Russia’s Akula-Class Submarine Summed Up in 4 Words

Key Points – Russia’s Akula I-class nuclear-powered attack submarines (Project 971U), introduced in the late 1980s, remain operationally significant despite their age.

-These submarines were advanced for their era, featuring a double-hulled design for quietness and survivability, the powerful MGK 540 sonar, and a versatile armament including torpedoes and anti-ship missiles.

-Critically, their ability to launch up to 12 Granat land-attack cruise missiles (comparable to Tomahawks) keeps them relevant, as demonstrated by their use in the Ukraine war.

-While somewhat outdated and facing decisions about retirement versus continued costly maintenance, the seven Akula I-class boats continue to serve, primarily in homeland defense and standoff strike roles.

Older Russian Akula-Class Subs Must Still Pull Their Weight

The Akula I-class of Russian submarines were state-of-the-art when they came out in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

There are seven Akula I-class boats. The nuclear-powered submarines of the class still must be spotted and tracked because they bring cruise and anti-ship missiles to the fight, even though they are growing long in the tooth. They can be compared to the U.S. Navy’s Los Angeles-class attack submarines, and the Russians had high hopes decades ago that they would dominate in undersea warfare.

Amur Shipbuilding Plant Joint Stock Company built the Akula I-class subs. The Russians originally called them the Project 971U vessels. The Akula I-class first hit the water in 1986 and were the pride of the Soviet Union at the time.

The seven boats are named the Puma, Delphin, Kashalot, Kit, Pantera, Bars, and Narvel.

Survivable and Stealthy for Such an Old Sub

The Akula I-class is still a formidable submarine with aspects of original design that were ahead of their time.

“The submarine has a double-hulled configuration with a distinctive high aft fin. The hull has seven compartments and the stand-off distance between the outer and inner hulls is considerable, reducing the possible inner hull damage. The very low acoustic signature has been achieved by incremental design improvements to minimize noise generation and transmission – for example, the installation of active noise cancellation techniques [were introduced],” according to Naval-Technology.com.

Russia Has Its Version of the Tomahawk Cruise Missile

Akula I-class boats deploy with 12 Granat cruise missiles for land attack. This is not a huge complement of weapons, and the subs are limited by the small supply of missiles. The Granats can still bring a punch to the enemy. Interestingly, the cruise missiles are fired from 533mm torpedo tubes and not a vertical launch system. Granats have a range of about 1,500 miles with a single high-explosive warhead. These can be compared to American Tomahawk cruise missiles. The Granats are accurate with a circle of equal probability of around 350 feet.

Don’t Forget Shorter-Range Anti-Ship Missiles

There’s more. The Akula I-class can also carry Starfish and Stallion anti-ship missiles. The range of these missiles is short, though – only about 28 miles – so the submarines would have to sneak up unabated and at close range to fire one of the Starfish or Stallions.

The Akula I-class has eight torpedo tubes on board – four 650mm and four 533mm tubes. The subs can launch a varied number of Type 53 and Type 65 torpedoes for anti-submarine and anti-ship hunter-killer missions. The tubes can also lay mines.

The Sonar System Isn’t Bad

One noteworthy innovation when the Akula I-class came out was the MGK 540 sonar system. This powerful “snooper” was considered one of the best sonars in the Russian fleet when it emerged. It works on narrow-band active sonar with the ability to perform active automatic targeting to classify targets. It also does an excellent job in passive mode.

The propulsion is based on the VM-5 pressure water reactor that enables a speed of 33 knots. The reactor supplies power to the seven-bladed fixed-pitch propeller. This is a proven propulsion system and has appeared on other Russian subs.

The Akula I-class displaces 8,140 tons on the surface and 12,770 tons when submerged. Maximum depth is 1,800 feet. There is a crew of 73 officers and enlisted sailors.

While the Akula I-class is outdated, it does give the Russian navy the ability to launch land-attack cruise missiles. These have been used during the war in Ukraine. The sub has a limited payload, but the Granat SLBMs are accurate.

Summed Up in 4 Words: Old But Truly Powerful

When the Akula I-class came out, U.S. intelligence analysts were surprised. The technology on board, like the nuclear power plant and sonar system, was ten years ahead of the curve. The Akulas are still an essential family of submarines, and their speed and stealth are not bad for such old boats.

Russia has a decision to make with the older Akula I-class. They can continue to deploy or retire the vessels due to their age. Money spent keeping the Akula I-class in the water might be invested in the most advanced Russian sub – the Yasen-M class.

However, Vladimir Putin is not concerned about the Russian navy. The war was not going well, and the Russian dictator was more concerned with his army and air force. The Navy is taking a back seat.

The Akula I-class will still have to patrol the waters, more for homeland defense, but they can still launch land attack cruise missiles that are fairly long-range and accurate. Look for the Akula I-class to continue patrolling the waters for Mother Russia for the near future.

About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood

Brent M. Eastwood, PhD is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.