Torpedo "Physicist": stealthy and deadly. "Physicist" without lyrics: what is the power of the new universal torpedo Deep-sea torpedo case physicist 2

In the mass consciousness, submarines are perceived primarily as carriers of missile weapons. Well, what about torpedoes? Are they in the past? And if they did, then why did the Russian fleet receive serial deliveries of the new-generation Fizik torpedoes? Let's look at this based on the most general considerations dictated by elementary physics.

Mikhail Vannakh

The weapon that made the submarine a full-fledged warship was the torpedo. It was the torpedoes that allowed the tiny five-hundred-ton submarine U-9 with archaic kerosene engines (a kind of kerosene gas, only the gasified fuel went not to the burners, but to the Otto gas engine) to send three British armored cruisers with a displacement of 36,000 tons to the bottom on September 22, 1914. Aboukir, Cressy, Hogue. The losses of the Royal Navy - 1,459 men - were almost equal to those at Trafalgar.

Dense medium price

Both the submarine and the torpedoes operate in an environment with a density a thousand times higher than air - in water. It was the water that made the tiny submarine invisible, which made it possible to approach the shot range without fear of the fire of the numerous guns of the British armored giants.

And it was precisely the water with its high density that provided the impressive lethality, which the 123-kilogram warheads of 45-centimeter torpedoes demonstrated on the very durable hulls of British cruisers. An explosion in water is much more destructive than an explosion in air. And the underwater hole, into which water is poured, is much more terrible than the above-water, air-swept destruction.

But for everything - including the secrecy provided by the density of the environment - you have to pay. First of all, by the cost of energy spent on overcoming water resistance. This led to an extremely low, in comparison with shells of artillery guns, the speed of torpedoes. Those C45 / 06 with which the U-9 was armed had a stroke of 26 knots at a firing range of 3000 m and 34.5 knots at a firing range of 1500 m.In addition, in a dense environment, any deflecting moment - hull asymmetry, propeller thrust, impact waves - will have an incomparably stronger effect than in the air.

So from the very beginning, torpedo weapons were, if not controlled, then stabilized weapons. Aubrey's gyroscopic device with the help of steering gears and horizontal rudders did not allow the torpedo to go off course. Hydrostats measuring water pressure, controlling vertical rudders, kept the torpedo at a given depth, preventing it from diving deep, passing under the bottom of the target, or jumping out to the surface. Similar capabilities - stabilization on the trajectory - missiles of the Smerch complex received only in the 1970s, when it was necessary to increase the firing range of the MLRS with an acceptable dispersion of up to 70 km. Such is the difference in the properties of water and air.

A kilometer deep

For most of their history, submarines were armed with torpedoes and it was with their help that they fought. But then missiles came to the submarine fleet. They made it possible to combine the stealth of submarines with high speed and range, which was provided by a projectile moving in the air. Strategic - such as UGM-27 Polaris missiles launched from vertical silos. Tactical - designed to combat Soviet submarines: NATO submarines were equipped with UUM-44 SUBROC rocket torpedoes launched from torpedo tubes. A solid-propellant rocket engine lifted the SUBROC out of the water and, under the control of an inertial control system, led it in the air to a target at a distance of up to 55 km - the target was hit by a five-kiloton W55 nuclear warhead.

By the seventies of the last century, the torpedo faded into the background. She remained a "niche" weapon designed to combat submarines. And it was for this purpose that the previous domestic torpedo was created - USET-80, a universal self-guided electric torpedo, which was put into service in 1980. Why was this torpedo electric?

The fact is that in the seventies it was assumed that the working depth of promising US submarines would reach 1000 m. It was under the kilometer-long water column that the Soviet torpedo was supposed to hit them. But a kilometer of depth is a pressure of a hundred atmospheres. And any heat engine is designed to operate in a low pressure environment.

So the creators of USET-80 had to resort to an electric motor powered by a silver-magnesium battery activated by sea water. This ensured operation at a kilometer depth, allowed the torpedo to reach a speed of 45 knots, and at 43 knots to reach a range of 18 km. In a dense environment where optics and radars do not work, at the then level of development of hydroacoustic means, this was quite enough.

