by Sergey Adamov
[Regnum] Russia has developed a new project for a strategic nuclear submarine. As stated by Andrei Baranov , Deputy General Director of the Rubin Central Design Bureau , the concept should be implemented in the “medium term.” According to him, the submarine project was named Arcturus.
It is assumed that the new model submarines will replace the Borei nuclear-powered missile carriers currently in service with the Russian Navy. The fleet re-equipment process is scheduled to begin in 2037.
As Andrey Baranov noted, submarines will receive the maximum number of weapons and drones. It is assumed that the new submarines will meet modern requirements, but the question arises: will the new development be late by 2037? Moreover, NATO countries are also updating their submarine fleets.
In the United States, the first nuclear submarine of the Columbia series was put into production, which should replace the outdated Ohio class. The UK also plans to begin re-equipping its navy with new Dreadnought-class nuclear submarines by 2030.
As military expert Oleg Zheltonozhko noted in a commentary to IA Regnum , Russian shipbuilding faces a number of difficulties. Therefore, postponing the development program to the medium term is more than justified.
“First of all, it should be noted that military shipbuilding is a very long and complex process. A warship begins to be designed long before entering service. When designing, not only the current state of the fleet is taken into account, but also the future. Similar work is being considered in other fleets, and groundwork is being made for the future ,” the expert said.
According to Oleg Zheltonozhko, domestic shipbuilding went through a period when many projects were frozen, and others were completely abandoned. The suspension of design and production, which must go on without interruption for the normal functioning of the industry, led to the fact that many technologies were lost.
“To some extent, they are now trying to compensate for this lag, which began in the nineties. Both design work and production need to be increased. The fact that various projects are planned for a very long period of time is not a disadvantage, it is just an advantage ,” the expert added.
Among the problems faced by shipbuilding, the expert named the degradation of certain industries that are indirectly related to shipbuilding. Therefore, to update the fleet, it is necessary to resolve a number of related issues, which affects the design and production timescales.
“Comprehensive work to revive the fleet is not for one year or ten years, but now we are talking about revival. It is generally positive that such work has begun, started for the long term,” noted Oleg Zheltonozhko.
The Arcturus submarine concept was first presented at the Army 2022 forum. Like the Borei submarines, the new submarines are primarily designed to carry nuclear-tipped missiles. However, the functionality of Arcturus is significantly broader than that of its predecessors.
The new submarine also stands out due to its innovative design. The rounded hull and fin at the bow of the submarine are designed to make the submarine as inconspicuous as possible. Similar design solutions are used in the creation of British Dreadnought class submarines, so that in the West new solutions can be implemented earlier than in Russia. However, this does not at all indicate the “weakness” of the Russian fleet.
“The situation should not be viewed that way. This is not a race. The US Navy and our Navy have fundamentally different missions. Therefore, the ship's composition is also different. Now Americans are actively comparing themselves with the Chinese and pointing out the shortcomings of the Chinese Navy. And the Chinese fleet also has its own tasks. Therefore, it is useless to compare specific ship composition, the number of certain ships and vessels,” explains the specialist.
One of the differences between the Arcturus submarines and its predecessors will be its significantly smaller dimensions than those of the Borey: length 134 meters, width 15.7 meters, as well as a reduced crew: only 100 people. The submarine will carry only 12 ballistic missile launchers instead of 16 on Borei. Experts attribute the decrease in the number of missiles to the fact that modern nuclear missiles will have significantly more power due to their multiple warheads.
In addition to missiles, modern submarines will receive underwater drones. Arcturus boats, in particular, can become carriers of Poseidon nuclear-powered drones. The exact number of drones that one boat can carry is not reported. On boats of the earlier project 09 851, which was also developed by the Rubin Central Design Bureau, up to six Poseidons can be installed.
However, thanks to their stealth design, Arcturus boats can act not only as an element of the nuclear triad, but also be used as a carrier of Surrogat-V autonomous uninhabited reconnaissance vehicles. The concept of an unmanned vehicle was also presented by the Rubin Central Design Bureau in 2022.
The length of its hull is 17 meters, and its diving depth is up to 600 meters. It is assumed that the main task of the Surrogat AUV is to imitate the magnetoacoustic characteristics of various submarines. The device can operate in tandem with a submarine, acting as a “false target” and masking its location.
In the future, devices of this type may also receive a weapons platform, not only for torpedo weapons and anti-ship missiles (ASM), but also for anti-aircraft weapons.
With the help of drones, not only reconnaissance missions can be carried out, but also sabotage against underwater objects, including communication lines.
Some of these ideas are currently in the development and testing stage, so for now, first of all, submarines act as carriers of nuclear weapons.
It is still unknown where exactly the new missile carriers will be based. However, it is most likely that the boats of the Arcturus series will gradually replace the Boreas at their bases.
“Where they will stand is a separate question. But these will most likely be fleets that have direct access to the ocean - the Northern and Pacific. In general, deliveries are carried out based on the specific tasks of each individual fleet. The Baltic Fleet has its own tasks, the Black Sea Fleet does not need anything larger than frigates and diesel-electric boats ,” notes Oleg Zheltonozhko.
When developing a submarine, geopolitical realities are taken into account, on the basis of which doctrines for the use of nuclear weapons are developed. Therefore, by 2037, the product concept may change significantly. However, the general trend is unlikely to change: in the future, submarine weapons will be increasingly used to cause damage to the enemy under water, in the air, and on the ground.