Monday, December 22, 2008

Kilo class submarine

Kilo class is the NATO reporting name for a type of military diesel-electric submarines that are made in Russia. The original version of these vessels is designated in Russia Project 877 Paltus (Turbot).

There is also a more advanced version, which is designated in the west Improved Kilo and in Russia as Project 636 Varshavyanka. The Kilo will be succeeded by the Lada class submarine, which began sea trials in 2005.

The boats are mainly intended for anti-shipping and anti-submarine operations in relatively shallow waters. Kilo class submarines can operate very quietly. Project 636, sometimes called by the US Navy "The Black Hole" for its uncanny ability to "disappear", is thought to be one of the quietest diesel-electric submarine classes in the world.

Anechoic tiles are fitted on casings and fins to absorb the sonar sound waves of active sonar, which results in a reduction and distortion of the return signal. These tiles also help attenuate sounds that are emitted from the submarine, thus reducing the range by which the sub may be detected by passive sonar.

Specifications

There are several variants of the Kilo class, and these specifications may not apply to all variants. The figures given below should be regarded as rough estimates.

* Displacement:
o 2,300-2,350 tons surfaced
o 3,000-4,000 tons submerged
* Dimensions:
o Length: 70-74 meters
o Beam: 9.9 meters
o Draft: 6.2-6.5 meters
* Maximum speed
o 10-12 knots surfaced
o 17-25 knots submerged
* Propulsion: Diesel-electric 5,900 shp
* Maximum depth: 300 meters (240-250 meters operational)
* Endurance
o 400 nautical miles (700 km) at 3 knots (6 km/h) submerged
o 6,000 nautical miles (11,000 km) at 7 knots (13 km/h) snorkeling (7,500 miles for the Improved Kilo class)
o 45 days sea endurance
* Armament
o Air defence: 8 SA-N-8 Gremlin or SA-N-10 Gimlet[4] Surface-to-air missiles (export submarines may not be equipped with air defense weapons)
o Six 533 mm torpedo tubes with 18 53-65 ASuW or TEST 71/76 ASW torpedoes or VA-111 Shkval supercavitating "underwater missiles", or 24 DM-1 mines,
* Crew: 52
* Price per unit is 200 - 250 million $ (China paid approx. 1,5 - 2 billion $ for 8 Project 636 Kilo class submarines)

0 comments:

  © Blogger template Spain by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008

Back to TOP