Commissioning of Severodvinsk sub delayed until 2013 - source
MOSCOW. Aug 13 (Interfax-AVN) - The Yasen Project 885 fourth-generation nuclear powered submarine, the Severodvinsk, will be put into service no earlier than 2013 due to problems with the nuclear power unit, a source in the defense industry told reporters on Monday.
"Severodvinsk tests revealed that its nuclear power unit did not reach the rated capacity, and the submarine produced too much noise. It is impossible to commission the submarine with such serious shortcomings," he said.
In addition, the Dagdizel Plant has not supplied the new homing torpedo for Yasen submarines. "There is still no new torpedo with the required characteristics. The product created is non-explosion-proof and cannot be used by submarines," the source said.
If the delivery of the new torpedo is delayed further, the submarine may adopt torpedoes installed in nuclear-powered subs of the Kursk type, he added.
"The submarine is being tested in the White Sea. It will move from shallow water to the Barents Sea later on," First Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Sukhorukov said on August 8. He thinks the tests may end this year, "because the plant is fined daily."
The Severodvinsk, the fourth generation lead multirole nuclear powered submarine created as part of the Yasen Project 885 was launched on June 15, 2010. It began sea trials in September 2011.
The second sub of the series, the Kazan, is being built under the updated Project 885M Yasen-M. No less than eight submarines of the class are supposed to be supplied to the Navy before 2020.
The submarine will have an undersea speed of over 30 knots, a maximum submersion depth of 600 meters, autonomous voyage of 100 days and a crew of 90 men (32 officers). The sub costs approximately 47 billion rubles.
Its noise characteristics will be comparable with the U.S. Virginia subs.