Delta class submarine

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Delta class submarines are Soviet-built strategic nuclear missile submarines designed to attack cities, military and industrial installations, and naval bases. They were designed to attack targets in the United States of America without needing to pass the SOSUS sensors in the GIUK gap to fire its missiles.

Four different types exist. All have a reasonably similar appearance, but each type has different capabilities and systems. The NATO classification system groups them together under the 'Delta' Class, but Russian classification actually distinguishes three different submarines (treating the Delta II as an 'improved' Delta I).

As of June 2000 the Russian Navy claimed that it operated 26 strategic nuclear submarines carrying 2,272 nuclear warheads on 440 ballistic missiles. It broke down the total to include 5 Typhoon class submarines, 7 Delta IV class submarines, and 13 Delta III class submarines.

1 "Delta I" (Project 667B, Murena) 18 boats
2 "Delta II" (Project 667BD, Murena-M) 4 boats
3 "Delta III" (Project 667BDR, Kalmar) 14 boats
- 3.1 Ships
  - 3.1.1 Pacific fleet
  - 3.1.2 Northern fleet
4 "Delta IV" (Project 667BDRM, Delfin) 7 boats
5 See also
6 Reference
7 External links

[edit] "Delta I" (Project 667B, Murena) 18 boats

Class overview
A Delta I class submarine.
Builders:	Severodvinsk and Komsomolsk
Operators:	Soviet Union
Preceded by:	Yankee class submarine
Followed by:	Delta 2 class submarine
Ships in class:	18
Ships out of service:	18
Ships sunk:	0
Ships scrapped:	18
General Characteristics
Displacement:	Surfaced:7800tons Submerged:10,000tons
Length:	139m (456ft)
Beam:	12m (39ft 5in)
Draught:	9m (29ft 6in)
Propulsion and power:	two pressurized water cooled reactors powering two steam turbines driving two shafts and each developing 38.7MW (52,000 shp)
Speed:	Surfaced:12knots Submerged:25knots
Range:	Unlimited, except by food supplies
Complement:	120
Armament:	D-9 launch tubes for 12 R-29 (SS-N-8 Sawfly) SLBM's and 4 533mm torpedoes tubes

The Delta-class submarines could deploy on alert patrols in the marginal ice-seas of the Soviet Arctic littoral, including the Norwegian and Barents seas. Consequently, unlike their predecessors, they no longer needed to pass through Western SOSUS sonar barriers to come within range of their targets. To improve the accuracy of the missiles, the Delta I submarines carry the Tobol-B navigation system and the Cyclone-B satellite navigation system.

After authorization of the development of the class in 1965, the first Delta-I, K-279, was commissioned into the Soviet Northern Fleet on the 22nd of December, 1972. A total of 18 submarines of this class were built, and all served Soviet Navy, under the designation Project 667B Murena (eel).

As of 1991, nine Delta-I Submarines were still in active service. Their decommissioning began in 1994, with removal of the missile compartments scheduled by 1997. All submarines of this class were taken out of service by 1998 and were scrapped by 2005

Class overview
A Delta-II class submarine on the surface.
Builders:	Sevrodvinsk
Operators:	Soviet Union
Preceded by:	Delta 1 class submarine
Followed by:	Delta 3 class submarine
Ships in class:	4
Ships out of service:	4
Ships sunk:	0
General Characteristics
Displacement:	Surfaced:9350tons Submerged:10,500tons
Length:	155m (508ft 6in)
Beam:	12m (39ft 5in)
Draught:	9m (29ft 6in)
Propulsion and power:	two pressurized water cooled reactors powering two steam turbines driving two shafts each developing 41MW (55,000 shp)
Speed:	Surfaced:12knots Submerged:24knots
Range:	Unlimited, except by food supplies
Complement:	130
Armament:	D-9D launch tubes for 16 R-29D SLBM's, four 533mm and two 400mm torpedo tubes

[edit] "Delta II" (Project 667BD, Murena-M) 4 boats

The Delta-II Class Submarine was a large Ballistic Missile Submarine designed to remedy shortcomings in the Delta-I Class Submarine. The design was essentially the same, however the submarine was lengthened in the 4th and 5th compartments by 16 meters to allow the installation of 4 more missile tubes. The new type of Delta also received additional quietening measures including having the steam turbines mounted on shock absorbers, having all pipes and hydraulics separated from the hull through rubber insulation, and a special hydroacoustic coating being applied to the hull.

