarines to be constructed, the Dmitry Donskoi, is still in service with the Russian Navy, serving as a test platform for the Bulava (SS-NX-30) missile currently under development. All the R-39 missiles have been retired. The Typhoons are slated to be replaced with the Borei class starting in 2007.
[edit] Satellite photos
- One Typhoon class submarine at Zapadnaya Litsa on the Kola peninsula
- A secondTyphoon class submarine at Severodvinsk, Russia
- A thirdTyphoon class submarine at Severodvinsk, Russia
- A fourthTyphoon class submarine at Severodvinsk, Russia
[edit] Vessels
| # | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TK-208[6] | March 3, 1977 | September 23, 1980 | December 12, 1981 | In service as test platform for Bulava missile |
| TK-202 | October 1, 1980 | April 26, 1982 | December 28, 1983 | Withdrawn from active service in 1995, scrapped 2003-2005 |
| TK-12[7] | April 27, 1982 | December 17, 1983 | December 27, 1984 | Withdrawn from active service in 1996, ready for scrapping as of 2006 |
| TK-13 | January 5, 1984 | February 21, 1985 | December 29, 1985 | Withdrawn from active service in 1997, ready for scrapping as of 2006 |
| TK-17[8] | February 24, 1985 | August 1986 | November 6, 1987 | In reserve, awaiting possible modernization |
| TK-20[9] | January 6, 1987 | June 1988 | September 1989 | In reserve, awaiting possible modernization |
| TK-210 | Cancelled |
[edit] 830 TK 17 Arkhangelsk
Typhoon-5
- 19.02.1988 entered 18th division (Zapadnaya Litsa) NOR.
- 08.01-09.11.2002 refit at Sevmash.
- In July 2002, crew petitioned Main Navy Headquarters to adopt the name Arkhangel'sk (renamed on 18.11.2002).
- Commander: 2002-2003 V.Volkov.
- Feb 17, 2004 took part in military exercises with President Putin aboard.
- 2005: Planned to be refitted to carry a new SS-NX-30 Bulava missile system.
[edit] TK 20 Severstal
Typhoon-6
- 28.02.1990 entered 18th division (Zapadnaya Litsa), NOR.
- 25.08.1996 successfully launched SLBM;
- 11.1996 successfully launched SLBM from North Pole.
- 24.07.1999 took part in parade on Navy Day in Severomorsk, NOR.
- 11-12.1999 - distant march. 2001 renamed to Severstal'.
- 06.2001-12.2002 repairs at Sevmash.
- Commander: A.Bogachev (2001).
- Decommissioned ? To be refitted with new SS-NX-30 Bulava missiles.
[edit] 834 TK 208 Dmitry Donskoy
Typhoon-1
- 09.02.1982 entered 18th division (Zapadnaya Litsa), NOR.
- 12.1982 transferred from Severodvinsk to Zapadnaya Litsa.
- 1983-1984 tests D-19 missile complex. Commanders: A.V.Olkhovnikov (1980-1984).
- 03.12.1986 entered Navy Board of the Winners of the Socialist Competition.
- 18.01.1987 entered MoD Board of Glory.
- 20.09.1989 -1991 repairs and refit at Sevmash to project 941U. 1991 refit cancelled.
- 1996 returned to 941U refit.
- 2002 renamed to Dmitry Donskoy.
- 26.06.2002 end of refit.
- 30.06.2002 start of testing.
- 26.07.2002 entered sea trials, Re-entered fleet, sans missile system;
- December 2003: sea trials; refitted to carry a new Bulava missile system. New missile system expected to be operational 2005.
- 2005.10.09 successfully launched SS-NX-30 Bulava SLBM from surface.
- 2005.12.21 successfully launched SS-NX-30 Bulava SLBM from submerged position on move.
- 2006.09.07 Test launch of the Bulava missile failed after several minutes in flight due to the problems in the flight control system. The missile fell into the sea about a minute after the launch. The sub was not affected and was returning to Severodvinsk base submerged. Later reports blamed the engine of the first stage for the failure.
- 2006.10.25, test launch of the Bulava-M missile in the White Sea failed some 200 seconds after liftoff due to the apparent failure of the flight control system.
[edit] Typhoon-based cargo vessel
The Submarine Cargo Vessel is a proposed idea by the Rubin Design Bureau where a Typhoon has its missile launchers removed and replaced with cargo holds. The projected cargo capacity of this configuration is 15,000 tonnes.
