Delta-class submarine


The Delta class, Soviet designations Project 667B Murena, Project 667BD Murena-M, Project 667BDR Kalmar, Project 667BDRM Delfin, are a series of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, designed and built in the Soviet Union, which formed the backbone of the Soviet and Russian strategic submarine fleet since their introduction in 1973. They carry nuclear ballistic missiles of the R-29 Vysota family, with the Delta I, Delta II, Delta III and Delta IV classes carrying the R-29, R-29D, R-29R and R-29RM respectively. The Delta I class carried 12 missiles, while the Delta II class which are lengthened versions of the Delta I class carry 16 missiles. The Delta III and Delta IV classes carry 16 missiles with multiple warheads and have improved electronics and noise reduction.
The R-27 Zyb missile carried by the s of the late 1960s had a range of, so the earlier submarines were forced to patrol close to the North American coast, whereas the Deltas could launch the over -range R-29s from the relative safety of the Arctic Ocean. In turn the Deltas were superseded by the larger s. The early Deltas remained in service until the 1990s with treaties such as START I. High running costs and the retirement of the Typhoons R-39 missiles meant that some Delta III-class submarines were reactivated in the 2000s to replace the Typhoons.
In December 2010, Pavel Podvig and russianforces.org estimated the strength of the Russian strategic submarine fleet at one Typhoon-class submarine, four Delta III, six Delta IV class, and one strategic missile submarines. They will ultimately be replaced by the new Borei class, also referred to it as the Dolgorukiy class.

Development

In the 1960s the Soviet Navy wanted new submarine-launched nuclear missiles that could threaten targets in North America without their launch platforms needing to pass the SOSUS sensors in the GIUK gap to be within range.

Delta I (Project 667B ''Murena'') 18 boats

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-class 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,, was commissioned into the Soviet Northern Fleet on 22 December 1972. A total of 18 submarines of this class were built, and all served Soviet Navy, under the designation Project 667B Murena.
In 1991, nine Delta I-class 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.

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 fourth and fifth compartments by to allow the installation of four more missile tubes. The new type of Delta also received additional quieting 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 reporting name, Delta II indicates this submarine as a visually distinguishable new class. The Soviet designation, 667BD Murena-M indicates this submarine is an improved Delta I.
Only four submarines of this class were built, apparently in favor of building the following class, the Delta III, and all Delta IIs were out of service by 1996.

Delta III (Project 667BDR ''Kalmar'') 14 boats

The 667BDR Kal'mar Delta III-class submarine is a large ballistic missile submarine. Like the earlier Delta-class submarines the Delta III class 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, depending on the number of re-entry vehicles.
The Delta III class 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 allows the submarine to determine its position from hydroacoustic buoys. Finally a new sonar system called Rubikon was fitted.
On 30 September 2008 a Russian Navy spokesman reported that Ryazan had successfully completed a 30-day transit from a base in northern Russia under the Arctic ice cap to a base on the Kamchatka Peninsula. The Navy added that Ryazan will soon be assigned to regularly patrol the Pacific Ocean. In July 2008, six Delta III-class boats were active, of which two were believed to be in the process of decommissioning.
K-433 Svyatoy Georgiy Pobedonosets was involved in a collision with a fishing vessel on 22 September 2011. The submarine did not sustain serious damage.
#ShipyardNameLaid downLaunchedCommissionedFleetStatus
K-424SEVMASH, SeverodvinskNA30 January 197411 February 197630 December 1976NorthernDecommissioned 28 March 1995 for scrapping. Disposed of in 1998
K-441SEVMASH, SeverodvinskNA7 May 197425 May 197631 October 1976PacificDecommissioned 28 March 1995 for scrapping Disposed of in 2000.
K-449SEVMASH, SeverodvinskNA19 July 197429 July 19765 February 1977PacificIn reserve from 1996, decommissioned in 2001, scrapped before 2008
K-455SEVMASH, SeverodvinskNA16 October 197416 August 197630 December 1976PacificIn reserve from 1998 to 1999. Disposed of in 2002
K-490SEVMASH, SeverodvinskNA6 March 197527 January 197730 September 1977PacificIn reserve from 1998 to 1999, Disposed of before 2008
K-487SEVMASH, SeverodvinskNA9 June 19754 April 197727 December 1977NorthernIn reserve from 1998 to 1999, Disposed of in 1999–2011
K-496SEVMASH, SeverodvinskBorisoglebsk23 September 197513 August 197730 December 1977NorthernDecommissioned on 9 December 2008, fuel discharged. Disposed of in 2010
K-506SEVMASH, SeverodvinskZelenograd29 December 197526 January 197830 November 1978PacificRemoved from service in 2010, to be decommissioned
K-211SEVMASH, SeverodvinskPetropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy19 August 197613 January 197928 September 1979PacificRetired in 2010
K-223SEVMASH, SeverodvinskPodolsk19 February 197730 April 197927 November 1979PacificRemoved from active service in 2018
K-180SEVMASH, SeverodvinskNA27 December 19778 January 198025 September 1980PacificIn reserve from 2004. Disposed of in 2008
K-433SEVMASH, SeverodvinskSvyatoy Georgiy Pobedonosets24 August 197820 June 198015 December 1980PacificRemoved from active service in 2018
BS-136 SEVMASH, SeverodvinskOrenburg9 April 197915 April 19815 November 1981Northern1994–2002 – conversion to support submarine project 09786. Active as of 2008. Experimental boat
K-44SEVMASH, SeverodvinskRyazan31 January 198019 January 198217 September 1982PacificOverhauled in 2007 and in 2012–2016. Active 2017