The NATO designation, Delta-II indicates this submarine as a new version, however, the Soviet designation, 667BD Murena-M, refers to this submarine only as an improved Delta-I.

Only four submarines of this class were built, apparently in favour of building the following class, Delta-III, and all Delta-IIs were out of service by 1996.

Class overview
Delta III class submarine
Builders:	Sevrodvinsk
Operators:	Soviet Union
Preceded by:	Delta 2 class submarine
Followed by:	Delta 4 class submarine
Ships in class:	10
Ships laid up:	5
General Characteristics
Displacement:	Surfaced:13,500tons Submerged:18,200tons
Length:	166m (544ft 7in)
Beam:	12.3m (39ft 6in)
Draught:	8.8m (29ft)
Propulsion and power:	two pressurized water cooled reactors powering two steam turbines delivering 44,700kW (60,000shp) to two seven bladed fixed pitched shrouded propellors.
Speed:	Surfaced:14knots Submerged:24knots
Range:	Unlimited, except by food supplies
Complement:	135
Armament:	16 missiles and 4 533mm (21in) torpedo tubes in the bow.

[edit] "Delta III" (Project 667BDR, Kalmar) 14 boats

The 667BDR Kal'mar (Squid) Delta-III class Submarine was a large Ballistic Missile Submarine. Like the earlier Delta class submarines the Delta III is a double hulled design with a thin low magnetic steel outer hull wrapped around a thicker inner pressure hull. Development began in 1972 at the Rubin Central Design Bureau for Marine Engineering. The submarine was the first that could launch any number of missiles in a single salvo, also the first submarine capable of carrying ballistic missiles with multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles . The submarine carried 16 of the R-29R missiles each carrying 3 to 7 MIRVs, with a range of 6,500 to 8,000 km, depending on the number of re-entry vehicles.

The Delta III was also equipped with a new battle management system the "Almaz-BDR" for the fire control of torpedoes in deep-water, also a new inertial navigation system "Tobol-M-1", and later the "Tobol-M-2". A hydroacoustic navigational system called "Shmeľ" (Bumblebee) allows the submarine to determine its position from hydroacoustic buoys. Finally a new sonar system called "Rubikon" was fitted.

[edit] Ships

[edit] Pacific fleet

K-441 commissioned 1976, in reserve from 1996
K-424 commissioned 1977, in reserve from 1997
K-449 commissioned 1977, in reserve from 1996
K-455 commissioned 1978, in reserve from 1998-99
K-490 commissioned 1978, in reserve from 1998-99
K-211 Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy commissioned 1980, active
K-223 Podolsk commissioned 1980, in reserve from 1998-99, reactivated 2001
K-180 commissioned 1980, 2001 active
K-433 Svyatoy Georgiy Pobedonosets (Saint George the Victorious) commissioned 1981, in reserve from 1997, reactivated 2004
K-506 Zelenograd commissioned 1979, in reserve from 1998-99, reactivated 2001

[edit] Northern fleet

K-487 commissioned 1978, in reserve from 1998-99
K-44 Ryazan commissioned 1979, in reserve from 1997
K-496 Borisoglebsk commissioned 1979
K-129 commissioned 1981, in reserve from 1997, reactivated 2001

[edit] "Delta IV" (Project 667BDRM, Delfin) 7 boats

A Delta-IV class Submarine on the surface.

The Delta IV is a class of Russian SSBN submarine. Seven were built from 1985 to 1992, with five still in service in the Russian navy today. The submarines, based at the Saida Guba Naval Base, operate in the Northern Fleet. The Severodvinsk Shipyard built these vessels between 1981 and 1992. The last vessel was the Novomoskovsk.

