Defense News ,Russia :- Russian Navy leaders recently revealed exciting plans to give a major facelift to their Project 949A Antey nuclear submarines. The Pacific Fleet Commander, Admiral Viktor Liina, spilled the beans on this modernization effort, aiming to make these submarines even more powerful. They'll be armed with new missile systems, including Kalibr and Oniks cruise missiles, along with the super-fast Zircon hypersonic missiles.
Admiral Liina explained that the goal is to boost the submarines' abilities, making them capable of handling a wider range of tasks. This upgrade will bring the Antey submarines in line with the Yasen and Yasen M-class nuclear submarines, which already boast Kalibr and Oniks missiles and have plans to add Zircon hypersonic missiles in the future.
The decision to modernize these submarines was made back in 2017, with the original plan targeting four out of the eight Antey submarines. The upgrade involves swapping out the old launchers for new universal ones, allowing the submarines to carry three types of missiles: Kalibr, Oniks, or Zircon. This change could potentially increase the number of missiles these submarines can carry, with estimates ranging from 24 to either 48 or 72, depending on the sources.
Right now, the modernization work is happening at the Far Eastern Zvezda plant, starting with the nuclear submarine Irkutsk (K-132). After that, the Chelyabinsk (K-442) submarine is next in line for the upgrade.
The introduction of the Zircon hypersonic cruise missile is a game-changer, expanding the submarines' capabilities. The Zircon missile is a high-tech weapon designed for various missions, including targeting ships, land attacks, and launching from submarines.
This missile, measuring around 9 meters in length and with a diameter of 60 centimeters, is no slouch. It can carry either high-explosive or nuclear warheads and has a max firing range of 1,000 kilometers, reaching a mind-boggling top speed of Mach 9. This high speed makes it tricky for existing missile defense systems to counter, and its plasma cloud during flight makes it challenging to detect.
Admiral Liina emphasized that the Project 949A Antey submarines will not only get a new missile launcher system but also updated radio equipment, communications, and service systems. The aim is to bring these Soviet-era submarines up to speed with the capabilities of modern nuclear submarines like Yasen and Yasen-M.
Originally developed in the 1970s, these submarines, known as Oscar I and Oscar II, are still serving in the Russian Navy. Plans for their modernization date back to 2017 under the Project 949AM program, aiming to extend their operational life and boost their combat capabilities.
So, get ready for a new and improved fleet of Russian submarines – faster, smarter, and stealthier than ever before!
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