Cruise-missile submarine
A cruise missile submarine is a
The
The earliest designs of cruise missile submarines had to surface to launch their missiles, while later designs could do so underwater via dedicated vertical launching system (VLS) tubes. Many modern attack submarines can launch cruise missiles (and dedicated anti-ship missiles) from their torpedo tubes while some designs also incorporate a small number of VLS canisters, giving an overlap between cruise missile submarines and traditional attack submarines. Nonetheless, vessels classified as attack submarines are designed to use torpedoes as their main armament and have a more multi-role mission profile due to their greater speed and maneuverability, in contrast to cruise missile submarines which are typically larger, slower boats carrying larger amounts of missiles, oftentimes possessing a special compartment dedicated solely to the cruise missile tubes.
The U.S. Navy's first cruise missile submarines were developed in the early 1950s to carry the SSM-N-8 Regulus missile. The first of these was a converted World War II era Gato-class submarine, USS Tunny, which was fitted with a hangar capable of carrying a pair of Regulus missiles. Tunny was used as a test-bed for developing techniques of use for the missile system, before a second boat, USS Barbero was subsequently converted. Starting in 1957, these two boats undertook the first nuclear deterrent patrols.[1]
Subsequently, two larger diesel submarines of the Grayback-class were purpose built for the carriage of the Regulus missile, with each capable of accommodating up to four missiles, while a further boat, the nuclear-powered USS Halibut, could carry up to five missiles. Between September 1959 and July 1964, the five Regulus missile boats undertook deterrent patrols in the Pacific Ocean,[2] in concert with the newly commissioned George Washington-class ballistic missile submarines (SSBN) in the Atlantic, until sufficient SSBNs were in service to replace them.
From 2002 to 2008, the U.S. Navy modified the four oldest
The future Block V Virginia-class submarines are slated to supplement and eventually replace the Ohio SSGNs when they are retired; the USS Ohio itself is more than 40 years old.[5]
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USS Cusk fires a JB-2 Loon missile, 1951
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Regulus I, 1956
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Tomahawk test-fire from USS Florida, 2008
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USS Georgia underway, 2012
The Soviet Navy (and its successor, the Russian Navy) has operated a wide variety of dedicated cruise missile submarines (unbolded project numbers were prototypes/never entered military service):
Entered Service | NATO reporting name | Project Name and Number | Ship Class (US) | Planform | Missiles carried |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1957 | (Modified) Zulu | П611 | SSG | 1 x П-10[6] | |
1958 | Whiskey Single Cylinder | П613 | SSG | 1 x П-5 Пятёрка (SS-N-3 Shaddock) | |
1962
1964 |
(Modified) Whiskey | 613А
613АД |
SSG | 1 x П-70 Аметист (SS-N-7 Starbright)[7]
| |
1960 | Whiskey Twin Cylinder | 644 | SSG | 2 x П-5 Пятёрка (SS-N-3 Shaddock)
2 х П-5Д under Project 644Д[8] and 2 х П-7 under Project 644-7[9] | |
1961 | Whiskey Long Bin | 665 | SSG | 4 x П-5 Пятёрка (SS-N-3 Shaddock) | |
1963 | Juliett | 651
651К |
SSG | 4 х П-5/6 Пятёрка (SS-N-3 Shaddock) | |
1986 | (Modified) Juliett | 651Э | SSGN | 4 х П-5/6 Пятёрка (SS-N-3 Shaddock) | |
1960 | Echo I | 659 | SSGN | 6 x П-5 Пятёрка (SS-N-3 Shaddock) | |
1963 | Echo II | 675 | SSGN | 6 x П-5/6 Пятёрка (SS-N-3 Shaddock)
Later 8 x P-500 Базальт (SS-N-12 Sandbox) under the 675МК and 675МУ program and 8 x P-1000 Вулкан under Project 675МКВ | |
1969 | Papa
|
661 "Anchar" | SSGN | 10 x П-70 Аметист (SS-N-7 Starbright)
| |
1967 | Charlie I | 670 "Skat" | SSGN | 8 x П-70 Аметист (SS-N-7 Starbright)
| |
1973 | Charlie II | 670M "Skat" | SSGN | 8 x П-120 Малахит (SS-N-9 Siren) | |
1992+ (scrapped underway) | Charlie III | 06704 "Chaika-B" | SSGN | 8 x 3 П-800 Оникс (triple-tube inserts) | |