Chasing the submarine

But in reality, the development of the technology of the Western Navy did not go as it was seen in the 1970s. Multipurpose submarines of the Seawolf class, which have been in service since 1997, have a working depth of 480 m and a maximum depth of 600 m. The cheaper and more popular Virginia class boats, which have been in service since 2004, have a maximum depth of 488 m. The German U-class submarines -212, the maximum depth is 350 m, and their export version U-214, which is in service with the Turkish Navy, is 400 m. So there is no question of any torpedo operation at a kilometer depth today.

Currently, the Research Institute of Marine Engineering (St. Petersburg) has developed the UGST "Case", which is an improved version of the "Physicist" torpedo and has similar parameters. Produced by UGST at JSC "Plant" Dagdizel "(Kaspiysk, Dagestan).

But modern submarines of respected partners go fast: Seawolf develops a speed of up to 35 knots. And, as is easy to understand, firing a torpedo with a power reserve limited to 18 km is a difficult task, even if we take into account the homing capabilities of the USET-80 torpedo, which is capable of chasing an enemy submarine along the wake or reaching the target using an active-passive sonar.

But no matter how sophisticated the control system is, the fundamental limitations of speed and range impose their own restrictions on the use of torpedoes against high-speed maneuvering targets. For example, if our submarine were strictly behind the stern of the Sivulf, which was in full swing, it would not make sense to shoot a USET-80 torpedo in pursuit from a distance of 3-4 km: the torpedo's range would not be enough to reduce the distance to zero. In an hour on the move at 43 knots, she will be able to approach the submarine only by 14.8 km. But the batteries will last for less than a quarter of an hour ...

UGST "Fizik" was put into service in 2015 and is installed on submarines of projects 885 ("Ash") and 955 ("Borey"). In the photo: nuclear submarine "Alexander Nevsky" - the second ship built within the framework of Project 955.

If the torpedo had an infinite speed or an infinite power reserve, then, having established contact with the target, it would be guaranteed to hit it within the radius of action or at a speed even slightly inferior to the speed of the torpedo. But in reality this does not happen, and therefore the most important task was to increase the speed and range of the new domestic torpedo UGST. And since it became clear that torpedoes would not have to dive a kilometer, they turned to the chemical fuel, proven by centuries of practice, which is more energy-intensive with the same mass.

Fuel of the XXI century

The propulsion system of the Fizik torpedo uses single-component fuel, in much the same way as modern solid-propellant missiles. Only in a torpedo it is not solid, but liquid. Which one? Well, we probably won't be much mistaken if we assume that it is broadly similar to the Otto Fuel II monopropellant used in torpedoes in NATO countries.

This fuel has nothing to do with Otto's gas engine - it is named after the inventor Otto Reitlinger and consists of propylene glycol dinitrate (aka 1,2-propanediol dinitrate) stabilized with 2-nitrodiphenylamine and desensitized (detonated) with dibutyl sebacate. It is a reddish-orange oily liquid with a pungent odor. Non-volatile, non-explosive, though poisonous enough. And it contains much more energy than any rechargeable battery.

UGST "Fizik" has both a wake homing mode and a telecontrol mode, when the target is monitored by the submarine's sonar system, and torpedo commands are transmitted via fiber optic cable.

Well, in order to extract this energy, one-component fuel is heated by a starting powder charge. The resulting gases go into the cylinders of the axial piston engine, where they are burned. An axial piston engine is an engine where the cylinders are arranged in a circle in parallel, axes to each other, and a swash plate is used instead of the crankshaft. It was once invented for aviation, but now it has taken root in torpedoes.

The axial motor is powered by a low noise jet motor. So the Fizik universal deep-sea homing torpedo has a speed of 50 knots with a range of 50 km, which significantly expands the tactics of its use in comparison with USET-80. As naval officers assure, the launch of Physics from modern torpedo tubes is practically silent, which excludes unmasking the attacking boat. The torpedo can be directed to the target by both a homing system and a wired telecontrol system, when the target is monitored by the sonar system of the submarine, and torpedo commands are transmitted via fiber optic cable.

UGST "Physicist"

Since the dimensions of the sensors of the hydroacoustic station are larger on the boat, and the processors that process their data are more powerful, such a scheme of application gives better chances in a duel with an enemy submarine than with homing. This is also helped by the higher maneuverability of the Physics: after launch, its rudders go beyond the contour of the torpedo (in about the same way as the stabilizers of the 9M111 Fagot ATGM open), which ensures greater control efficiency in a wide range of speeds. And this is necessary because with telecontrol - when a torpedo drags a cable or a coil of wire behind it - you have to reduce the speed of the torpedo, paying for stealth with an increase in travel time.

