The Central Design Bureau of Marine Technology “Rubin” has developed a new modification of the submerged patrol ship “Strazh” (“Guardian”), combining the advantages of a submarine and a surface patrol ship. The ship is meant to be sent for export.
The official name of the ship for foreign customers is BOSS, which stands for “Border and Offshore Submersible Sentry”. The first version of the smaller displacement was developed in 2021 and also offered for export. As specified, the current version is the largest one, with a length of about 72 metres and a normal displacement of about 1,300 tonnes. A new, better power unit, allows reaching speeds of up to 21 knots.
The increase in size allows offering a modification with more functionality. New contours with a wave-piercing stem and a blockage of the sides reduce pitching, increase the stability of the ship as a weapon platform, and also reduce radar visibility. The placement of the hydroacoustic antenna in the nasal bulb improves its working conditions, and the bulb itself reduces the resistance to movement in the surface position.
It is also noted that this variant has the maximum composition of weapons: a small-calibre automatic cannon, two launchers for guided missiles and four torpedo tubes of 324 mm calibre. This configuration makes “Strazh” a dangerous opponent even for much larger surface ships.
As in the previous version, the ship has two sealed multifunctional hangars for accommodating boats and arming inspection teams, unmanned aerial vehicles or other payloads. Both radar and sonar antennas can be used to search for intruders, which allows covertly detecting targets and approaching them unnoticed.
As noted in Rubin, during the period of reduction of military budgets caused by the need to combat the pandemic and its consequences, multifunctional ships are becoming more and more in demand.
“Our response to this time challenge is the combination of underwater and surface properties […] thanks to this synthesis, the ship, focused on use in peacetime, retains its value as a combat unit during the escalation of the conflict,” the representative of Rubin said.
What is also important, the new project is created as “customizable”, so its modifications and the ability to vary the characteristics allow a potential customer to modify a ship so that it best meets his tasks, conditions of use, and available capabilities.
Ru-Main, 09.02.2022
Source: RIA Novosti
