Cruise-missile submarine
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A cruise missile submarine is a submarine that carries and launches cruise missiles (SLCMs consisting of land-attack cruise missiles and anti-ship missiles) as its primary armament. Missiles greatly enhance a warship's ability to attack surface combatants and strike land targets; although torpedoes are a more discreet option for submerged submarines, missiles give a much longer stand-off range, shorter time to impact the target, as well as the ability to engage multiple targets on different headings at the same time. Many cruise missile submarines retain the capability to deploy nuclear warheads on their missiles, but they are considered distinct from ballistic missile submarines due to the substantial differences between the two weapons systems' flight characteristics; cruise missiles fly aerodynamically using flight surfaces like wings or fins, while a ballistic missile uses its engine power alone as it may exit the atmosphere.
The United States Navy's hull classification symbols for cruise missile submarines are SSG and SSGN – the SS denotes submarine, the G denotes guided missile, and the N denotes that the submarine is nuclear-powered.
The earliest designs of cruise missile submarines had to surface to launch their missiles, while later designs could do so underwater via dedicated vertical launching system (VLS) tubes. Many modern attack submarines can launch cruise missiles (and dedicated anti-ship missiles) from their torpedo tubes while some designs also incorporate a small number of VLS canisters, giving an overlap between cruise missile submarines and traditional attack submarines. Nonetheless, vessels classified as attack submarines are designed to use torpedoes as their main armament and have a more multi-role mission profile due to their greater speed and maneuverability. This is in contrast to cruise missile submarines which are typically larger, slower boats carrying a larger number of missiles and often possess a special compartment dedicated solely to the cruise missile tubes.
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The U.S. Navy's first cruise missile submarines were developed in the early 1950s to carry the SSM-N-8 Regulus missile. The first of these was a converted World War II era Template:Sclass, Template:USS, which was fitted with a hangar capable of carrying a pair of Regulus missiles. Tunny was used as a test-bed for developing techniques of use for the missile system, before a second boat, Template:USS was subsequently converted. Starting in 1957, these two boats undertook the first nuclear deterrent patrols.<ref name="Friedman since 1945, p. 183">Friedman since 1945, p. 183</ref>
Template:Further Template:Further Subsequently, two larger diesel submarines of the Template:Sclass were purpose built for the carriage of the Regulus missile, with each capable of accommodating up to four missiles, while a further boat, the nuclear-powered Template:USS, could carry up to five missiles. Between September 1959 and July 1964, the five Regulus missile boats undertook deterrent patrols in the Pacific Ocean,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> in concert with the newly commissioned Template:Sclass ballistic missile submarines (SSBN) in the Atlantic, until sufficient SSBNs were in service to replace them.
From 2002 to 2008, the U.S. Navy modified the four oldest Template:Sclass submarines: Template:USS, Template:USS, Template:USS, and Template:USS into SSGNs. The conversion was achieved by installing VLS in a multiple all-up-round canister (MAC) configuration in 22 of the 24 missile tubes, replacing one Trident missile with seven smaller Tomahawk cruise missiles. The two remaining tubes were converted to lockout chambers for use by special forces personnel. This gave each converted submarine the capability to carry up to 154 Tomahawks. The large diameter tubes can also be modified to carry and launch other payloads, such as UAVs or UUVs although these capabilities have not yet been fully implemented. In addition to generating a significant increase in stand-off strike capabilities, this conversion also counts as an arms reduction towards the START II treaty,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> because it reduces the number of nuclear weapons that are forward-deployed. USS Florida (SSGN-728) launched cruise missiles against Libyan targets as part of Operation Odyssey Dawn in March 2011.
Currently, Virginia-class submarines (Block I–IV) serve as universal ships, both attack submarines and cruise-missile submarines with 12 × Vertical launching system (VLS) for Tomahawk cruise missiles. The future Virginia-class (Block V) submarines with 40 Tomahawk cruise missiles are slated to supplement and eventually replace the Ohio SSGNs when they are retired; the USS Ohio itself is more than 40 years old.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- US Navy SSGNs
- USS Cusk;0834807.jpg
USS Cusk fires a JB-2 Loon missile, 1951
- SSGN728 030116-N-XXXXX-001.jpg
Tomahawk test-fire from USS Florida, 2008
- USS-Georgia-(SSGN-729).jpg
USS Georgia underway, 2012
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The Soviet Navy (and its successor, the Russian Navy) has operated a wide variety of dedicated cruise missile submarines (unbolded project numbers were prototypes/never entered military service):
| Entered Service | NATO reporting name | Project Name and Number | Ship Class (US) | Planform | Missiles carried | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | (Modified) Zulu | П611 | SSG | 1 x П-10<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | ||