So torpedo weapons are becoming more adequate to the tasks posed by the 21st century. It can be fired from depths deeper than a rocket - up to 400 m.It has a lower level of unmasking factors, primarily noise: the torpedo delicately enters the liquid medium, and the rocket bursts into it with a blow of hot gases from the engine, almost an explosion. But the specific tactics of using this weapon is a military secret, much more serious than information about this weapon itself ...

Despite the rapid development of anti-submarine missile weapons observed over the past ten years, torpedoes of various types still remain the main means of engaging submarines and one of the most effective means of destroying enemy surface ships. Russia, as before, occupies a leading position in the development of torpedo weapons for arming submarines and surface ships.

Universal deep-sea homing torpedo (UGST) is one of the most unique examples of Russian torpedo weapons. Several years ago, the manufacturer received documents giving the right to export this product. The UGST torpedo was exhibited at two International Naval Shows (IMDS) held in St. Petersburg.

Moreover, during the first show, in 2003, when they wanted to openly present the torpedo to a wide range of specialists for the first time, because of some problems with the special services, the UGST was hidden from the audience on the second day, wrapping it in a carpet and rewinding it with tape. This circumstance caused a real sensation not only among foreign, but also among Russian journalists writing on the military-technical topic.

However, even without this "incident", which looks like shots from a bad spy film, many experts in the field of naval technology, deservedly enough, pay increased attention to this model of weapons and military equipment. But now you can, without looking back at the competent authorities, talk about the UGST, which is an excellent example of torpedo weapons. This torpedo was developed by specialists of the St. Petersburg Federal State Unitary Enterprise "Scientific Research Institute of Marine Heat Engineering" and the State Scientific Production Enterprise "Region" near Moscow.

UGST is a universal deep-sea homing, designed to defeat enemy surface ships. UGST can be produced from 533 mm torpedo tubes. In addition, the torpedo is universal in its carrier, that is, it can be in service with both submarines and surface ships.
There are two modifications of the UGST torpedo:
- for Russian torpedo tubes, torpedo length 7.2 meters;
- export version for NATO torpedo tubes, torpedo length 6.1 meters.

The compatibility of the carrier equipment and the onboard torpedo systems is made by software setting of the system unit during binding to a certain type of ship. Moreover, for the deployment of a universal deep-sea homing torpedo on some modernized ships, it is possible to supply a transitional prelaunch panel that allows data to be entered into the torpedo before firing.

Russian specialists in this product were able to implement the modern concept of a heavy torpedo. The intellectual level of the onboard equipment of the torpedo was increased, and high tactical and technical characteristics, such as depth, range and speed, were achieved.

Main characteristics of UGST:
Caliber - 534.4 mm
Length - 7200 mm
Weight - 2200 kg
Warhead weight - 300 kg
Speed \u200b\u200b- 50 knots
Firing range - 40 km
Depth - up to 500 m
Depth of fire from a submarine - up to 400 m
CCH response radius:
- by submarine up to 2.5 km
- by surface ship up to 1.2 km

With the TPS-53 thermal propulsion system, the torpedo speed can reach 65 knots, and the maximum cruising range is 60 km. In addition to the wake homing mode, the torpedo has a wire-guided mode (5 ... 25 km, depending on the target type), and a course-following mode (with a given number of knees and flaps).

An important distinctive feature of this torpedo is its modular design. This allows you to create a whole family of torpedoes that have a multi-level potential for modifiability: from reprogramming equipment in the base model to replacing the tank compartment or engine. This approach makes it possible to quickly complete the UGST for the particular conditions of the combat use of the torpedo.

UGST constructively includes:
- hardware module;
- charging fighting compartment;
- reservoir compartment with a compartment for telecontrol equipment;
- propulsion system (power compartment);
- the tail section, which contains the steering gear;
- telecontrol coil and AERVD.

The UGST power plant was built on the basis of an axial piston engine running on a well-proven liquid mono-component fuel. The rotating combustion chamber is a feature of the engine. The fuel is supplied by a high-pressure plunger pump.

The starting powder charge placed in the combustion chamber allows to increase the power of the propulsion system in a short time. This is especially important at the initial stage of the torpedo's movement. The torpedo is driven by a unique low-noise water cannonconnected directly to the engine.

