Akula biography

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Following the Toshiba–Kongsberg scandal, where the Japanese and Norwegian firms supplied advanced milling equipment and technology to the Soviets, concerns arose in the West about the Soviet Union's improved capability to produce quieter submarine propellers, seen as a significant technological leap.

In a notable incident, the Akula-class K-152 Nerpa suffered an accident involving its fire-extinguishing system, leading to the deaths of 20 people by asphyxiation in 2008, marking it as the worst Russian naval accident since the Kursk disaster in 2000.

There have been no known accidents of the Akula class boats operating from the Northern and Pacific Fleets, which leads one to believe the Russians have survived their lengthy trials and have produced a world-class product. To illustrate this, consider the Akula submarine Gepard. Currently there is only one Akula class submarine, the Dmitriy Donskoy, that is still in commission in the Russian Navy.

Tactics and Defense

Known countermeasures are the standard gas-producing decoy units, a holdover from the German Pillenwaffer, sonar jamming, and an ingenious acoustic decoy commonly referred to as the nixie. The signature of an Akula grows more prominent with age, whether through inferior design, materials, or maintenance.

Classified as "Akula II", these modifications include a four-meter extension that may accommodate VLS tubes and advanced technology sensors. The ballast tanks and specially adapted gear are located between the inner and outer hulls. In 2019, India and Russia signed a $3 billion deal for leasing another Akula-class submarine (Chakra III), expected to be delivered by 2025.

"Other equally important factors include tactical handling and sonar performance, and even non-acoustic sensors must be taken into account."

Gains Through Borrowed Technology

As we have seen, the Russian naval mindset stresses performance over stealth. The author grants permission to copy, distribute and display this work in unaltered form, with attribution to the author, for noncommercial purposes only.

Careful study of Akulas captured on film reveals another velocity weapon.

So while the Ohio Class could carry 24 Trident C4 Missiles that could each carry 8 independent nuclear warheads for a grand total of 192 nuclear warheads, the Akula class was designed to carry twenty R-39 Rif intercontinental ballistic missiles which could each carry 10 independent nuclear warheads for a grand total of 200 warheads.

Anthony Batista, senior staff member of the Armed Forces Committee declared, "The Akula is the best submarine in the world today." A recent report from the Office of Naval Intelligence noted that the improved Akula submarines could indeed surpass the quieting of the Los Angeles class at tactical speeds.

Some of the blame, no doubt, is due to the acquisition of technology through espionage rather than painstaking research that includes thorough comprehension. According to the Severodvinsk daily Severny Rabochy, Gepard is still in the yard. [2] The great range of these missles allowed an Akula class sub to target any point in the continental United States from inside the arctic circle.

The class includes several sub-classes or flights, starting with the seven original boats of Project 971 (Akula I) commissioned from 1984 to 1990, followed by six Project 971Is (Improved Akulas) between 1991 and 2009, one Project 971U (Akula II) in 1995, and finally, one Project 971M (Akula III) in 2001. Akula class submarines, however, incorporate limber hole covers that can be closed to reduce or eliminate this tattletale.

However, as one high-ranking American officer cautiously stated during an interview, the Russian technology may achieve a high level of noise suppression initially but degrades after service. Output of Akula submarines remained steady at one-to-two a year until 1995. The author warrants that the work is the author's own and that Stanford University provided no input other than typesetting and referencing guidelines.

The theory follows that NATO submarines track, record, and catalogue the Akulas at these artificial sound levels and US naval intelligence may be misled into believing that the profiles represent the best the opposition can do. The SET 65 pack a 900kg punch, enough to take out a carrier with one unit.