FORCE VOLUME 1 NO 12 AUGUST 2004
The ATV Saga
By Prasun K Sengupta
1 ) The first functional ATV will be launched by 2007 , It will be an SSGN and displacing some 6,500 tonnes and will be a derivative of Russia’s new Severodvinsk-class(yasen) SSGN.
2 ) The ATV will be a multirole platform and will be employed for carrying out long-distance interdiction and surveillance of both submerged targets as well as principal surface combatants, It will also facilitate Special Forces operations by covertly landing such forces ashore.
3 ) The ATV pressure hull will be fabricated with the HY-80 steel(sourced from Russia) as much experience was gained under the direction of P.C. Deb the then director of Naval Chemical and Metallurgical Laboratory.
4 ) The Project 670A Skat (Charlie-1 class ) was discarded by early 1990 in favor of a derived design from Yasen.Three countries are actively supplying the related technologies and weapons system off the shelf for the projected ATV fleet Russia , France and Israel.
5 ) The Prime minister heads the Steering and Funding Committee of the project which is monitored by the scientific adviser to the defence minister and DRDO chief currently Dr. V.K. Aatre , The ATV project Director is Vice Admiral D.S.P Varma , here are Six naval officers of the rank of rear admiral who runs the various segments of the programme such as weapons system, platform management system, combat management system, acoustic signature management and sonars, Integrated powerplant/Propulsion system and communication/electronic warfare while two other rear admirals head the two large ,state-owned manufacturing facilities.
6 ) One such facility is in Hyderabad to collaborate with the DRDO lab, BHEL for nuclear powerplants heat exchanger system and Mishra Dhatu Nigam Ltd for special steel requirements , The second is a large ship building facility tucked behind High walls and barbed wires with a dry dock and boilers, at Vishakapatnam where the first ATV hull is being fabricated. with imported HY-80 steel.
7 ) In addition the Navy has Russian designed facility – The Special safety Service – at Vishakapatnam that can monitor the health of people working on the SSGN and the radiation leaks emanating from the vessel .there is also a small complex at Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic research at Kalpakkam near Chennai.
8 ) The Two 90-megawatt pressurised water reactors (PWR) procured from Russia four years ago are dynamically tested both onshore and offshore.One of them will eventually be sealed into a 600-tonne titanium shell of about 10m in diameter that will be lowered into the ATV pressure hull in what will be a critical operation.
9 ) To support the project , several national universities and both public and private sector manufacturing companies have been employed on an ad hoc basis, including Larsen and Toubro Ltd for designing and fabricating the power plant modules, MDL for building the propulsion system modules , BEL for the platform sensors and communications system, TCS for integration of ATV combat and platform management system, which will be imported from Armaris of France and be identical to those installed on the 12 Scorpene-class diesel electric submarine (SSK) the navy plans to acquire in the future. Russian assistance has been substantial by way of off-the-shelf supply of the main reactors plus related structural parts and overall design inputs.
10 ) The ATV will feature double-hull construction ,dramatically increasing the reserve buoyancy by as much as three times over that of a single-hull vessel.Ballast tanks and other gear will be located between the inner and outer hulls and limber holes will be provided for the free-flooding sections between the hulls. The ATV pressure hull will have seven compartment and the standoff distance between the outer and inner hulls will be considerable,reducing the possibility of inner hull damage . The retractable masts viewed from bow to stern will include an optronic periscope , one surface search navigation radar and one low level air defence radar, radio and satellite communication antennae,plus one integrated electronic warfare suite. The ATV pressure hull will be rated for a diving depth to 600m , The SSGN will carry sufficient supplies for an endurance of 100 days and will be operated by a crew compliment of 70 , The outer hull’s anechoic and vibration damping coatings along with other advanced quitening techniques will be supplied off the shelf by Russia. Present plans call for producing an initial two ATV with a projected fleet strength of five by 2025.
