The Oscar class, Soviet designations Project 949 ''Granit'' and Project 949A ''Antey'', (
NATO reporting names Oscar I and Oscar II respectively), are a series of
nuclear-powered
Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced b ...
cruise missile submarine
A cruise missile submarine is a submarine that carries and launches cruise missiles ( SLCMs and anti-ship missiles) as its primary armament. Missiles greatly enhance a vessel's ability to attack surface combatants and strike land targets, and al ...
s designed in the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
for the
Soviet Navy. They are currently in service with the
Russian Navy with some of the vessels planned to be modernized as Project 949AM, to extend their service life and increase combat capabilities.
The Project 949 submarines were the largest
cruise missile submarine
A cruise missile submarine is a submarine that carries and launches cruise missiles ( SLCMs and anti-ship missiles) as its primary armament. Missiles greatly enhance a vessel's ability to attack surface combatants and strike land targets, and al ...
s in service until some
ballistic missile submarines were converted to carry
cruise missiles in 2007. They are the fourth largest class of submarines in
displacement
Displacement may refer to:
Physical sciences
Mathematics and Physics
* Displacement (geometry), is the difference between the final and initial position of a point trajectory (for instance, the center of mass of a moving object). The actual path ...
and length. Only the Soviet , Russian and American ''Ohio''-class ballistic missile submarines are larger.
History
The first submarine of Project 949 was
laid down
Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship.
Keel laying is one o ...
in the mid-1970s and was
commissioned in 1980. In 1982 an updated and larger version (Project 949A) replaced the earlier version. In total fourteen submarines were constructed. The Oscar class was designed to attack
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
carrier battle group
A carrier battle group (CVBG) is a naval fleet consisting of an aircraft carrier capital ship and its large number of escorts, together defining the group. The ''CV'' in ''CVBG'' is the United States Navy hull classification code for an ai ...
s using long-range
P-700 Granit
The P-700 ''Granit'' (russian: П-700 "Гранит"; en, granite) is a Soviet and Russian naval anti-ship cruise missile. Its GRAU designation is 3M45, its NATO reporting name SS-N-19 ''Shipwreck''. It comes in surface-to-surface and subma ...
(SS-N-19 "Shipwreck")
anti-ship missile
An anti-ship missile (AShM) is a guided missile that is designed for use against ships and large boats. Most anti-ship missiles are of the sea skimming variety, and many use a combination of inertial guidance and active radar homing. A goo ...
s and targeting data provided by the satellite system (via the submarine's "Punch Bowl" antenna). In the financial problems that followed the
fall of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...
the Oscar class was prioritized by the Russian Navy and when many older submarine classes were retired the Oscar class remained active in both the
Northern and
Pacific Fleets.
Modernization
The
Rubin Design Bureau
Rubin Central Design Bureau for Marine Engineering ( Russian: Центральное конструкторское бюро "Рубин", shortened to ЦКБ "Рубин") in Saint Petersburg is one of three main Russian centers of submarine desi ...
started working on Project 949A modernization in 2011, with Zvezdochka and
Zvezda shipyards to carry out modernization of the vessels.
In September 2015, Russian Defence Minister
Sergey Shoygu announced during his visit to Zvezda shipyard, that at least three Oscar-class submarines will undergo repair and modernization to extend their service life by 20 years.
The upgraded submarines will be known as "Project 949AM", according to the Russian officials. Modernization cost was estimated at RUB12 billion (US$182 million) per submarine.
In September 2016, it was reported submarines K-132 ''Irkutsk'' and K-442 ''Chelyabinsk'' are currently being modernized to 949AM. According to the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia
Yury Borisov
Yury Ivanovich Borisov (russian: Юрий Иванович Борисов; born 31 December 1956) is a Russian politician, former military strategist, and mathematician currently serving as Director General of Roscosmos.
From 2018 to 2022, he ...
, Russia's
Pacific Fleet may get four modernized Oscar II-class submarines armed with Kalibr cruise missiles by 2021.
Versions
Project 949 ''Granit'' (Oscar I)
Two Project 949 ''Granit'' submarines were built at
Severodvinsk
Severodvinsk ( rus, Северодвинск, p=sʲɪvʲɪrɐdˈvʲinsk) is a city in the north of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia, located in the delta of the Northern Dvina, west of Arkhangelsk, the administrative center of the oblast. As of the ...
between 1975 and 1982 and assigned to the
Soviet Northern Fleet
Severnyy flot
, image = Great emblem of the Northern Fleet.svg
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Northern Fleet's great emblem
, start_date = June 1, 1733; Sov ...
.
''K-525'' was laid down in 1975 and
''K-206'' was laid down in 1979. After the construction of the first two submarines, production continued with the improved project 949A ''Antey''. Both submarines of the Project 949 were
decommissioned in 1996
and
scrapped in 2004.
Project 949A ''Antei'' (Oscar II)
Eleven Project 949A ''Antey'' submarines were completed at
Severodvinsk
Severodvinsk ( rus, Северодвинск, p=sʲɪvʲɪrɐdˈvʲinsk) is a city in the north of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia, located in the delta of the Northern Dvina, west of Arkhangelsk, the administrative center of the oblast. As of the ...
, of which five were assigned to the Soviet Northern Fleet. At one stage it had been planned to develop a new fourth-generation follow-on to the Project 949A, but this plan was later dropped. The external differences between the two classes were that the 949A class is about longer than its predecessor (approximately rather than ), providing space and buoyancy for improved electronics and quieter propulsion.
