What You Need to Know: Akula-class submarines are among Russia’s most formidable undersea weapons, built for stealth, speed and survivability. Launched in 1986, the Akula-class submarines are equipped with a powerful nuclear reactor, advanced noise reduction technologies, and robust weapons, including anti-ship missiles and torpedoes.

Akula submarines pose a serious threat to US carrier groups with their 600 meter diving depth and double hull design.

Akula III variant, specifically GepardIt is touted as being comparable to America’s Seawolf-class submarines. Russia’s ability to deploy these submarines undetected, as it did near the United States in 2009, underscores their enduring threat to American national security.

Russia’s Akula Class Submarines Should Not Be Interfered with

The former Soviet Union was a land of broken dreams and lost hopes. However, the field in which it constantly competes is vital strategic specialization from submarine warfare. Soviet and later Russian submarines were among the best in the world.

Some Features of This Russian Submarine

Powered by a single 190 megawatt OK-650B/OK-650M pressurized water nuclear reactorwith someone OK-7 flow turbine This 43,000-horsepower boat could descend into the depths of Deep Blue at a speed of thirty-three knots and on the surface at a speed of ten knots. It had a diving depth of approximately 600 meters and a displacement of 8,140 tons, and a displacement of 12,770 tons under water.

Frankly, this diving depth was one of the greatest for a submarine of its era and gave Akula a number of real advantages over its American and NATO rivals in those heady Cold War days.

Armed with multiple torpedoes that can be fired from four 650 mm or four 533 mm torpedo tubes, this submarine can also deploy up to 40 mines. Its durability under water was around 100 days. Weapons like this Regenerative SS-N-15 and SS-N-16 Stallion anti-ship missiles were common weapons on these submarines.

Akula class submarines, stealth, speed and armament. Featuring a double-hull design, this boat had a higher survivability rate in case of emergency or combat damage, thanks to the presence of double-hull steel. Moreover, the double hull greatly reduced acoustic signatures while underway, making them quieter than their Soviet-era predecessors.

Seven compartments and significant space between the outer and inner hulls, damage control, advanced crewing, critical systems protection and silence were all part of Akula’s package.

Introduced in 1986, the Akula class was known for its advanced silencing technologies. Numerous variants have been produced over the last few decades, taking noise reduction capabilities to the top. Next Akula II classFor example, improved anechoic coatings and innovative thruster designs were given to reduce the noise these submarines make under the sea.

The sophistication and significant threat these Soviet-era submarines pose to American carrier battle groups, which have long formed the core of the U.S. Navy’s surface combatant fleet, has caused a major rethink at the Pentagon about how to mitigate this threat. One decision The project to overcome the Akula threat to the US Navy was to design the Virginia class submarines. Washington desired to surpass or at least match Akula’s abilities.

Even today, the Akula class is dangerous to the United States.

Akula Class Threat to America

An Akula-class submarine of the Russian Navy in 2009 successfully It was deployed just off the US East Coast, undetected by America’s vast and supposedly reliable national defense systems. In December 2001, Russian President Vladimir Putin oversaw the commissioning of the facility. Gepard (Cheetah) is the Russian Navy’s only Akula III class submarine.

This is truly the pinnacle of submarine technology and one of the best submarines in the entire Russian submarine fleet. That’s actually saying something, because no matter what people think of Russia’s overall military capabilities, Moscow has had a truly lethal and advanced submarine force since the Cold War. Gepard is a shining example of this.

Akula III

Putin speaking at the commissioning ceremony in 2001 implied We say Gepard’s hull is comprised of “an amalgam of the most distinguished scientific achievements.” In 2001, the Russian government claimed that the single Akula III-class Gepard was technologically equivalent to the American one. Seawolf class nuclear-powered attack submarines. While this may cause some American submariners to roll their eyes, the Akula III is comparable to the Seawolf class.

The fact is that the Soviet Navy, and later the Navy of the Russian Federation, created a silent killer with the Akula class. It is one of the most successful classes of submarines Russia has ever built and is iconic. These submarines are a constant reminder of the dangers of underestimating the threat from the Russian Navy.

Author Experience and Expertise: Brandon J. Weichert

Brandon J. WeichertNational Interest national security analystis a former Congressional staffer and geopolitical analyst who contributes to The Washington Times, Asia Times, and The-Pipeline. He is the author of Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His next book, A Disaster of Our Own Creation: How the West Lost Ukraine, will be released on October 22 from Encounter Books. Weichert can be followed on Twitter @WeTheBrandon.

All images courtesy of Creative Commons or Shutterstock. All photos are of various submarine styles.

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