Yuri Dolgoruky (K-535)

History

In 2013, the Russian Navy continued its program, in which new nuclear submarines, guided missile frigates, advanced helicopter carriers and fast guided missile frigates will join the modernization program. From the catastrophic upheaval at the end of the Cold War over the past few decades, Russia's military budget is steadily increasing in recognition of Mother Russia's wishes in the Asia-Pacific and Central Asia region. A procurement program has come to fruition for the Borei-class ballistic missile submarine, which has produced the first ship of its kind, the "Yuri Dolgoruki" (K-535). Dolgoruky was laid on November 2, 1996, and officially launched on February 13, 2008.

She officially entered service on January 10, 2013. The construction of the ship was taken over by Sevmash in northwestern Russia.

Externally, the Dolgoruky has a traditional look, with a predominantly cylindrical hull design with a bulbous nose cone at the top, the hull tapers back into a long, tall shape and then tapers off at the stern. The sails were set amidships, while the stern consisted of dorsal and ventral vertical fins that acted as rudders, with a horizontal plane spanning the sides of the rear hull. The propeller extends a short distance from the tail. Dimensionally, the Dolgoruky is a massive machine, with a length of 170 meters from bow to stern, while her beam is 13.5 meters, with a draft of 10 meters and an underwater displacement of 24,000 tons. The vessel is operated by 130 officers and seafarers working in shifts and has access to on-board showers, dining and sleeping facilities as standard.

Dolgoruky's power is primarily provided by a single OK-650B series nuclear reactor, which provides essentially unlimited operating range and decades of service after proper maintenance procedures. The nuclear propulsion system is connected to an AEU steam turbine, which drives a single shaft in the stern.

The maximum surface speed listed is 25 knots and the estimated recommended underwater speed is 32 knots.

Overall, the Dolgoruky was slow to produce by modern standards, as evidenced by the 1996 set year and 2008 launch date. Since the various equipment and sensor packages have yet to be added, some public questions about the accelerated construction of the ship have come to light before the ship goes to sea. In any event, construction was finally completed and sea trials began in late 2009, with base crews and engineers addressing various design issues.

Delays in the plan ensured that a formal handover would not take place until 2011. After successfully passing the evaluation period, the Dolgoruky was officially handed over to the Russian Navy at the end of 2012.

The vessel has been in limited operational service since early 2013, likely for the full year before major service begins in 2014.

The key to the

Borei-class submarine design is its armament, which includes no less than 16 Bulava submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs). The Bulava is an advanced new submarine-launched missile that has only recently entered service, in early 2013.

The weapons were developed by the Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology, and production was carried out by the State Production Association at the Votkinsk plant. Each missile is approximately 40 feet long, weighs 40 tons, is powered by a three-stage solid and liquid fuel system, and has a range of up to 5,000 miles. Guided by inertial and GPS-based systems, each missile delivers 150 kilotons of lethality.

Initially, the Borei was to be equipped with the "R-39M" series of missiles, but the project was shelved due to poor results. Dolgoruky also deploys 6 x 533mm torpedo tubes for anti-ship/submarine use and supports the SS-N-15 Blizzard cruise missile.

The Borei class submarines will eventually have a total of 10. The second vessel - Aleksandr Nevsky - is expected to be commissioned in late 2013 or more likely early 2014. The third vessel - Vladimir Monomakh - is expected to be commissioned sometime in 2014.

Other sister ships will follow upon completion, all of which are expected to be commissioned by 2020.

The arrival of the Dolgoruki is very important to the future plans of the Russian Navy, which now has a new expansion of its capabilities due to more political (and financial) involvement of the Russian authorities. With President Vladimir Putin re-elected, the Russian military is expected to continue to expand the lethal influence of its maritime power in the coming decades, having earmarked about $132 billion for various ongoing naval programs.

Specification

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Performance

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