Alfa class

The second Soviet titanium-hulled submarine design, the Project 705 Lira, known in the West as the Alfa class, came to light in December 1971, when the first unit was commissioned. Five more followed in 1972-82.

The Alfa class was the world's fastest and deepest diving submarines as of their time. An extensive automation allowed to reduce crew to only 30 men. These advanced submarines had their crews completed from officers and warrant-officers only. It also featured an advanced low drag configuration and was extremely maneuverable. The Alfa class submarines were significantly smaller than contemporary attack submarines.

A single reactor and turbine plant drive the boat at the phenomenal 42 knots under water. Reactor's power could be rapidly increased, as well as submarines speed. However what was not realized at the time was that there was a serious flaw in the lead-bismuth system of the Alfa's 40 000 hp reactor cooling system. The plant was very unreliable, and the cost led to the Lira/Alfa being nicknamed the 'Golden Fish'.

It is worth mentioning that Alfas had sophisticated crew rescue system. It provided safe exit for entire crew from maximum depth.

When British and American submariners first encountered the Alfa they were astounded. The result that NATO navies allocated massive R&D funding to the development of deep-running torpedoes.

By this time all Alfa class boats have been decommissioned or remain in reserve, however their current state is likely to be poor.

Entered service	1971
Crew	31 men
Diving depth (operational)	?
Diving depth (maximum)	750 m
Sea endurance	50 days (stores)
Dimensions and displacement
Length	81 m
Beam	9.5 m
Draught	8 m
Surfaced displacement	2 800 tons
Submerged displacement	3 680 tons
Propulsion and speed
Surfaced speed	20 knots
Submerged speed	42 knots
Nuclear reactors	1 x 155 MW
Steam turbines	2 x ?
Armament
Torpedoes	6 x 533-mm torpedo tubes for conventional or nuclear torpedoes
Other	up to 36 mines in place of torpedoes

Source: Military Today

Project 705/705K ALFA class Russian Submarine part 2

Source: Sicqnus at Youtube

Project 705/705K ALFA Class Russian Submarine part 1

Source: Sicqnus at Youtube

Russian Submarine Video

Source: Papelpopov at Youtube

Oscar II Class

The Project 949A Antey, known in NATO as the Oscar II class is a successor to the previous Oscar I class. Out of 19 planned boats 11 were built at Severodvinsk. Three more boats are incomplete, however it is unlikely that these will ever be commissioned. Active Oscar II class submarines are in service with the Northern and Pacific fleets. Currently these are among the most capable Russian submarines.

The Oscar II class has a lengthened hull by some 10 m, possibly for a quieter propulsion and upgraded electronic systems, and an enlarged fin, which improves underwater maneuverability. These boats are the third largest submarines in terms of displacement and length. Only the Soviet Typhoon class and American Ohio class boats are larger. However these are still the largest attack submarines ever constructed.

These cruise missile boats were designed to attack US aircraft carrier battle groups or coastal installations.

The Project 949A Antey is a double-hulled design, which comprises an inner pressure hull and outer hydrodynamic hull. Separation between both hulls provides significant reserve of buoyancy and improved survivability against torpedoes. The outer hull has a weak magnetic signature, which prevents detection by Magnetic Anomaly Detection (MAD) systems. The reinforced sail is intended to break through the Arctic ice.

The Oscar II class SSGNs are armed with 24 P-700 Granit (NATO designation SS-N-19 Shipwreck) supersonic cruise missiles with a range of 550 km. Missile tubes are arranged in two rows with the launchers are placed between the inner and outer hulls and inclined at an angle. Missiles are launched while the submarine is submerged. A warhead of this missile weights 1 000 kg. Under the START treaty nuclear warheads of these missiles have been replaced with high explosive.

These submarines are also fitted with two 650-mm and four 533-mm torpedo tubes, capable of launching both torpedoes and anti-ship missiles. These include the SS-N-16 Stallion anti-ship missiles with a range of 50 km, carrying torpedoes, nuclear warheads or nuclear depth charges for use against surface ships or submarines.

The Oscar II class boats are fitted with a floating antenna buoy to receive satellite navigation signals, target designation data and radio messages at a great depth and under the ice.

Submarines of this class are powered by two pressurized water nuclear reactors, powering two steam turbines. These large boats are slow to dive and to maneuver, however they have a submerged speed of about 30 knots, which is sufficient to keep pace with their targets. Sea endurance is limited only by food supplies.

The famous Kursk was lost with all hands in the Barents sea in 2000. It was one of the first boats completed after the fall of the Soviet Union and was part of the Russian Northern fleet.

Entered service	1986
Crew	107 men
Diving depth (operational)	500 m
Diving depth (maximum)	830 m
Sea endurance	120 days
Dimensions and displacement
Length	154 m
Beam	18.2 m
Draught	9 m
Surfaced displacement	13 900 tons
Submerged displacement	18 300 tons
Propulsion and speed
Surfaced speed	16 knots
Submerged speed	28 knots
Nuclear reactors	2 x ?
Steam turbines	2 x ?
Armament
Missiles	24 x P-700 Granit (SS-N-19 Shipwreck) cruise missiles
Torpedoes	2 x 650-mm and 4 x 533-mm torpedo tubes for torpedoes and anti-ship missiles

Source: Military Today

Oscar I Class

In 1970s the Soviet shipyard at Severodvinsk launched a single Project 881 Anchar unit that became known in NATO circles as the Papa class. This boat was considerably larger and carried two more missile tubes for the P-120 Malakhit (SS-N-9 Siren) anti-ship missiles than the contemporary Charlie class SSGNs. The Papa class was for many years a puzzle to Western intelligence services.

The answer appeared in 1980 at the same shipyard, however, with the launch of the even larger Project 949 Granit (NATO designation Oscar I class) SSGN. The Papa class unit had been conceived from 1958 as the cruise missile-launching predecessor to the titanium hulled Alfa class high speed and deep diving SSN. But because it's high underwater noise levels it had become the prototype for advanced SSGN concepts with a considerably changed powerplant and revised propeller arrangement.

The missile system had been created to test the underwater launched version of the P-120 for the subsequent Charlie II series of SSGN. The Oscar design introduced more improvements, and these included two 12-round banks of underwater-launched P-700 Granit (NATO designation SS-N-19 Shipwreck) long range supersonic anti-ship missile tubes outside the main pressure hull. In common with other Soviet submarines the Oscar class features a double hull, comprising an inner pressure hull and an outer hydrodynamic hull.

Only two Oscar I class boats were built. Both of these submarines were assigned to the Northern fleet. These boats were decommissioned in 1996 and scrapped a couple of years later. The Oscar I class boats paved the way for 11 of a planned 19 Project 949A Antey or Oscar II class SSGNs.

Entered service	1980
Crew	94 men
Diving depth (operational)	500 m
Diving depth (maximum)	830 m
Sea endurance	120 days
Dimensions and displacement
Length	145 m
Beam	18.2 m
Draught	9 m
Surfaced displacement	12 500 tons
Submerged displacement	16 500 tons
Propulsion and speed
Surfaced speed	16 knots
Submerged speed	28 knots
Nuclear reactors	2 x ?
Steam turbines	2 x ?
Armament
Missiles	24 x P-700 Granit (SS-N-19 Shipwreck)
Torpedoes	2 x 650-mm and 4 x 533-mm torpedo tubes for torpedoes and anti-ship missiles

Name	Laid down	Launched	Commissioned	Status
Archangelsk (K-525)	1975	1980	1980	decommissioned, scrapped
Murmansk (K-206)	1979	1982	1983	decommissioned, scrapped

Source: Military Today