1980 | Oscar I | 949 "Granit" | SSGN | 24 x П-700 Гранит (SS-N-19 Shipwreck) | |
1986 | Oscar II | 949A "Antey" | SSGN | 24 x П-700 Гранит (SS-N-19 Shipwreck)
Plans for Project 949АМ upgrade to fit missiles compatible with Клуб, 3M22 Циркон ; triple-tube inserts (3 x 24)
| |
1987 | Yankee Notch | 667AT "Grusha" | SSGN/SSN | 32 x РК-55 Гранат (SS-N-12 Sampson) | |
1989 (missile program cancelled) | Yankee Sidecar | 667M "Andromeda" | SSGN | 12 x П-750 Метеорит (SS-NX-24 Scorpion) | |
2013 | Yasen | 885 "Yasen" | SSGN | Калибр family, 3М22 Циркон
| |
2021 | Yasen-M/Yasen-II | 885М Yasen-M | SSGN | П-800 Оникс, Калибр family, 3М22 Циркон |
The Whiskey variants and Echo I cruise missile submarines deployed with a nuclear land attack version of the
Apart from true guided-missile submarines, late-Soviet attack submarines could launch various types of
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K-222, the sole Project 661 submarine underway, 1983
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A Project 651 boat underway, 1986
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K-24 (now U-461 of the Peenemünde Maritime Museum), Project 651 Juliett cruise missile submarine, with rear SS-N-3 Shaddock launch tubes in raised position
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INS Chakra underway, c. 1988
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Project 949 (Oscar-I) underway. The Oscar-classes are notably girthy; the very large P-700 missiles were placed outside thepressure hull, twelve launch tubes on each side
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Project 949A (Oscar-II) underway. Pr. 949A boats had a different tail fin which accommodated the towed-array sonar (cylinder visible at the bottom of photo), an easy way to distinguish this class from its immediate predecessor
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Yasen-class model at Army 2016
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Severodvinsk underway, 2016
See also
- List of submarine classes in service
- List of submarine operators
- List of NATO reporting names for guided-missile submarines
- Missile boat (surface ship)
- Transporter erector launcher (land vehicle)
References
- ^ Friedman since 1945, p. 183
- ^ "Patrol Insignia for Regulus veterans" (PDF). Navy Nuclear Weapons Association. Summer 1997. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
- ^ Congressional Research Service (18 July 2005). "Navy Trident Submarine Conversion (SSGN) Program:Background and Issues for Congress". Archived from the original on 2 December 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2009.
- ^ Ronald O'Rourke. "SSGN: A "Second Career" for the Boomer Force". Archived from the original on 9 October 2008. Retrieved 4 January 2009.
- ^ "U.S. Navy's Virginia Class Submarines to Get 76% More Firepower". 15 July 2021.
- ^ "Проект П611 (NATO – "Zulu-?")". deepstorm.ru. Deep Storm. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
- ^ "Проекты 613А и 613АД (NATO – "Whiskey"?)". deepstorm.ru. Deep Storm. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
- ^ "Проект 644(NATO – "Whiskey Twin Cylinder")". deepstorm.ru. Deep Storm. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
- ^ "Проект 644(NATO – "Whiskey Twin Cylinder")". deepstorm.ru. Deep Storm. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
- ^ Gardiner and Chumbley, pp. 343–345, 396–402
- ^ "Проект 671РТМ и 671РТМК "Щука" (NATO – "Victor-III")". deepstorm.ru. Deep Storm. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
- ^ Wertheim, Eric. "Russia's Kilo-class Submarine: Improved And More Deadly Than Ever". usni.org. United States Naval Institute. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
- ^ Starchak, Maxim. "Russian Navy to upgrade vessels with Kalibr cruise missiles". defensenews.com. Defense News. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
External links
- Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen (1995). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 1-55750-132-7.
- US Stingray style sub motherships test missiles. The Register, 31 May 2007