Akula 2 / Schulka B

I think the Victor III is comparable to the standard LA class, while the improved Akulas are comparable to the LA Improved class.

So which one is the one on stbd of Vepr?

Neptune said:

The Vepr and Gepard also have a lenthened sail along with a new device. The other Akulas have three acoustic receivers on the stbd side, while Vepr has it on the port side and something else on the stbd side.

That’s part of the SOKS non-acoustic devices…

945 Barrakuda and 945A Kondor (Sierra-I and II) also have non-acoustic sensors, but the arrangement is different:

From Combat Fleets 2002-2003:

Sierra II

In addition to the hydroacoustic arrays, also carry a nonacoustic antisubmarine sensor system incorporating some 12 probes, nine on the forward edge of the sail and three on a protrusion to starboard from the forward end of the sail.

Sierra I

Carry environmental sensors on the sail for nonacoustic submarine detection and are equipped with a mast-mounted Pert Spring communications satellite antenna.

That is the rubbish about this info, subs always stay OUT of the Deep Sea Sound Channel. It’s one of the major advantages of a VDS, they can dip it inside the layer.
For a sub it has nothing but disadvantages except for a “safe” environment during a dynamic fight, while fleeing or trying to get away from surface forces.
The sub itself can not look “out” of the layer, basically that means it’s a blind bat if other subs and surface forces are on top of it. This is also why I said dynamic battle, if someone is expecting you and has one of his VDS in the layer, they can detect you at over 1,000km, something you wouldn’t want I suppose.
The Deep Sea Sound Channel is not really formed by thermal differences only. The “top” boundary, is formed by a temperature difference, the lower boundary is formed by a certain pressure. Two parallel layers are generally formed, not always being parallel though. In between these boundaries the emitted waves are bounced back and forth without losing much energy. This means that basically it will travel an extremely long distance (much like super refraction for radars).
The concept was used back in WWII, when some aircraft carried depth charges with a hydrostatic release, if the plane crashed, the depth charge went down and exploded at the preset depth, inside the layer. Hydrophones were placed in US and UK etc. (landstations) This way they had their bearings all together and found the position of the downed aircraft. (roughly).

[QUOTE]The “thermo cline” thermal layer in oceans has a major influence on ASW operations as it affects the velocity of sound and in permanent thermo cline (found at depths of 300 to 400-m in equatorial areas and 500 to 1,000-m in sub-tropical areas) the velocity reaches the minimum. This layer of minimum velocity, known as the deep sound channel, has a variety of effects, and it is theoretically possible that a submarine can operate in this deep sound channel, exploiting this effect to achieve very long-range detection.[QUOTE]

So if the submarine has a of operating in this deep sound channel and uses its sonar for very long range detection ( assuming she goes active) , isnt it possible for the ship to use her VDS with either Active Low Frequency to detect the submarine at long ranges using the same sound channel to its advantage , should work either ways.

Severodvinsk, which is not that much larger, is said to have a 93 men crew, quite a difference.

Which actually makes me suspicious if the figure 93 is right for her , I have seen quoted else where that she will be manned by 55 ~ 55 crew , Again nothing can be said with surely unless she is out and sailing , But the 63 number for gepard is Darn impressive , I would assume the number also includes some extra crews as they would be rotating them in 3 shifts.

LF Active Sonar is the talk of the day for is incredible ability to finds Extemely Silent Targets in Cluterred Environment , and from significantly longer range compared to the conventional Medium frequency sonar.

Some Think on the Akula-2 http://www.indiadefence.com/Akula-IN.htm

The submarines were built by the Amur Shipbuilding Plant Joint Stock Company at Komsomolsk-on-Amur and at the Severodvinsk shipbuilding yard. Seven Project 971 Akula I submarines were commissioned between 1986 and 1992, and three Project 971 U Improved Akula followed between 1992 and 1995. Three Project 971A Akula II, with extended hull length and advanced acoustic silencing technology, followed these developments. The third, K-335 Gepard, was commissioned Russian Navy in August 2001 and incidentally holds the distinction of being the first Russian SSN to be commissioned in twenty-first century. Classified as Akula III Gepard’s advanced features allows to classify her as a 3-plus generation SSN in terms of performance characteristics she is very close to fourth-generation nuclear subs. Gepard appears more elongated and slightly “pugged on the sides” to accommodate barriers for retractable gears. The prominent gondola of the towed sonar antenna mounted on the aft vertical fin appears more compact.

The Akula II is 110-metres long and displaces up to 13,800-tons. It has a maximum submerged speed of 33-knots, thanks to the main machinery that consists of a VM-5 pressure water reactor with a model OK-650B high-density reactor core rated at 190MW with a GT3A turbine developing 35MW driving a seven-bladed fixed-pitch propeller. The operational diving depth is 520-metres that extend to the maximum diving depth of 600-metres. Thus if deployed in a more offensive role, the high underwater speed with a deep diving capability enables the Akula SSN to evade a considerable spectrum of enemy ASW defences by passing beneath them. Surface-launched ASW weapons such as homing torpedoes would take a long time to reach the operating depth of the Akula SSN that the later would by then have passed out of range of the acoustic homing device.