The basis of the architecture of the UGST hardware module is the initiation of a single reprogrammable computing core on board, which combine the information parts of the onboard torpedo systems into a single information space of integrated control systems.

Russian designers have implemented one more "know-how" at UGST - two-plane rudders, which move beyond the caliber of the torpedo after it leaves the torpedo tube. According to the calculations of engineers, this rudder design can significantly reduce the noise of the torpedo. The operation of the rudders is also very effective and allows the torpedo to confidently pass the difficult initial section of the path after it is fired from the torpedo tube of a surface ship or submarine.

As for the warhead of the torpedo (combat charging compartment), it is a compartment with an insert capsule in which the explosive is placed. Several modifications of the combat charging compartment have been developed, differing in the mass and composition of the explosive, as well as the initiation system during detonation.

Head compartment, which houses the hardware module, is located in front of the fighting compartment. The hardware module includes homing systems, traffic control, telecontrol and others. The homing system of the universal deep-sea homing torpedo is active-passive... It includes a flat receiving-emitting antenna array, in which the field of view is regulated, and specially designed devices for active multichannel sonars.

The homing system effectively searches, detects and captures an enemy target from any depth. It also provides the ability to attack the target's wake. The head of the universal deep-sea homing torpedo differs in its shape from other torpedoes. It has a blunt shape with a flat wall, behind which the CCH antenna is installed.

All units and systems of the UGST have passed all laboratory and bench tests at specialized test complexes of the Research Institute of Marine Heat Engineering and NPP Region, which recently became part of the Tactical Missile Armament Corporation. During the full-scale tests of the torpedo, the mobile sonar test site (MGP) was used to the fullest.

Mobile sonar test site is designed to record and control the trajectories of torpedoes, as well as the level of underwater noise during combat training of the fleet, scientific research and factory tests in waters with an area of \u200b\u200bup to 100 square kilometers and depths of up to 300 meters (when anchored) or without restrictions (when anchored staging). The PGM equipment includes up to 36 radio-acoustic buoys with a satellite navigation system and a control panel with a situation board located on the support vessel or on the coastal center.

To control the location of ships, ships and aircraft, VHF transmitters are used, which are associated with the navigation equipment of objects. The situation planner tracks the trajectories of targets and torpedoes, the locations of surface and underwater support assets in real time.

The data processing techniques developed by Russian specialists combine mathematical and empirical procedures and allow the use of a standard GAS for a firing surface ship or submarine. The hydrology of the test site is taken into account by specially developed equipment for measuring the vertical distribution of the speed of sound and a set of programs for calculating sound fields in the test area of \u200b\u200bthe Russian design.

A complex of torpedo weapons with a universal deep-sea homing torpedo is supplied to the customer in the following configuration:
- universal deep-sea homing torpedo in practical and combat configuration;
- spare parts for torpedoes;
- operational equipment for the preparation, inspection and repair of torpedoes;
- systems and equipment for training and education of naval combat crews;
- UGST onshore maintenance complex.

Practical torpedo is designed for personnel training... This torpedo is obtained by replacing the combat charging compartment with a practical compartment. The positive buoyancy of such a torpedo is ensured due to incomplete filling of the fuel tank.

The creation of the UGST torpedo was the result of the evolution of Russian torpedo weapons, it was a response to the trends in the development of means of destruction of surface ships and submarines. This was due to the improvement of hydroacoustics, an increase in the computing capabilities of on-board electronic equipment, the equipping of torpedoes with high-efficiency telecontrol systems, as well as the development of fundamentally new tactics for the combat use of torpedoes in modern conditions of warfare at sea, taking into account the possibility of actively countering a torpedo.

In the mass consciousness, submarines are perceived primarily as carriers of missile weapons. Well, what about torpedoes? Are they in the past?

And if they did, then why did the Russian fleet receive serial deliveries of the new-generation Fizik torpedoes? Let's look at this based on the most general considerations dictated by elementary physics.

The losses of the Royal Navy - 1,459 men - were almost equal to those at Trafalgar.

Dense medium price

And the underwater hole, into which water is poured, is much more terrible than the above-water, air-swept destruction.

Those C45 / 06 with which the U-9 was armed had a stroke of 26 knots at a firing range of 3000 m and 34.5 knots at a firing range of 1500 m.In addition, in a dense environment, any deflecting moment - hull asymmetry, propeller thrust, impact waves - will have an incomparably stronger effect than in the air.