[edit] Typhoon class submarines in fiction
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Probably the most well-known fictional Typhoon class was the stealth submarine Красный Октябрь (Krasnyy Oktyabr) (Red October). It is the subject of the Tom Clancy novel The Hunt for Red October and the movie adaptation of that book.
In the novel, the Red October used a drive system consisting of long shafts cut through the hull with impellers inside them, called a tunnel drive or caterpillar drive. In the movie, the caterpillar drive was instead said to be a Magnetohydrodynamic drive. In both the novel and the movie, the drive was said to be near-silent; this made the Red October a perfect platform for launching depressed-trajectory ballistic missiles at the United States. The book claims such launches would have minimal warning times and be extremely difficult to intercept.
The movie features what would have to be a Typhoon-II: The filming model is longer than an average Typhoon and features a towed sonar array (blimp on the rudder house), similar to the Akula class submarine SSN.
Television and Video:
- A Typhoon class submarine also plays a part in the Japanese animated OVA series Blue Submarine No. 6 (Ao no Roku Gou. Blue no. 6). The Typhoon class submarine with a complement of 20 nuclear missiles was salvaged and intended to be used as a mine for the final strike against Zorndyke.
- A Typhoon was also featured in the pilot episode of SeaQuest DSV as a pirate submarine. Although the submarine class is not named, the Typhoon's distinctive hull form is unmistakable.
Literature:
- Typhoon submarines are also the subject of a fictional novel, Typhoon, written by Mark Joseph, which is about an attempted takeover of the Soviet Union by rebellious officers using Typhoon submarines to threaten nuclear missile launches on their own country of Russia.
- Typhoon class submarines are available as naval units when playing the Soviet faction in the Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 strategy game - however these were armed only with torpedoes, and were not ballistic missile submarines.
- 26 Typhoon-class submarines are observed deploying from Severnomorsk in a scene in the movie WarGames - many more than were ever in actual existence.
- A fictional Typhoon class submarine named the Nikodim is mentioned in Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident as the drop zone for Artemis Fowl senior on the Kola Peninsula, although this submarine is one of over a hundred in the stretch of coast near Sevoromorsk.
- A Typhoon is featured in (and subsequently destroyed by) the 688I class submarine USS Cheyenne in the Clancy "novel" "SSN".
- A decommissioned Typhoon lying in a forgotten dry dock facility is the setting for a shootout between US Force Reconnaissance Marines and a group of mercenaries in the Matthew Reilly thriller 'Scarecrow'.
Video Games:
- In the game Rise of Nations: Thrones and Patriots, in the Cold War campaign only, the Soviets have Typhoon class submarines at their disposal. They are armed only with torpedoes, but are one of the most powerful naval units in the game, and are able to sink almost every enemy vessel with a single salvo.
- In the game Act of War: High Treason, the Consortium uses modified Typhoon class submarines, which are faster and harder to detect than the original ones. They're armed with torpedoes and cruise missiles, but they must surface and reveal themselves to fire missiles.
- In the game Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War, the Yuktobanian Navy's Submarine Command uses Typhoons as radar picket submarines for the Hrimfaxi submarine aircraft carrier, which is located in the Razgriz Straits.
[edit] See also
- Intercontinental ballistic missile
- Submarine-launched ballistic missile
- Nuclear warfare
- Nuclear strategy
- Submarine Cargo Vessel
- Ohio-class submarine
[edit] External links
- Video of the Typhoon SSBN.
- NATO Code Names for submarines and ships
- Federation of American Scientists: Typhoon
- Haze Gray
- NRDC Nuclear Notebook - Russian Nuclear Forces, 2005
- Rubin official site
[edit] Notes
- ^ Only 20 torpedoes and/or AShMs can be loaded.
- ^ TK-208 received the name Dmitri Donskoi.
- ^ TK-12 received the name Simbirsk in 2001.
- ^ TK-17 received the name Arkhangelsk on November 18, 2002.
- ^ TK-20 received the name Severstal.
- ^ TK-208 received the name Dmitri Donskoi.
- ^ TK-12 received the name Simbirsk in 2001.
- ^ TK-17 received the name Arkhangelsk on November 18, 2002.
- ^ TK-20 received the name Severstal.
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