PROPULSION SYSTEM
11 ) Initally navy planners wanted to design the ATV as a near-exact replica of the Project 670A Skat SSGN , but with a BARC designed and built PWR for propulsion , Three different types of indigenous reactor design were considered.A water-cooled water moderated reactor was designed by BARC and its core had 248-252 fuel assemblies. The fuel was uranium-aluminium-dispersed fuel (cermet) in steel or zirconium cladding. However the first design was rejected in late 1976, The second in 1979 and third in 1981. Despite this BARC succeeded in fabricating a pilot PWR in the early 1990, In late December 1995 it was reported that the DRDO had made considerable progress in the design of a pre-test capsule (PTC) of titanium steel, fabricated in 1994 by L&T at hazira in Gujarat.from there it was transferred to Kalpakkam , the PTC containing the BARC-built pilot PWR was to be have been installed in the ATV final shell, and had a hull dia of 10 meter, Both the PTC and the pilot PWR were unsuccessfully tested at Kalpakkam in Nov-Dec 1995, failures were caused by several integration and fabrication problems , In June 1996 the programme reportedly suffered further setbacks following additional failed tests of PWR. Problems in fabricating the containment vessel also occurred.
12 ) On 5 October 2000 after India and Russia inked an agreement on a news blackout on sensitive information exchanges in the area of defense and nuclear co-operation and appointed watchdogs to enforce compliance with the new agreement.Moscow agreed to supply an initial two VM-5 PWR and related propulsion and machinery off-the shelf, These arrived at Vishakapatnam in late 2000.The ATV will have double layer silencing system for the power train , The main propulsion machinery will consist of VM-5, with an OK-650b high density reactor core rated at 90mWand a GT3A turbine developing 35mW , Two auxiliary diesels rated at 750hp will provide emergency power,the nuclear propulsion system will drive a sever-blade fixed- pitch propeller and provide a maximum submerged speed of 33 knots and a surface speed of 10 knots , A reserve propeller system, powered by two motors rated at 370kw, will provide a speed of 4 knots.
13 ) The PWR fuel will be uranium-aluminum dispersed fuel (cermet) in steel or zirconium cladding, The main challenge faced for the design of certain safety features in submarine nuclear reactors is the design of control rods insertion and withdrawal mechanism.Throughout 1980, India tried in vain to buy a rod worth minimiser (RWM) used by reactor operators to guide and monitor the proper sequence for the withdrawal and insertion of control rods, The control rod technology for use with the RWM has since been developed indigenously.
WEAPONS FIT
14 ) The ATV will pack quite a punch with six torpedo tubes of 533mm diameter , which will be able to fire wake-homing , acoustic , and high-speed wire guided torpedoes reportedly the Russian TEST-71MKE and TEST-71ME-NK model and the Franco-Italian Black Shark, along with eight vertically launched missiles launched under water from launcher cells mounted aft of the SSGN conning tower, The principal conventional offensive armament of the ATV will comprise up to 12 3M-14E subsonic cruise missile for both antiship strikes and land attack developed by Russia’s Ekaterinburg-based Novator Experimental Machine Design Bureau. equipped with a active radar seeker developed by ST Petersburg-based Radar-MMS the 3M-14E will be fired from the ATV’s 533mm torpedo tubes and have a range of 275 km , The missile incidentally was first unveiled in New Delhi at the Defexpo-2004 early last february.