Hydrostats measuring water pressure, controlling vertical rudders, kept the torpedo at a given depth, preventing it from diving deep, passing under the bottom of the target, or jumping out to the surface.

Similar capabilities - stabilization on the trajectory - missiles of the Smerch complex received only in the 1970s, when it was necessary to increase the firing range of the MLRS with an acceptable dispersion of up to 70 km. Such is the difference in the properties of water and air.

A kilometer deep

Strategic - such as UGM-27 Polaris missiles launched from vertical silos. Tactical - designed to combat Soviet submarines: NATO submarines were equipped with UUM-44 SUBROC rocket torpedoes launched from torpedo tubes.

A solid-propellant rocket engine lifted the SUBROC out of the water and, under the control of an inertial control system, led it in the air to a target at a distance of up to 55 km - the target was hit by a five-kiloton W55 nuclear warhead.

In a dense environment where optics and radars do not work, at the then level of development of hydroacoustic means, this was quite enough.

Chasing the submarine

But in reality, the development of the technology of the Western Navy did not go as it was seen in the 1970s. Multipurpose submarines of the Seawolf class, which have entered service since 1997, have a working depth of 480 m and a maximum depth of 600 m.

The cheaper and mass-produced Virginia class boats, which have been in service since 2004, have a maximum depth of 488 m. The German U-212 class submarines have a maximum depth of 350 m, and their export version U-214, which is in service with the Turkish Navy, - 400 m. So today there is no question of any torpedo operation at a kilometer depth.

But no matter how sophisticated the control system is, fundamental speed and power reserve limits impose their limitations on the use of torpedoes against high-speed maneuvering targets.

For example, if our submarine were strictly behind the stern of the Sivulf, which was in full swing, it would not make sense to shoot a USET-80 torpedo in pursuit from a distance of 3-4 km: the torpedo's range would not be enough to reduce the distance to zero. In an hour on the move at 43 knots, she will be able to approach the submarine only by 14.8 km. But the batteries will last less than a quarter of an hour ...

But in reality this does not happen, and therefore the most important task was to increase the speed and range of the new domestic torpedo UGST. And since it became clear that torpedoes would not have to dive a kilometer, they turned to the chemical fuel, proven by centuries of practice, which is more energy-intensive with the same mass.

Fuel of the XXI century

The propulsion system of the Fizik torpedo uses single-component fuel, in much the same way as modern solid-propellant missiles. Only in a torpedo it is not solid, but liquid. Which one? Well, we probably won't be much mistaken in assuming that it is broadly similar to the Otto Fuel II monopropellant used in torpedoes in NATO countries.

Well, in order to extract this energy, one-component fuel is heated by a starting powder charge. The resulting gases go into the cylinders of the axial piston engine, where they are burned.

An axial piston engine is an engine where the cylinders are arranged in a circle in parallel, axes to each other, and a swash plate is used instead of the crankshaft. It was once invented for aviation, but now it has taken root in torpedoes.

As naval officers assure, the launch of Physics from modern torpedo tubes is practically silent, which excludes unmasking the attacking boat. The torpedo can be directed to the target by both a homing system and a wired telecontrol system, when the target is monitored by the submarine's sonar system, and torpedo commands are transmitted via fiber optic cable.

UGST "Physicist"

This is also helped by the higher maneuverability of the Physics: after launch, its rudders go beyond the contour of the torpedo (in about the same way as the stabilizers of the 9M111 Fagot ATGM open), which ensures greater control efficiency in a wide range of speeds.

And this is necessary because with telecontrol - when a torpedo drags a cable or a coil of wire behind it - you have to reduce the speed of the torpedo, paying for stealth with an increase in travel time.

So torpedo weapons are becoming more adequate to the tasks posed by the 21st century. It can be fired from depths greater than a rocket - up to 400 m.

It has a lower level of unmasking factors, primarily noise: the torpedo delicately enters the liquid medium, and the rocket rushes in there with a blow of hot gases from the engine, almost an explosion. But the specific tactics of using this weapon is a military secret, much more serious than information about this weapon itself ...

Subscribe to us

The weapon that made the submarine a full-fledged warship was the torpedo. It was the torpedoes that allowed the tiny five-hundred-ton submarine U-9 with archaic kerosene engines (a kind of kerosene gas, only gasified fuel went not to the burners, but to the Otto gas engine) to send three British armored cruisers with a displacement of 36,000 tons to the bottom on September 22, 1914. Aboukir, Cressy, Hogue. The casualties of the Royal Navy - 1,459 people - were almost equal to those at Trafalgar.