Moreover the Akula retains the capability to approach the permanent thermo cline layers in the oceans to exploit its formidable MGK-503M Skat (Shark Gill) sonar suite with additional flank array extending for about one-third of the hull. The sonar suite provides automatic target detection in broad and narrow band modes in active mode while in passive, listening mode hostile enemy sonar faces risk of detection. The sonar signal processor is flexible enough to detect and automatically classify targets as well as reject spurious acoustic noise sources and compensate for variable acoustic conditions.

The “thermo cline” thermal layer in oceans has a major influence on ASW operations as it affects the velocity of sound and in permanent thermo cline (found at depths of 300 to 400-m in equatorial areas and 500 to 1,000-m in sub-tropical areas) the velocity reaches the minimum. This layer of minimum velocity, known as the deep sound channel, has a variety of effects, and it is theoretically possible that a submarine can operate in this deep sound channel, exploiting this effect to achieve very long-range detection. In addition, in later Akulas a number of prominent non-acoustic sensors appear on the fin leading edge and in the forward casing capable of carrying out wake tracking of the enemy surface units under surveillance.

To complement the formidable sensors Molniya-M/Pert Spring Satellite Communications (SATCOM) provides greater situational awareness, critical in pursuit and interception missions of hostile fleet. Russian Akula Class SSN K -154 Tigre under the command of Aleksey Burilichev was reportedly successful of discreetly shadowing a particular United States Navy (USN) Ohio Class Ballistic missile armed nuclear-powered submarine (SSBN) in its “SSBN sanctuary” at least in one instance.

Akula SSN enjoys considerable stand-off distance as against enemy submarines as its “plunge-fly-plunge” ASW missiles consists of Novator Tsakra (SS-N-15 ‘Starfish’) and the Novator (SS-N-16 ‘Stallion’). The Starfish, fired from the four/six 533-mm tubes, has a target range (inertial flight) of 45-km. The Stallion, fired from the four 650-mm tubes, has a longer range of up to 100-km. Both the Stallion and the Starfish enjoys the choice of a 200kt warhead or a Type 40 torpedo in response to tactical circumstances.

Severodvinsk, which is not that much larger, is said to have a 93 men crew, quite a difference…
Typhoon’s Towed array is passive. Lada might have a different one, as her aft fin is a lot smaller and the regular Pelamida wouldn’t fit on top of that.
The Vepr and Gepard also have a lenthened sail along with a new device. The other Akulas have three acoustic receivers on the stbd side, while Vepr has it on the port side and something else on the stbd side.

edit/delete

Not The Real One’s But Interesting 😎

http://www.scaleships.biz/images/akula/akula01.jpg

http://www.scaleships.biz/images/akula/akula04.jpg

http://www.scaleships.biz/images/akula/akula02.jpg

http://www.scaleships.biz/eng/akula.html

The nuclear-powered Gepard can dive to 600 metres (nearly 2,000 feet) and travel at speeds in excess of 30 knots (60 km) an hour when submerged. Its crew of 63 can stay off base for 100 days.

Whats interesting about Russian subs besides their Charismatic Design is the level of automation , The crew of just 63 for the Gepard just goes on to show that .

The newer Thin Line Towed Array as shown on the Gepard , modernised Typhoon and the Lada , are they of the Low Frequency Active Sonar Types ????

So is this an Akula 2 and if Gepard is a development of Vepr, Akula 2 with just a longer sail and towed array does that mean they are both the same length (Gepard is officially 113m lond , beam 13.8 )http://www.cdi.org/russia/johnson/5581-5.cfm

Now standard Akula is said to be roughly 110m long beam 13.6 (these figures it vary).

So is Akula 2/ Gepard longer than standard Akula by the same length?

Are there twelve or fourteen Akulas in service as of today?And could you tell me how many of them can be considered modern(improved ones) and comparable to LA class subs?thanks

Nope, there is just a single russian terminology for ASSC Akula-I, Improved Akula, Akula-II and Akula-III (speculation) classes, and that’s Pr 971 Schuka-B, there is no letter, suffix or so.

There are already some IDed Akula subtypes but some with minor details too…

First Akula didnt have SOKS-similar non-acoustic sensors, nor acoustic EW suite, nor 6 650mm external tubes for decoys.

Then most of the ships have SOKS probes and sensors plus EW acoustic suite.

Then adding to this there was sound reduction improvement in the first of the Severodinsk class that formed the so called “Improved Akula” series

Then two (or more) of the Improved Akula received 6 external 650mm tubes for MG-74 Korund noise decoys, 2 per tube, along normal complement of TT…

Then there is Vepr, a somewhat more improved version (sound isolation measures and extension of hull accords to western estimates), called Akula-II

Then, there is Gepard, a further improvement of Vepr series, with a new Towed Array fairage…

Hehe, lots of variations in this class ;)…guess, the currents examples at Komsomolsk are Akula-I (later ones?, earlier ones without SOKS/EW Suite/6 external TT for decoys?) Improved Akula guise?, Vepr like guise?, Gepard like?, totally different? a mix of them?…

And there is Tigr, Improved Akula with upgrades (some say to Gepard standard)…and now Panter is being upgraded too…nice boats!

Maybe if you can read russian you could find some information on www.submarine.id.ru
and www.deepstorm.ru.There seems to be quite a lot of info on the ShukaB/Akula and even a comparison between the “Akula” class subs and LA class.

The Gepard the last of the Akula commisioned are reffered to by some western media and defense pub. as the Akula-2 type.

But the Russian just had two designation for the Akula the Project-971 coverning all the Akula and the improved ones and the Project-971A which includes Akula-2 and beyond