15 ) The ATV will also have the ability to carry up to eight ready to launch vertically launched “Strategic” cruise missile each with a range of 800 Km that will be armed with nuclear warhead, Although DRDO’s ADE and DARE have since 1990 been trying to develop such a cruse missile called “SAGARIKA” it was decided in November-2003 that the ADE and DARE would co-developwith RAFAEL of Israel such a cruise missile and its vertical launched canister,inertial guidance, launch-control and solid-fuel rocket booster systems.The miniaturized nuclear warhead for the missile will however be developed solely by BARC and DRDO. The nuclear-tipped missile will be kept disassembled on-shore in peacetime and be deployed on the ATV only during “extreme national emergencies”
CMS and SENSORS
16 ) The ATV combat management system (CMS) will be a derivative of the SUBTICS system, developed by ARMARIS for the Scorpene class SSK, The periscope with an optronic mast will be supplied by SAGEM of France.The Mid/LOW Frequency active/passive sonar suite is now being developed by DRDO under its “PANCHENDRIYA” programme, The definative sonar model called ” USHUS” is being developed by DRDO’s Kochis- based NPOL and will be series produced by state owned BEL, Underwater Omnidirectional transducers have been developed by DRDO’s Pune based ARDE , The transducers are 60mm hollow spherical elements fabricated from lead zirconate titanate type-4 material. The integrated electronic warfare system of Israels 4CH(V)2 TIMNEX II while Elta electronics will provide the I-Band surface search radar. The ATV VLF communication suite will be built by BEL.
An Interim Solution
17 ) For training the first type rated crew for manning the first ATV , the navy has decided to lease for a three-year period from Rosoboronexport FSUE and at a cost of US300 Million , One project 971A (Shuka-B) or Akula-II class SSGN . This SSGN will be 110m long and displace upto 12,770 tonnes, It will have a maximum speed of 35 knots submerged with a maximum diving depth of 600m, The leased SSGN will be armed with TEST-71ME-NK and TEST -71MKE electric remote control homing torpedoes plus the KALIBRPLE weapon system and will include 12 3M-14E and Novtar built 3m54E Klub-S supersonic anti-ship missile , These missile will be launched from the SSGN six 533mm launch tubes . A 250 strong group of navy personnel has been undergoing type conversion on an Akula II class SSGN at Komsomolsk-on-Amur since late last year.
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By: Indian1973 - 12th August 2004 at 14:47
the first ship will probably be on extended trials and serve more
as a test vessel to validate concepts and equipment. The second
ship onward would be in active duties I expect.
By: GDL - 12th August 2004 at 11:42
it should be a respectable entry into the SSN world even in 2010.
With all the Russian help received, and the way Russia’s own tech has developed over the last decade, yes I agree.
By: Indian1973 - 12th August 2004 at 11:18
the article clearly states the sonar, combat system, systems inside
the sail, the VLS and many other things non-russian. hull design, propeller, the torpedoes/Klub, help with the reactor & propulsion gear would be Russian sourced.
it should be a respectable entry into the SSN world even in 2010.
By: Vympel - 12th August 2004 at 10:06
How likely is it that Russia will allow India to copy Russia’s best submarine?
Not very likely at all.
How likely is it that the first submarine India builds will be as good as Russia’s best?
Nil, obviously. I don’t think anyone’s said that.
This claim about the Indian ATV being a derivative of the Russian Severodvinsk-class (Yasen) SSGN is just a wet dream.
It’s obvious the Russians won’t just hand over their newest SSN design hook, line and sinker to another country, but that doesn’t mean that the “ATV” won’t have potential to be a respectable SSN relative to others, or that it won’t borrow design concepts from the Pr. 885 Yasen.
The ATV is probably an attempt to clone the old Soviet Charlie II submarine. India has been struggling to build the ATV for decades.
That’s just being ridiculous- quietening, reactor, and systems have advanced considerably since then; it won’t be a clone of some old thing like the Charlie II.
One note about the original article- the Yasen and the Akula II are not SSGNs. The addition of cruise missiles to the arsenal doens’t make a sub an SSGN. Look at VLS equipped USN subs- they’re still called SSNs.
By: hps - 12th August 2004 at 09:58
How likely is it that Russia will allow India to copy Russia’s best submarine? How likely is it that the first submarine India builds will be as good as Russia’s best? This claim about the Indian ATV being a derivative of the Russian Severodvinsk-class (Yasen) SSGN is just a wet dream.
The ATV is probably an attempt to clone the old Soviet Charlie II submarine. India has been struggling to build the ATV for decades.