Some sources speculate that the acoustic performance of the Oscar II class is superior to early but inferior to the ''Akula II'' class as well as subsequent (4th generation) designs. It also has a larger fin, and its
propellers have seven blades instead of four.
Like all post-World War II Soviet designs, they are of
double hull construction. Similarly, like other Soviet submarine designs, Project 949 not only has a
bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...
open to the elements on top of the
sail but, for use in inclement weather, there is an enclosed bridge forward and slightly below this station. A distinguishing mark is a slight bulge at the top of the fin. A large door on either side of the fin reaches this bulge. These are wider at the top than on the bottom, and are hinged on the bottom. The
Federation of American Scientists reports that this submarine carries an emergency crew escape capsule; it is possible that these doors cover it. The VSK escape capsule can accommodate 110 people.
Project 949AM
Modernization of Project 949A submarines, first announced by the
Russian Defence Ministry
The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation (russian: Министерство обороны Российской Федерации, Минобороны России, informally abbreviated as МО, МО РФ or Minoboron) is the govern ...
in 2011.
[ As part of the modernization, submarines will have their 24 P-700 Granit anti-ship missiles replaced with up to 72 newer 3M-54 Kalibr or ]P-800 Oniks
The P-800 Oniks (russian: П-800 Оникс; en, Onyx), also known in export markets as Yakhont (russian: Яхонт; en, ruby), is a Soviet / Russian supersonic anti-ship cruise missile developed by NPO Mashinostroyeniya as a ramjet version ...
anti-ship cruise missiles. The upgrade requires no design changes to the hull as the new missiles will fit into the existing launchers outside the pressure hull. The modernized boats will also get upgraded Omnibus-M combat information and Simfoniya-3.2 navigation systems, as well as new fire-control system, communications, sonar, radar, and electronic intercept equipment.[ The modernization aims to bring the submarines up to the same technological level as Russia's next-generation Yasen-class nuclear-powered cruise missile submarines.][
]
Belgorod, Project 09852
In December 2012, construction began on a special purpose research and rescue submarine, designated Project 09852, and based on the incomplete Project 949A (Oscar II class) submarine ''Belgorod''. The submarine is reportedly designed to carry both manned (e.g. Project 18511 midget submarine) as well as unmanned (e.g. Klavesin-1R) underwater vessels. However, while carrying smaller unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) would be possible as-is on an Oscar-class hull, the accommodation of a midget submarine such as Project 18511 ''Paltus'' or the even larger Project 10831 ''Losharik'', would probably require a major hull extension in order to accommodate a docking compartment. For example, the length of the submarine BS-64 ''Podmoskovye'' was increased by even though the SLBM missile compartment was completely removed.
''Belgorod'' will be reportedly used as a carrier of the rumored Poseidon
Poseidon (; grc-gre, Ποσειδῶν) was one of the Twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and myth, god of the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 In pre-Olympian Bronze Age Greece, he was venerated as a ...
( NATO reporting name Kanyon) nuclear-powered, thermonuclear armed unmanned underwater device capable to carry a 100 Mt thermonuclear warhead
A thermonuclear weapon, fusion weapon or hydrogen bomb (H bomb) is a second-generation nuclear weapon design. Its greater sophistication affords it vastly greater destructive power than first-generation nuclear bombs, a more compact size, a low ...
, with at least four such devices being carried horizontally in place of the 24 P-700 Granit (SS-N-19 ''Shipwreck'') launchers for a total yield of 600 megatonnes of TNT.
It is estimated that ''Belgorod'' will be long which would make it the longest submarine in the world.
On 23 April 2019, ''Belgorod'' was floated out of a slipway during a ceremony at the Sevmash shipyard, watched by the President of Russia Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
via a TV-link. Further work was to be completed afloat and the submarine was scheduled to start its factory and state trials in 2020 after which it was to be delivered to the Russian Navy. However, this schedule was delayed with sea trials then projected to begin in May 2021. After some delays, sea trials were reported to have started on June 25, 2021. The submarine was delivered to the Russian Navy on 8 July 2022.
Units
Gallery
File:Submarine Oscar class.jpg, This picture clearly displays the arrangement of the hatches in the hull above the missile tubes, on either side of the dorsal fin. Also shown is the opening for the forward hydroplane (currently folded in), as well as the bulge on the top of the fin under which the rescue capsule is located. Although partially obscured by shadow, the seam between the capsule and the fin is faintly visible.
File:АПЛ Омск. Парад ВМФ Владивосток 2008.07.25.jpg, K-186 Omsk during 2008 Naval Parade
A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It includ ...
in Vladivostok
File:Прибытие атомного подводного ракетного крейсера Северного флота «Орёл» в пункт постоянного базирования 07.jpg, K-266 Orel after completion of its overhaul
File:Disassembling of a Soviet submarine.jpg, Disassembling of an Oscar-class submarine at the Zvezdochka shipyard in Severodvinsk, Russia
File:Ballistic submarine base-DIA.jpg, Artist impression of a Soviet ballistic missile submarine base during the 1980s
See also
* List of submarine classes in service
The list of submarine classes in service includes all submarine classes currently in service with navies or other armed forces worldwide. For surface combatants, see the list of naval ship classes in service.
Ballistic missile submarines
C ...
References
Bibliography
*''The Encyclopedia Of Warships, From World War Two To The Present Day'', General Editor Robert Jackson.
Further reading
*
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External links
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Line drawing of Oscar-class submarine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oscar Class Submarine
Submarine classes
Russian and Soviet navy submarine classes
Nuclear submarines of the Soviet Navy