Delta IV (Project 667BDRM ''Delfin'') 7 boats

Seven Delta IV-class submarines were built; all are still in service in the Russian Navy. The submarines, based at the Sayda Guba Naval Base, operate in the Northern Fleet. The Severodvinsk Shipyard built these vessels between 1981 and 1992. The last vessel was.
The design of the Delta IV class resembles that of the Delta III class and constitutes a double-hulled configuration with missile silos housed in the inner hull.
The submarine has an operational diving depth of, with a maximum depth of. The propulsion system allows speeds of 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 fixed-pitch propellers.
On 29 December 2011, a shipyard fire broke out in the drydock where a Delta IV-class vessel named Yekaterinburg was being serviced. It was reported that the fire managed to spread to the submarine, that all weapons were disembarked from the submarine and the nuclear reactor was shut down beforehand.
On 1 July 2019, a fatal fire occurred on the small special mission submarine Losharik during operations in the Northern Fleet's training area west of Kola Bay. There was speculation that the Loshariks mothership was present, possibly the Project-09852 Belgorod, or the Podmoskovye or Orenburg.

Overall design

The submarine design is similar to that of Delta III class. 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 propulsion system provides a speed of surfaced and 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 anti-hydroacoustic coatings of the light outer hull and inner pressure hulls have been increased. Newly designed propellers with improved hydroacoustic characteristics are employed.
See the Delta III class overview for specifications.

Armament

The Delta IV-class submarines employs the D-9RM launch system and carries 16 R-29RMU Sineva liquid-fueled missiles which each carry four independently targetable reentry vehicles. Unlike previous modifications, the Delta IV-class 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 while cruising at a speed of. All the missiles can be fired in a single salvo.
The 667BDRM Delphin submarines are equipped with the TRV-671 RTM missile-torpedo system that has four torpedo tubes with a calibre of. Unlike the Delta III-class design, it is capable of using all types of torpedoes, antisubmarine torpedo-missiles and anti-hydroacoustic 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-class 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 submarine-launched ballistic missile. The RSM-54 is a three-stage liquid-propellant ballistic missile with a range of. The warhead consists of four to ten multiple, independently targeted re-entry vehicles each rated at. The missile uses stellar inertial guidance to provide a circular error probable of. 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 anti-ship torpedoes. Starfish is armed with a nuclear warhead and has a range of up to. The submarine has four 533 mm 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 12 missiles or torpedoes. All torpedoes are accommodated in the bow section of the hull.
In 2011 K-84 Ekaterinburg successfully tested a new version of the SS-N-23 missile, reportedly designated R-29RMU2 Layner. The missile has improved survivability against anti-ballistic missiles. Later on K-114 Tula conducted another successful launch.

Deployment

Initially all the Delta IV-class submarines were based with the Russian Northern Fleet at Olenya Bay. All the submarines of this class serve in 12th Squadron of strategic submarines of the Northern Fleet, which now located in Yagelnaya Bay.

Units

Delta-class submarines in fiction