CDI Russia Weekly #212 - Russian Navy, Nuclear Arsenal, World's Biggest Submarine

RW 2003 Master Index • Iraq: RW 2003

CDI Russia Weekly #212 Contents

Plain Text - Entire Issue

#11
Komsomolskaya Pravda
No. 112
June 2002
[translation from RIA Novosti for personal use only]
RUSSIAN NAVY RECEIVES THE WORLD'S BIGGEST SUBMARINE
By Igor CHERNYAK

An Mk 941-U SSBN (Strategic Submarine Ballistic Nuclear) was launched at the Sevmash ship-yard June 26. This hard-hitting Akula (Shark)-class submarine is the biggest in the world; moreover, no other submarine displaces as much water as she does. It was named Dmitry Donskoi.

The Akula SSBN carries 20 MIRVed ICBMs (Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles); each missile has 10 nuclear warheads and a 10,000-km range. (MIRV stands for Multiple Independent Re-Entry Vehicles -- Ed.) The Akula can hit 200 large ground targets over an area of 7,000 sq. km. with one salvo. It should be mentioned in this connection that Moscow's area totals 1,000 sq. km.

To cut a long story short, this formidable submarine can position herself in the White Sea near Arkhangelsk, subsequently destroying 10 sprawling megalopolises as big as New York in no time at all. She can also wipe out a small European country or 50 percent of Afghanistan. The Akula packs a more devastating punch than 10 Topol (Poplar) ICBM regiments do.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov flew over to Sevmash to attend the launching ceremony. This calls for a celebration because Russia hasn't launched a single SSBN in its entire modern history, Ivanov noted.

It took more than four hours to launch the submarine to the sounds of the Russian state anthem. A bottle of champagne was smashed against her hull in line with a long-standing tradition.

Newspaper correspondents were also allowed to attend the ceremony; frankly speaking, this is an unprecedented event in Sevmash's history.

The Akula submarine, which even has a steam-bath and a swimming pool, boasts a virtually unlimited endurance, which depends on her food supplies alone. Moreover, she can launch her ICBMs from a depth of 50 meters. For comparison, US SSBNs can fire missiles from a depth of just 25 meters.

Sergei Ivanov will now visit Novaya Zemlya, analyzing prospects for the construction of nuclear-waste compounds there. All in all, $70 million are needed to build such facilities; their first stage would be commissioned some 2-3 years from now, if the Russian Government finds the money.

The Novaya Zemlya nuclear testing site hasn't detonated any nuclear devices since 1990. Still Russian military say that Moscow's hands have been untied after the latest US decision to abrogate the ABM (Anti-Ballistic Missile) Treaty. Nonetheless, Ivanov said the other day that Russia won't resume nuclear tests on Novaya Zemlya.

Mk 941-U Akula SSBN

Main specifications

Length .......................... 172 meters

Beam ............................ 22.8 meters

Underwater displacement .................... 50,000 tons

Underwater speed ................ Over 30 knots

Weaponry:

20 ICBM-s replete with 10 nuclear warheads each

Two torpedo tubes (one 533-mm torpedo tube and one 650-mm torpedo tube)

36 torpedoes

ICBM range ...................... Up to 10,000 km

Maximum diving depth .................... 500 meters