Dense medium price

But for everything - including the secrecy provided by the density of the environment - you have to pay. First of all, by the cost of energy spent on overcoming water resistance. This led to an extremely low speed of torpedoes in comparison with shells of artillery guns. Those C45 / 06s with which the U-9 was armed had 26 knots at a firing range of 3000 m and 34.5 knots at a firing range of 1500 m.In addition, in a dense environment, any deflecting moment - hull asymmetry, propeller thrust, impact waves - will have an incomparably stronger effect than in the air.

So from the very beginning, torpedo weapons were, if not guided, then stabilized weapons. Aubrey's gyroscopic device, with the help of steering machines and horizontal rudders, did not allow the torpedo to go off course. Hydrostats measuring the water pressure, controlling the vertical rudders, kept the torpedo at a given depth, preventing it from diving deep, passing under the bottom of the target, or jumping out to the surface. Similar capabilities - stabilization on the trajectory - missiles of the Smerch complex received only in the 1970s, when it was necessary to increase the firing range of the MLRS with an acceptable dispersion of up to 70 km. Such is the difference in the properties of water and air.

Fuel of the XXI century

The propulsion system of the Fizik torpedo uses single-component fuel, in much the same way as modern solid-propellant missiles. Only in a torpedo it is not solid, but liquid. Which one? Well, we probably won't be much mistaken in assuming that it is broadly similar to the Otto Fuel II monopropellant used in torpedoes in NATO countries.

UGST "Fizik" has both a wake homing mode and a telecontrol mode, when the target is monitored by the submarine's sonar system, and torpedo commands are transmitted via fiber optic cable.

As reported by the Izvestia newspaper, the Russian Navy has adopted a new torpedo "Physicist-2". Reportedly, this torpedo is designed to arm the latest missile-carrying submarines of Project 955 Borey and multipurpose nuclear submarines of the new generation of Project 885855M Yasen.

Until recently, the situation with torpedo weapons for the Russian Navy was rather bleak - despite the presence of modern third-generation nuclear submarines and the emergence of the newest fourth-generation submarines, their combat capabilities were significantly limited by the existing torpedo weapons, which were significantly inferior not only to new ones, but already in largely outdated samples of foreign torpedoes. And not only American and European, but even Chinese.

The main task of the Soviet submarine fleet was the fight against surface ships of a potential enemy, primarily against American convoys, which in the event of the Cold War escalating into a "hot" war were to deliver American troops, weapons and military equipment, various supplies and material and technical means to Europe. provision. The most advanced in the Soviet submarine fleet were "thermal" torpedoes 53-65K and 65-76, designed to destroy ships - for their time they had high speed characteristics and cruising range, as well as a unique wake locating system, which made it possible to "catch" the wake enemy ship and follow along it until it hits the target. At the same time, they provided complete freedom of maneuver for the carrier submarine after launch. The monstrous 65-76 torpedo with a caliber of 650 millimeters was especially effective. She had a huge cruising range - 100 kilometers at a speed of 35 knots and 50 kilometers at a speed of 50 knots, and the most powerful 765-kg warhead was enough to inflict heavy damage even on an aircraft carrier (only a few torpedoes were required to sink an aircraft carrier) and guaranteed to sink one torpedo ship of any other class.

However, the appearance in the 1970s, the so-called universal torpedoes appeared - they could equally effectively be used against both surface ships and submarines. There was also a new torpedo guidance system - telecontrol. With this method of targeting a torpedo, control commands are transmitted to it using an unwound wire, which makes it easy to "parry" target maneuvers and optimize the trajectory of the torpedo, which in turn allows to expand the effective range of the torpedo. However, in the field of creating universal remote-controlled torpedoes in the Soviet Union, no significant success was achieved, moreover, Soviet universal torpedoes were already significantly inferior to their foreign counterparts. First, all Soviet universal torpedoes were electric, i.e. driven by electricity from onboard batteries. They are simpler to operate, have less noise when driving and do not leave an unmasking mark on the surface, but at the same time, in terms of range and speed, they are very much inferior to steam-gas or the so-called. "thermal" torpedoes. Secondly, the highest level of automation of Soviet submarines, including the system of automatic loading of torpedo tubes, imposed design restrictions on the torpedo and did not allow the implementation of the so-called. the telecontrol hose system when the reel with the telecontrol cable is in the torpedo tube. Instead, they had to use a towed reel, which severely limits the torpedo's capabilities. If the telecontrol hose system allows the submarine to freely maneuver after launching the torpedo, then the towed maneuvers after launch is extremely limited - in this case, the telecontrol cable is guaranteed to break, moreover, there is a high probability of its breakage from the oncoming water flow. The towed coil also does not allow for salvo torpedo firing.

