NI: Russian Project 971 Shchuka-B submarines are causing concern for the US Navy
Russian Project 971 Shchuka-B nuclear submarines (NATO designation Akula) are causing concern for the US Navy. Advantages of the submarine called in the publication of the American publication The National Interest (NI).
It is noted that the launch of the first Shchuka-B in 1984 shocked the United States, since the West believed that the USSR would master third-generation nuclear submarine technologies only by the mid-1990s. The nuclear submarine received a double-hull design with a durable alloy steel hull. This arrangement made it possible to optimize the shape of the lightweight hull, providing the Shchuka-B with good buoyancy.
Initially, the submarines' arsenal included torpedoes and S-10 Granat cruise missiles. Later, “Granat” missiles began to be replaced with “Caliber” missiles. “Shchuki-B” are capable of fighting submarines and surface ships, as well as hitting ground targets.
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“Russian Akula-class submarines may be approaching their third decade of service. However, these nuclear attack submarines continue to effectively roam the seas—and are a source of concern for the U.S. Navy,” the author writes.
The submarines, which were built according to the improved project 971U, received the Western designation Akula-II. These nuclear submarines differ from the basic version in having modernized equipment and a length increased by three meters. The publication admitted that the Vepr nuclear submarine built according to this project will remain in service for several more decades.
In November, a TASS source reported that the Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief proposed dismantling the damaged Nerpa nuclear submarine of Project 971U Shchuka-B, which was leased as part of the Indian fleet under the name Chakra-2.
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