Yasen Class

Yasen class internal layout

It can be a little confusing when looking up information on this class of Russian submarine. There are many different names that this class has been called.

First the Russian Navy refers to the project as Project 885 Yasen (Russian: Проект 885 "Ясень", Yasen means ash tree). The class is also sometimes referred to as the Severodvinsk class because this is the lead ship in the class. There is also the term Graney class, but this has been used less and less.

Severodvinsk getting underway

The lead ship of this class was launched in September of 2011, and later that month put to sea for sea trials. It is expected that the Severodvinsk will join the fleet in the latter half of 2012. The second boat of the class, Kazan, is currently under construction.  

Yasen Class in drydock

The Severodvinsk was initially laid down in 1992 and was delayed for financial reasons. The price of the lead ship is believed to be more than one billion US dollars. The follow-on ships of the class will feature upgraded weapons and electronics packages.

 

The Yasen class submarines are multi-role submarines that were developed from lessons learned from the Akula, Oscar, and Alfa class submarines.

 

According to several naval analysts this class will be the quietest Russian submarine ever built, but that has yet to be confirmed.

K-329 Severodvinsk can be seen in Google Earth at 64°34′31″N 39°48′02″E / 64.575181°N 39.800550°E.

Russia is planning to built 10 of these submarines, to replace older Soviet submarines.

Here is a layout for the Russian speakers out there.

Russian Navy News

I found a few interesting articles about what is going on in the Russian Navy this week. Unfortunately it seems that a lot of the news coming out of the Russian Navy is all about what they are doing for other navies. This week is no exception to that. Here is a round up of some of the top news stories for this week.

Yasen

Artist rendering of Yasen class submarine. 

According to a source at the Sevmash shipyards, by 2021 the Russian Navy will have seven Yasen class submarines. 

Here is a quote from the source:

“The first Yasen-class Severodvinsk nuclear powered submarine of Project 855 of the fourth generation will be adopted for service in the Navy this year after the completion of the tests,”

Monday's blog update will provide more details about this class of submarine.

Naval war games with China

Varyag in San Fran.

This week the Russian and Chinese Navies concluded war games in the Yellow Sea. 

Depending on which source you choose there are various opinions about the nature of the war games. According to some the war games only helped to raise tensions in an already volatile part of the world. 

According to another article, these war games are just a sign of growing of friendship and cooperation between Russia and China. 

Russian ships in line formation with ships from other nations.

In my opinion this was just a way for the Russian Navy to raise its profile. If these war games caused tensions to raise, then what did the US led war games in the same region do? 

And here are some other stories without commentary:

Russian built frigate joins the India Navy 

The former Admiral Gorshkov, now Vikramaditya, is preparing for sea trials. 

Blue prints of the Vikramaditya after conversion.

Busy Busy

The busiest ships in the Russian Navy are the Udaloy class destroyers. 

These ships were designed and built for the Soviet Navy. They were intended to be primarily anti-submarine platforms, but have become all-purpose ships filling a variety of roles.  They have participated in anti-piracy operations, fishing ground protection, and most recently war games with maritime partners.

A single follow-on vessel of the Udaloy II class was commissioned in 1995. Other ships of this class were planned, but never finished. 

 The first of the Udaloy’s will soon be going in for major overhaul, probably to modernize them and give them a more balanced role.

In 2008 Admiral Chabanenko became the first Russian warship to transit the Panama Canal since World War II.

Admiral Chabanenko

Udaloy with missile hatchs open

War Games with China

As I wrote about earlier, the Russian and Chinese Navies will be conducting joint war games. 

On the 17th of April a group of four Russian ships left Vladivostok and headed for the Yellow Sea. 

The ships will participate in a week long exercise, which have taken place since 2005. 

Rear Adm. Leonid Sukhanov, the Russian navy's deputy chief of staff said,

"The joint naval exercise will be held within the framework of strategic partnership principles agreed by leaders of both countries," he said. "Armament, support and protection systems will be practically tested, as well as command and control systems of the Russian and Chinese armed forces."

The following ships were sent:

Guided missile cruiser Varyag 

Large antisubmarine ships Marshal Shaposhnikov, Admiral Panteleyev and Admiral Vinogradov

 

The Oldest Ship in the Russian Navy



Aurora in St.Petersburg



Just like the British and American Navies, the Russian Navy maintains a historic ship in commission. The oldest commissioned ship in the Russian Navy is the Aurora.

She is manned with an active duty crew and commanded by a captain 1^st rank.

Commissioned in the early years of the 20^th century, the Aurora took part in the Russo-Japanese war.