| 1958 | Whiskey Single Cylinder | П613 | SSG | 1 x П-5 Пятёрка (SS-N-3 Shaddock) | |||
| 1962
1964 |
(Modified) Whiskey | 613А
613АД |
SSG | 1 x П-70 Аметист (SS-N-7 Starbright)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | ||
| 1960 | Whiskey Twin Cylinder | 644 | SSG | File:Whiskey Twin Cylinder class SSG.svg | 2 x П-5 Пятёрка (SS-N-3 Shaddock)
2 х П-5Д under Project 644Д<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
CitationClass=web
}}</ref> and 2 х П-7 under Project 644-7<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| 1961 | Whiskey Long Bin | 665 | SSG | File:Whiskey Long Bin class SSG.svg | 4 x П-5 Пятёрка (SS-N-3 Shaddock) | ||
| 1963 | Juliett | 651
651К |
SSG | File:Juliett class SSG.svg | 4 х П-5/6 Пятёрка (SS-N-3 Shaddock) | ||
| 1986 | (Modified) Juliett | 651Э | SSGN | File:Juliett class SSGN.svg | 4 х П-5/6 Пятёрка (SS-N-3 Shaddock) | ||
| 1960 | Echo I | 659 | SSGN | File:Echo I class SSGN.svg | 6 x П-5 Пятёрка (SS-N-3 Shaddock) | ||
| 1963 | Echo II | 675 | SSGN | File:Echo II class SSGN.svg | 6 x П-5/6 Пятёрка (SS-N-3 Shaddock)
Later 8 x P-500 Базальт (SS-N-12 Sandbox) under the 675МК and 675МУ program and 8 x P-1000 Вулкан under Project 675МКВ | ||
| 1969 | Papa | 661 "Anchar" | SSGN | File:Papa class SSGN.svg | 10 x П-70 Аметист (SS-N-7 Starbright) | ||
| 1967 | Charlie I | 670 "Skat" | SSGN | File:Charlie I class SSGN.svg | 8 x П-70 Аметист (SS-N-7 Starbright) | ||
| 1973 | Charlie II | 670M "Skat" | SSGN | File:Charlie II class SSGN.svg | 8 x П-120 Малахит (SS-N-9 Siren) | ||
| 1992+ (scrapped underway) | Charlie III | 06704 "Chaika-B" | SSGN | 8 x 3 П-800 Оникс (triple-tube inserts) | |||
| 1980 | Oscar I | 949 "Granit" | SSGN | File:Oscar I class SSGN.svg | 24 x П-700 Гранит (SS-N-19 Shipwreck) | ||
| 1986 | Oscar II | 949A "Antey" | SSGN | File:Oscar II class SSGN.svg | 24 x П-700 Гранит (SS-N-19 Shipwreck)
Plans for Project 949АМ upgrade to fit missiles compatible with Template:Ill VLS; П-800 Оникс, Клуб, 3M22 Циркон; triple-tube inserts (3 x 24) | ||
| 1987 | Yankee Notch | 667AT "Grusha" | SSGN/SSN | File:Yankee Notch class SSGN.svg | 32 x РК-55 Гранат (SS-N-12 Sampson) | ||
| 1989 (missile program cancelled) | Yankee Sidecar | 667M "Andromeda" | SSGN | File:Yankee Sidecar class SSGN.svg | 12 x П-750 Метеорит (SS-NX-24 Scorpion) |
Khruschev encouraged the development of missiles in the Soviet Union; thus the issues of effective nuclear deterrence and delivery and US Carrier Strike Groups were to be solved through advances in missilery. Submerged submarines are more concealable than surface ships; missiles carried upon them were therefore safer from attack by NATO surface fleets, land-based aircraft, and long-range patrol bombers. Thus the strategic and tactical strike missions were solved through the equipment of submarines with large, long-range cruise missiles: first through the modification of existing boats, then by boats being built for the task.
The Whiskey variants and Echo I cruise missile submarines deployed with a nuclear land attack version of the P-5 Pyatyorka (SS-N-3 Shaddock) from the late 1950s to 1964, concurrently with the US Regulus force, until the strategic land attack mission was transferred entirely to the SSBN force. Along with the Julietts and Echo IIs, these continued as SSGs or SSGNs with an antiship variant of the P-5 until circa 1990. The Echo Is were an exception; they could not accommodate the anti-ship targeting radar and served as SSNs after the land attack missiles were withdrawn.<ref>Gardiner and Chumbley, pp. 343–345, 396–402</ref>
Apart from true guided-missile submarines, late-Soviet attack submarines could launch various types of torpedo tube-launched missiles starting with the RK-55 and continuing with the Kalibr family of missiles. Cruise-missile capable Soviet submarines may have a different designation to incapable sister boats (Victor III (Project 671RTM) boats became Project 671RTMK as they gained this ability, K for Крылатая ракета; cruise missile).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Due to standardization of torpedo tube diameters, which are 533 mm, modern Russian attack submarine classes (even the diesel Kilo and Lada) are capable of launching long-range strategic cruise missiles from their torpedo tubes, without needing specialized compartments for missile tubes.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Soviet and Russian ДПЛРК and ПЛАРК (Diesel-/Atomic Cruise-missile Submarines)
- DN-ST-84-01654-Papa class-Oct 1983.JPEG
K-222, the sole Project 661 submarine underway, 1983
- DN-ST-86-11105-Juliett class submarine-11 Aug 1986.JPEG
A Project 651 boat underway, 1986
- 2023.09.29.143258 U-461 Peenemünde DE.jpg
K-24 (now U-461 of the Peenemünde Maritime Museum), Project 651 Juliett cruise missile submarine, with rear SS-N-3 Shaddock launch tubes in raised position
- DN-SC-89-03179 INS Chakra submarine.jpg
INS Chakra underway, c. 1988
- Oscar class submarine 2.JPG
Project 949 (Oscar-I) underway. The Oscar-classes are notably girthy; the very large P-700 missiles were placed outside the pressure hull, twelve launch tubes on each side
- Oscar class submarine 1.JPG
Project 949A (Oscar-II) underway. Pr. 949A boats had a different tail fin which accommodated the towed-array sonar (cylinder visible at the bottom of photo), an easy way to distinguish this class from its immediate predecessor
See alsoEdit
- List of submarine classes in service
- List of submarine operators
- List of NATO reporting names for guided-missile submarines
- Missile boat (surface ship)
- Transporter erector launcher (land vehicle)