In the late 1980s, work began on the creation of new torpedoes, but due to the collapse of the Soviet Union, they were continued only in the new millennium. As a result, Russian submarines were left with ineffective torpedoes. The main universal torpedo USET-80 had completely unsatisfactory characteristics, and the existing anti-submarine torpedoes SET-65, which had good characteristics at the time of their adoption in 1965, were already obsolete. At the beginning of the 21st century, the 65-76 torpedo was removed from service, which in 2000 became the cause of the Kursk submarine disaster that shook the entire country. Russian multipurpose submarines have lost their "far hand" and the most effective torpedo for fighting surface ships. Thus, by the beginning of the current decade, the situation with submarine torpedo weapons was completely depressing - they had extremely weak capabilities in a duel situation with enemy submarines and limited capabilities to defeat surface targets. However, the latter problems were partially overcome by equipping submarines with modernized 53-65K torpedoes since 2011, which may have received a new homing system and were provided with higher range and speed characteristics. Nevertheless, the capabilities of Russian torpedoes were significantly inferior to modern modifications of the main American universal torpedo Mk-48. The navy obviously needed new universal torpedoes that would meet modern requirements.

In 2003, at the International Naval Salon, a new torpedo UGST (Universal Deep-Water Homing Torpedo) was presented. For the Russian Navy this torpedo was named "Physicist". According to reports, since 2008, the Dagdizel plant has been producing limited batches of these torpedoes for testing on the latest submarines of projects 955 and 885. Since 2015, the serial production of these torpedoes and equipping them with the latest submarines, which had to be armed before obsolete torpedoes. For example, the Severodvinsk submarine, which joined the fleet in 2014, was initially armed with obsolete USET-80 torpedoes. As reported in open sources, as the number of new torpedoes produced increases, older submarines will also be armed with them.

In 2016, it was reported that a new torpedo "Case" was being tested on Lake Issyk-Kul and that it was supposed to be put into service in 2017, after which the production of "Physicist" torpedoes would be phased out and instead of them the fleet would begin to receive other, more perfect torpedoes. However, on July 12, 2017, the Izvestia newspaper and a number of Russian news agencies reported that a new Fizik-2 torpedo was adopted by the Russian Navy. At the moment, it is completely unclear whether a torpedo called the "Case" or the "Case" torpedo - a fundamentally new torpedo - has been adopted. The first version may be supported by the fact that, as reported last year, the "Case" torpedo is a further development of the "Physicist" torpedo. The same is said about the "Physicist-2" torpedo.

The "Physicist" torpedo has a cruising range of 50 km at a speed of 30 knots and 40 kilometers at a speed of 50 knots. The Fizik-2 torpedo reportedly has a maximum speed increased to 60 knots (about 110 km / h) due to a new 800 kW 19DT turbine engine. The "Physicist" torpedo has an active-passive homing system and a telecontrol system. The torpedo homing system when firing at surface targets provides the detection of the wake of the enemy ship at a distance of 2.5 kilometers and guidance to the target by locating the wake. Apparently, a new generation wake tracking system is installed on the torpedo, which is hardly susceptible to hydroacoustic countermeasures. For shooting at submarines, the homing system has active sonars capable of "capturing" an enemy submarine at a distance of up to 1200 meters. Probably, the newest torpedo "Physicist-2" has an even more advanced homing system. It also seems likely that the torpedo received a hose reel instead of a towed one. Reportedly, the overall combat capabilities of this torpedo are comparable to those of the latest modifications of the American Mk-48 torpedo.

Thus, the situation with the "torpedo crisis" in the Russian Navy has been reversed, and it is possible that in the coming years it will be possible to equip all Russian submarines with new universal highly efficient torpedoes, which will significantly expand the potential of the Russian submarine fleet.

Pavel Rumyantsev

It might be helpful to read: