Tensions between the United States and Russia are on the rise, accompanied by a marked increase in underwater rivalry. Special-purpose submarines are a central element of Russia's maritime security strategy, and the growing secret submarine fleet of the Russian Navy is the key to Russia's future maritime dominance. This was reported by the US Naval Institute NGO on its portal USNI News.
Russia is the only country with a fleet of special-purpose submarines for seabed warfare and reconnaissance operations, and is steadily expanding its potential in this area. Other countries, such as the United States, have also achieved a lot and have special capabilities, but they are located on multipurpose platforms.
- says the publication.
The Russians have two large submarine motherships, each carrying one or two deep submersibles. Nuclear submarines K-64 "Podmoskovye" (pictured) and K-129 "Orenburg" (project 667BDR "Kalmar") - converted into carriers of ultra-small submarines, including nuclear deep-sea stations AS-12 (or AS-31) Losharik ... In the near future the nuclear submarine K-329 "Belgorod" (project 09852) will join them.
The power of the Russian specialized submarine forces indicates the particular importance that Moscow attaches to their capabilities. Deep-sea vehicles can be used in a wide variety of missions: for military purposes, secret activities, construction and maintenance of underwater communications and sensors, exploration and development of minerals, rescuing submarine crews and studying ship debris on the seabed, and other work.
In the last years of the Cold War and during the period of normal relations with the West, Moscow acquired major Technology for operations on the seabed. For example, Finland built two Mir-class deep-sea manned vehicles (GOA) for the USSR, and the UK created two remote-controlled deep-sea vehicles for the Russian Federation, which Russia used to search for the sunken Argentine submarine San Juan.
In 2019, an accident occurred on the Losharik apparatus and it was sent for repairs. Now he has been in a hangar in Severodvinsk for some time, judging by the Capella Space satellite image. Instead of "Losharik" Russia can remake one of the older submarines of Project 1910 "Kashalot" to fulfill the necessary tasks. These are of a similar type to deep-sea vehicles, but they were not originally designed to be moved by the mother submarine.
Together with submarines, Russia has specially equipped surface vessels, including a "spy ship" - the research ship "Yantar" (Project 22010 "Cruise"). This vessel is equipped with a special hangar for GOA and unmanned underwater vehicles.
Attributed on the Kola Peninsula, "Yantar" has been repeatedly seen near underwater Internet cables and other infrastructure, as well as near disaster sites in the Atlantic and even in the Persian Gulf. Most recently, he was seen off the coast of Ireland, and before that he was twice found over the crash sites of the Russian Navy aircraft, which fell in the Mediterranean Sea from the deck of a Russian aircraft carrier. In mid-November, an F-35 crashed from the deck of a British aircraft carrier. At the same time, "Yantar" left the harbor last week and is now unknown.