Aurora during Russo-Japanese War

The ship was moved to Petrograd (St.Petersburg) for repairs. The city was consumed with revolutionary fever at the time and the crew joined in with the Bolsheviks. On 25 October 1917 the ship’s crew refused an order to get underway. This action was the spark that started the October Revolution.

After the revolution the ship served as a training ship, and served in that capacity until after World War II.

After World War II the ship was permanently moored in the Neva River (St. Petersburg) as a monument to the October Revolution. In 1957 the Aurora was converted into a museum ship.

Pin, with the name of the ship

Since that time it is estimated that about 28 million people have toured the ship.

Russians in Syria

It was reported by RIA Novosti that the Russian Navy will maintain a presence off the coast of Syria.

This is in response to the large number of US, British, and French warships currently operating in the area.

At the beginning of the month the Russian Navy dispatched the destroyer Smetlivy to the area.

It is reported that this ship intends to make a port call in Tartus, Syria.



Smetlivy, Kashin class destroyer



Other Russian warships are reportedly making preperations in order to maintain the presence.

I believe that all of this is connected with the Russian need to maintain its past spheres of influence.

 Syria was an important ally during the Soviet period, and still is a major purchaser of Russian military technology.

Here are the links to the articles:

English- http://en.rian.ru/world/20120413/172799962.html
Russian- http://news.rambler.ru/13560666/

Papa Class K-222

 The Soviet Navy referred to the project as Project 661 Anchar. 

There was only one submarine of the Papa class ever built. This was the first submarine in the world with a titanium hull.  It is believed that much of the technology developed for this class was later used in the Alfa and Sierra class submarines.

This submarine was the fastest in the world and was designed to intercept carrier battle groups.  The maximum speed of the submarine was reached on 30 March 1971, and recorded as 44.85 knots (51.61 mph; 83.06 km/h).

She was armed with 10 SS-N-7 Starbright missiles that were in tubes forward of the sail.

The submarine was commissioned at the end of 1969, and served with the Red Banner Northern Fleet until it was placed in reserve in 1988. In 2010 the submarine was scrapped.

Ties to the Indian Navy

I wrote about this subject just about a month ago, but the ties between the Indian and Russian navies are once again in the news.

Officially on Wednesday the INS Chakra was accepted by the Indian Navy. This contract was signed for 10 years, and is worth one billion dollars to the Russian Navy. But this may not be the only delivery this year to the Indian Navy. 

INS Chakra being commissioned in the Indian navy

The Vikramaditya (previously the Admiral Gorskov of the Soviet and Russian Navy) will be delivered to the Indian Navy by the end of 2012.

The Vikramaditya  in the shipyard at Severodvinsk.

Several more Talwar class frigates will also be delivered before the end of the year.

Talwar (Krivak III) class frigate

All three of these deals have been delayed. In some cases the Indians have endured several years worth of delays, and restructuring of contracts. Like a lot of promises made in the Russian defense industry, only time will tell if these promises are fulfilled. 

Kilo Class (Type 636)

        

        This class of submarine has gained a reputation as being the quietest in the world.  The first ship of the class was commissioned at the end of 1980, and after initial success the ship entered serial production.  With technological improvements the later boats of this class are called improved Kilos.  These ships are designed for littoral operations against enemy shipping and submarines. 

 

17 of these vessels are in active service with the Russian Navy, serving in all fleet operations areas except the Caspian Flotilla.

 

The Kilos are powered by two diesel generators and a bank of batteries for underwater operations.  In snorkeling mode the submarine has an operation radius of 6000-7000 miles. Operating on battery the submarine has a range of 400 miles at 3-4 knots.



Internal layout of the Kilo



Crew size is 52, and it is believed that these ships can stay at sea for 45 days.



Machinery spaces on a Kilo class submarine.



This ship was so successful that it has been sold to a number of other countries.



A Kilo in transport.



Algeria – 2 Original Kilo, 2 Improved Kilo

People's Republic of China – 2 Original Kilo, 10 Improved Kilo

 India – designated as the Sindhughosh class; 10 active

 Poland –1 Kilo

 Romania – 1 Kilo

 Vietnam – 6 Improved Kilo (Kilo-636 KMV) on order, contract signed in 2010.

In addition to the list above, Egypt and Venezuela have expressed interest in acquiring Kilo’s.

Kilo commisioning in China

The Kilo class was supposed to be replaced by the Lada class submarine, but earlier this year the Russian Navy stated that they would not be continuing the procurement of that class.


The kilo class submarine was ever portrayed in a book by best-selling writer Patrick Robinson.