Borei-class submarine
K -535 during testing in 2010
1 × steam turbine GT3A
The project 955/955A (Russian: Борей, after the Greek wind god Boreas, NATO designation: Borei - class or even Borey - class ) is a class of nuclear submarines of the Russian Navy. The Borei is SSBN- carrier system for sea-based intercontinental ballistic missiles. The class provides within the Russian fleet represents the fourth generation of strategic nuclear-powered submarine cruisers and recognized globally by the Russian side as most modern SSBN unit.
History of development
The development was probably before the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, simultaneously with the projects and project 667BDRM Typhoon class (Project 941) started. The basic development ran until 1996 and was known to the West, when the first boat of this new type has been added to the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk on Kiel. 1998, the project has been slightly modified again. The building was eventually discontinued due to financial problems: In a Russian journal was to read that there was a lack of suitable shipyard for submarine construction steel. The former main supplier Asowstal is since the collapse of the Soviet Union in Ukraine, and the Ministry of Defence had no money there to buy the now very expensive steel. Thus, the construction of the Yuri Dolgoruky was in January 1998 (at that time only 5 % complete ) to a standstill. 2001, the construction was resumed. From this time the boat was designated by the name Yuri Dolgoruky. On 19 March 2004 a second boat of the class with the name Alexander Nevsky was placed in Severodvinsk on Kiel, exactly two years later, a third by the name of Vladimir Monomakh. In April 2007, the first boat was launched. Its reactor was first activated in November 2008. It should be made available to the Russian naval forces until the end of 2009 available and was put into service after long tests on 10 January 2013. However, the sea trials withdrew after initial problems until late in the summer of 2010 back. The Yuri Dolgoruky is the first strategic nuclear submarine for 15 years, which was launched in the Russian Federation. Since the last baptism of a SSBN back is 17 years, which was still during the Soviet Union, Yuri Dolgoruky is the first Russian SSBN.
The Aleksandr Nevsky should be completed originally in 2009, but only ran on 1 December 2010 from the pile and was passed on 23 December 2013, the naval fleet. In Sevmash another boat the 955 class is already being built. The Vladimir Monomakh should be ready in 2011; both boats are intended for the Pacific Fleet. The keel laying of a modernized fourth unit, the Swjatitel Nikolai was intended. The boat was laid July 30, 2012 in Kiel, however, was named Knyaz Vladimir. Overall, the Russian Navy wants to procure eight boats 2015 the 955 class. Seven to be built under the current (financial) plan in 2015, the eighth boat "after" as part of a follow-up program. The new SSBN will in the coming decades the backbone of the sea-based nuclear deterrent of Russia and replace in this role the senior project 667BDR / 667BDRM.
Construction
The armament of the Yuri Dolgoruky primarily includes 16 intercontinental ballistic missiles of the type Bulava (SS- N-30 ) with solid drive. Each of these missiles carrying nuclear warheads, a maximum of ten. For the project, 955 initially the missile R - 39UTTKh Grom was determined, worked on the in Makejev missile design bureau in the city of Miass. However, the local engineers could not comply with the required dimensions for the rocket, which is why the nuclear submarine had to be rebuilt itself. In the tests of this missile, other deficiencies were found. As the rocket in 1998 was finally completed to 80 percent, the project had to be terminated.
In addition to the missiles arming the class is armed with six torpedo tubes of 533 mm caliber. About a possible additional armament with flick-firing from the torpedo tubes RK -55 " Granat " cruise missiles (SS -N -21 ' Sampson ' ) is speculated.
The fourth boat is already part of Project 955A for the series production and will be equipped with 16 Bulava missiles. The boats of the type 955A can be fully equipped with Bulava -30 missile, but it is also equipped with a mix of all types are possible. Bulava -M is designed with a warhead of 550 kilotons or a megaton for attacks on large targets such as ports. The Bulava -30 is equipped with six warheads to 150 kilotons for the destruction of airfields. The Bulava -47 is still in development, but it is suspected that she wears three GLONASS -guided penetration warheads of five kilotons and is able to destroy as " oversize SMART bomb" bunkers. The warheads were developed so that nuclear radiation and fallout are only weakly and stop short. The data in the infobox initially apply only to the class 955
All previous SSBN of the Russian Navy from project to project 667A 667BDRM had when firing the rockets either stop or were not allowed to exceed 3 knots. Project 667BDRM and Typhoons can fire in four salvos, so start getting four missiles simultaneously. In the new boot, one is being geared to the SSGN and the silos used at an angle of 25 to 35 degrees. So can make up to 15 knots during the ejection of missiles in 65 meters depth the boat.
Units
Criticism
The Borei class SSBN is the first new building in Russia after the end of the Soviet era dar. Like many other Russian defense projects, this program was affected by significant delays in planning and construction. The keel was laid for the first unit, Yuri Dolgoruky, already carried out in 1996, but since the construction progress in the meantime came to a complete standstill and was subsequently promoted long hesitant, there were a total construction area of more than twelve years. The current biggest obstacle to putting represent the difficulties in the development of the Bulava missile, which will be the planned main weapon system of the class. In previous trials have failed seven of eighteen firing trials. A total of twelve rockets were successfully launched (as of December 2011).