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| The Gepard
is reportedly the best of the Akulas like the one in this photo.
Russia is believed to have built 13 Akula-class submarines. |
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Russians Test Super-Quiet Sub
ABCNews.com
June 11, 2001
Russia is reportedly sea testing a nuclear-powered
sub believed superior in many ways to some of America's best subs.
The Gepard (Russian for cheetah) it is expected to begin active duty
with the Northern Fleet as early as July, after it passes its trials,
according to Russian news reports.
U.S. sub experts suspect the Gepard may move as fast and as quietly
as America's best fully operational subs, the Los Angeles-class subs,
as well as have the capacity to dive deeper and to harness more firepower.
"In many respects, it's a superior submarine," says independent submarine
expert Norman Polmar. "We know it's at least as quiet as an improved
L.A.'s. Whether it's quieter I can't say."
Polmar argues, though, the launching of the Gepard does not represent
a new capability for the Russian navy.
Russian submarines traditionally have been louder than American submarines,
but intelligence experts believe that starting in the mid-1980s, Russia
has been advancing quieting techniques with their Akula-class submarines.
The Akulas now reportedly have sound levels equal to or lower than
U.S. Los Angeles and possibly the future Virginia-class submarines.
With the Gepard, reportedly the best of the Akulas, Russia is believed
to have built 13 Akula-class submarines. The Gepard is of the improved
Akula II series, and some experts believe Russia actually launched
its first Akula II in 1996.
The U.S. Navy currently operates some 55 advanced nuclear submarines.
Important Milestone or Last Gasp? A recent article in Moscow Rossiyskaya
Gazeta, a government daily paper, claims the Gepard surpasses America's
new Seawolf submarines, not yet fully operational, "in practically
every way."
Still, Polmar and others say the Gepard does not represent a particularly
severe challenge for the U.S. Navy. "It's meaningless, because they
don't have the money to fully operate them and they have so few of
them," he says.
Indeed, the Gepard is five years late in arriving. Construction was
begun in 1991 and the Gepard was originally scheduled for launch in
1996. But its construction was delayed due to Russian military funding
difficulties.
"It's certainly a major milestone for them that after all this time
they've finally launched the bloody thing," says John Pike, a military
expert who runs GlobalSecurity.org in Washington, D.C. "They went
on a construction holiday, basically, 10 years ago."
But Pike notes the U.S. Navy still outclasses Russia in anti-submarine
warfare (ASW), enabling it to better locate and track Russian subs.
"ASW is not simply dueling submarines. It includes aircraft, and helicopters
operating from destroyers, where the United States continues to have
a significant lead. And it's the computers and communications that
sort of ties all of that together," he says. "One submarine alone
does not decisively alter that."
Since the Cold War, the Russian fleet has fallen into serious disrepair.
The launching of the Gepard, says Pike, is most significant if it
reflects a new commitment in Moscow to rebuild its aging navy.
"A major challenge for the Russian navy right now is to explain why
Russia has a navy," he says. "If Russia does not resume ship construction
soon, five years from now they're going to wind up without a navy."
— ABCNEWS' correspondent in Moscow Sergiusz Morenc contributed to
this report.
To see more on this story, go to http://www.ABCNews.go.com
Copyright 2001 ABCNEWS.com. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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