By: Vympel - 12th August 2004 at 08:20
Sorry, that’s the best I’ve got 🙂
By: Blackcat - 11th August 2004 at 18:57
hey Vampy and Victor – larger and more pictures of that plzzzzzzzzz
By: Indian1973 - 11th August 2004 at 11:34
thanks Vympel. this monoblock concept will bring down cost of owning SSNs – the extensive nuke refueling facility on shore no more needed.
By: Vympel - 11th August 2004 at 11:13
Svero doesnt seem hugely diff from Akula2 but for VLS cells and a
massive bow sonar.
It also has torpedo tubes on the sides of the hull canted outwards, rather than the typical place on the bow. More room for the huge sonar. You can sort of see the red-marked torpedo tubes on the sides in the US Naval Intelligence diagram posted.
Here’s a more up to date version of that one, different angle (slightly).
As to monoblock reactors, the SSN-774 Virginia (which of course just sailed) has them as well. They actually exceed the service life of the submarine, I hear.
By: Karna - 11th August 2004 at 05:04
Hi Indian , dude first the reactor part , All the latest US and Russian subs (virginia, yasen, borey), not sure of the western counries though , are going to be equipped with a ‘High density mono block reactor” ,which dosent require refulling through out subs life extimated to be 30 yrs , so If Arun_s is to be believed that sealed reactor which dosent require refulling can be sold with IAEA approval , then these reactor could be the same Mono Block ones, and hence outside IAEA preview.
About the article authenticity , dude you are mature enough to know that all the stuff mentioned in the article need not and will not be 100 percent correct , more so if one goes and disects individual word and statement , I am not aware of Sengupt’s background , but if one goes by the sum of his article so far (on P-15A and ATV) it looks quite resonable , Like for example its not the first time we are reading that the ATV is based on yasen design, it came first from some russian source, also India is leasing the Akula-2( Akula-2 or improved Akula is still a dispute or unconfirmed) for training , so any reactor built by India will be atleast as good as the Akula-2 and will have lots of features borrowed from the same , an operational indian ATV cannot be expected to be some what inferior to the one on which Indian submariners will be trained on.
In the end I would say go by the sum of the article and not individual lines and paragraph , I think its a praise worthy effort on Sengupta’s part to revel something on ATV , when we know its a top secret project , This person definately deserves kudos for doing the work.
Austin since you dont know about Sengupta’s background let me be quite honest. Guy is a total shameless b@stard who plagiarizes openly and repeatedly.
In the recent past he has flicked Rupaks entire article on the IAF and published it under his own name for Vayu and ADF. Mind you- he didnt even change a comma! When I read it I was like- “wow, this guy really really really deserves to get a lawsuit”…
He has taken Kapil C’s pics w/o permission for his articles.
He has plagiarized Nitin’s article on T72’s for Farce.
These are but a few of his “achievements”.
Sawhney himself is an unredeemable alcoholic- there are tales about him that would make your head spin.
Net, what Sengupta does is get some “info”, mix it with other ppls original work and pass it off for his own.
He does it for the moolah plain and simple. He deserves no kudos but a big boot up his backside for not even giving credit where it is due. And another big boot for his apathetic laziness.
Having said that- some stuff in the above article will be credible, most wont. Parsing one from the other will be difficult if not well nigh impossible.
Like You said- there is enough info between the lines and the sub appears credible. Some info- imho- is ludicrous, like the Russian reactors, more likely that the Indian ones are ready and Sengupta mixed up the above with russian coop in the civvie program.
I agree with part of the thrust of your post and appreciate *your* effort in typing out that post (who cant- the effort speaks for itself), but please dont attribute any altruistic motives to Sengupta- he is truly dishonest.
By: Hyperwarp - 11th August 2004 at 04:09
You mean this one…
Yup, that one! thanx!
Thats one kick-a$$ submarine.
Think the IN has gotta real winner here.
By: Victor - 10th August 2004 at 18:33
I dont see the yakhont vls aft of the sail!
Perhaps this pic of the Yasen will clear some stuff up 🙂
By: Indian1973 - 10th August 2004 at 18:03
I dont see the yakhont vls aft of the sail!