The design of the Delta IV resembles that of the Delta III and constitutes a double-hulled configuration with missile silos housed in the inner hull.

The submarine has an operational diving depth of 320 meters, with a maximum depth of 400 meters. The propulsion system allows speeds of 24 knots (44 km/h) surfaced or submerged using two VM-4 pressure water reactors rated at 180 MW. It features two turbines of type GT3A-365 rated at 27.5 MW. The propulsion system drives two shafts with seven-bladed fixed-pitch propellers.

[edit] Overall design

The submarine design is similar to that of Delta III (Project 667 BDR). The submarine constitutes a double-hulled configuration with missile silos housed in the inner hull. The forward horizontal hydroplanes are arranged on the sail. They can rotate to the vertical for breaking through the ice cover. The operational diving depth of the submarine is 320m with a maximum depth of 400m. The propulsion system provides a run speed of 24 knots surfaced and 24 knots submerged. The submarine carries supplies for an endurance of 80 days. The surface of the submarine has an acoustic coating to reduce the acoustic signature.

During the development of the 667BDRM SSBN several measures were included to reduce its noise level. The gears and equipment are located on a common base isolated from the pressure hull, and the power compartments are also isolated. The efficiency of the antihydroacoustic coatings of the light outer hull and inner pressure hulls have been increased. Newly designed five-bladed propellers with improved hydroacoustic characteristics are employed.

See Delta 3 class overview for specifications.

[edit] Armament

The Delta IV submarines employs the D-9RM launch system and carries 16 R-29RM liquid-fueled missiles which carry four multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs). Unlike previous modifications, the Delta IV submarine is able to fire missiles in any direction from a constant course in a circular sector. The underwater firing of the ballistic missiles can be conducted at a depth of 55 meters while cruising at a speed of 6-7 knots. All the missiles can be fired in a single salvo.

The 667BDRM Dolphin submarines are equipped with the TRV-671 RTM missile-torpedo system that has four torpedo tubes with a calibre of 533 mm. Unlike the Delta III, it is capable of using all types of torpedoes, antisubmarine torpedo-missiles and antihydroacoustic devices. The battle management system "Omnibus-BDRM" controls all combat activities, processing data and commanding the torpedo and missile-torpedo weapons. The "Shlyuz" navigation system provides for the improved accuracy of the missiles and is capable of stellar navigation at periscope depths. The navigational system also employs two floating antenna buoys to receive radio-messages, target destination data and satellite navigation signals at great depth. The submarine is also equipped with the "Skat-VDRM" hydroacoustic system.

The Delta IV submarines are strategic nuclear missile submarines designed to carry out strikes on military and industrial installations and naval bases. The submarine carries the RSM-5 Makeyev missile (NATO designation: SS-N-23 Skiff) submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). The RSM-54 is a three-stage liquid-propellant ballistic missile with a range of 8,300km. The warhead consists of four to ten multiple, independently targeted re-entry vehicles (MIRVs) each rated at 100 kt. The missile uses stellar inertial guidance to provide a circular error probable (CEP) of 500 m. The CEP value is a measure of the accuracy of strike on the target and is the radius of the circle within which half the strikes will impact.

The submarine is also capable of launching the Novator SS-N-15 Starfish anti-ship missile or Mk 40 anti-ship torpedoes. Starfish is armed with a 200kt nuclear warhead and has a range of up to 45km. The submarine has four 533mm torpedo tubes capable of launching all types of torpedoes, including anti-submarine torpedoes and anti-hydroacoustic devices. The system is fitted with a rapid reloading torpedo system. The submarine can carry up to 18 missiles or torpedoes. All torpedoes are accommodated in the bow section of the hull.

[edit] Deployment

Initially all the Delta IV submarines were based with the Russian Northern Fleet at Olenya Bay. All the submarines of this class serve in 12th Squadron (the former 3rd flotilla) of strategic submarines of the Northern Fleet, which has relocated to Yagyelnaya.