Alfa (class)

History

The Alpha class was a group of seven nuclear-powered attack submarines (one of which was cancelled) that served with the Soviet Navy until the breakup of the Soviet Empire (after which they fell into the hands of the Russian Navy for a short time). ). Due to its new lead-cooled nuclear reactor, the stage is primarily used as an interceptor because of their high underwater velocity. The compact reactor makes the hull equally compact, reducing displacement and drag.

The boats are also recognized for their reliance on titanium hulls.

The origins of the Alfa class can be traced back to the late 1950s and early 1960s, from which Project 705 ("Lyre") was born ("Alfa" being its NATO reporting name). The Soviet Navy needed a new, state-of-the-art, very fast submarine to intercept enemy ships while avoiding detection and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) attempts. This has pushed engineers to create the most compact designs, which in turn benefit from being able to fit smaller reactors. Advanced onboard systems will automate many expected processes and help reduce the required crew involvement.

However, the final design proved impractical (and impractical), so a larger, more traditional approach was taken.

The crew consisted of only 31 officers, and were drafted when they reached dimensions of 267 feet long, 31 feet beam, and 25 feet draft. The surface displacement is 2,300 tons and the underwater displacement is 3,200 tons. Power will come from a 155 MWt OK-550 or BM-40A series lead-bismuth cooled "fast reactor" producing 40,000 hp on a single shaft in the stern.

The top speed is 12 knots on the surface and over 40 knots underwater. Depth has been tested to a depth of 350 meters.

The overall design form of the boat is classic (like a submarine in the 1960s) with a rounded bow section, aft sails and stern mounted fins. The power blade is located a short distance behind the blade.

The armament is concentrated on 6 x 533 mm (21") torpedo tubes, all mounted on the bow. The ship carries 18 x SET-6 or 53-65K torpedoes or 20 x VA-111 "Shkval" torpedoes or 24 x SET-6 or 53-65K torpedoes Navy torpedo mines are needed.

The first ship of this class was launched on 12 November 1967 as the K-432 at Severodvinsk, but the first ship of the series was launched on 22 April 1969 as the first commissioning of the K-64 It happened on December 31, 1971 - an event that caught the attention of Western observers. The K-463 became the last in the series on December 30, 1981.

In service, these ships proved to be as fast as advertised (which surprised US Navy personnel when the ships were encountered in open water), but their unique reactor fit meant that the propulsion system had a very short lifespan, And unreliable in general, needs special attention: since the reactor is cooled with liquid metal, the rods fuse with the coolant when the engine is off, meaning they must remain continuously running (or heated) when the boat is not in use . The West also believed that these ships had extraordinary deep-water capabilities, but this was not the case - despite this, the West invested a lot of time, energy and money to develop the equivalent of this new Soviet "superboat".

With the exception of the K-64, the group started operating in the 1980s and was decommissioned (as a class) in 1990 with the collapse of the Soviet Union. The last ship was scrapped on April 19, 1990 and the hull was scrapped. The K-64 was decommissioned and scrapped on August 19, 1974 (not surprising given the experimental nature of the class).

The K-123 had a longer lifespan as a training ship before it was eventually abandoned.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Wing