By: GDL - 10th August 2004 at 13:52
You mean this one…
By: Hyperwarp - 10th August 2004 at 04:38
So…..its going to look like this?
Vympel (our member) once posted a pic of a model Project 885 Yasen…Hope he can post it again…? (pls 🙂 )
By: Austin - 10th August 2004 at 03:21
Hi Indian , dude first the reactor part , All the latest US and Russian subs (virginia, yasen, borey), not sure of the western counries though , are going to be equipped with a ‘High density mono block reactor” ,which dosent require refulling through out subs life extimated to be 30 yrs , so If Arun_s is to be believed that sealed reactor which dosent require refulling can be sold with IAEA approval , then these reactor could be the same Mono Block ones, and hence outside IAEA preview.
About the article authenticity , dude you are mature enough to know that all the stuff mentioned in the article need not and will not be 100 percent correct , more so if one goes and disects individual word and statement , I am not aware of Sengupt’s background , but if one goes by the sum of his article so far (on P-15A and ATV) it looks quite resonable , Like for example its not the first time we are reading that the ATV is based on yasen design, it came first from some russian source, also India is leasing the Akula-2( Akula-2 or improved Akula is still a dispute or unconfirmed) for training , so any reactor built by India will be atleast as good as the Akula-2 and will have lots of features borrowed from the same , an operational indian ATV cannot be expected to be some what inferior to the one on which Indian submariners will be trained on.
In the end I would say go by the sum of the article and not individual lines and paragraph , I think its a praise worthy effort on Sengupta’s part to revel something on ATV , when we know its a top secret project , This person definately deserves kudos for doing the work.
By: Sameer - 10th August 2004 at 01:12
Yes but then agian China cannot get the same level of access to russia as the we can, I cant see Russia helping China with their nuclear reactor, India and russia= US and Britain type relationship when it comes to weapons.
By: GDL - 10th August 2004 at 00:42
Basing it on the Pr.885 YASEN class makes a lot of sense. The design is far more modern and capable. Where as the rumours around the Chinese type 093 SSN is that it supposed to based on the much older VICTOR III design.
By: Victor - 9th August 2004 at 19:44
The ATV being based on the Yasen makes sense because the Yasen is about 8700 tonnes displacement dived and 6000 tonnes surfaced. Not the 12,000 tonnes people are thinking.
Also, the inner hull diameter of the ATV should be about 10m. I am assuming this because in the article, they mention trying to fit the reactor into a 10m diameter hull section for testing. With a 10m inner hull, the outer hull’s diameter is probably around 12m, giving a 1m offset 360′ around the hull. And wouldn’t you know it, the Yasen’s outer hull diameter is also 12m.
The Yasen also has eight VLS tubes as is assumed for the ATV. The Yasen does have eight torp tubes, which is different from the ATV. The lower displacement of the ATV is probably because it is shorter than the Yasen as Yasen is a 8-9 compartment boat while the ATV, according to the article, is seven compartments big.
Btw, all my Yasen info comes from Janes Fighting Ships.
By: Indian1973 - 9th August 2004 at 19:09
Sverodobinsk design itself was complete around 1990. It sure looks a
lot smaller at 6500t than the Svero estimated 12,000t … not a carbon copy by any means.
Svero doesnt seem hugely diff from Akula2 but for VLS cells and a
massive bow sonar.
on BR, someone has pointed out that under NSG membership rules Russia cannot even supply civilian PWR plants to India unless india agrees to IAEA safeguards on ALL other reactors. that is a no can do for india, so russia took recourse to a loophole that deal for some x1000MW plants was signed before 1992 and they stood upto US pressure for that deal. secondly for old reactors and safety concern they can supply. But no new civil/mil deals allowed after 1992.
So that part about the complete powerplant supply is not very believeable. the old charlie class whose reactor design was supposedly passed on used the same VM-5 family reactor and perhaps some technological help was obtained to overcome problems in the indian edition of that design.
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August 9, 2004 at 11:45 am