The Typhoon,Shark,Akura class submarine is a type of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine deployed by the Soviet Navy in the 1980s. With a maximum displacement of 48,000 tonnes, Typhoons are the largest class of submarine ever built. The NATO reporting name stems from the use of the word “typhoon”  by Leonid Brezhnev in a 1974 speech while describing a new type of nuclear ballistic missile submarine. The Typhoon class was developed under Project 941 as the Russian Akula class  meaning shark. It is sometimes confused with other submarines, as Akula is the name NATO uses to designate the Russian Project 971 Shchooka-B class attack submarines.

NATO apparently derived the name ‘Typhoon’ from a 1974 speech by Leonid Brezhnev which mentioned a new SSBN called the “Tayfun”. In fact, the Russian name for the class is “Akula” “Shark”.

Tactics and Defense

Known countermeasures are the standard gas-producing decoy units, a holdover from the German Pillenwaffer, sonar jamming, and an ingenious acoustic decoy commonly referred to as the nixie. The nixie is a small torpedo that emulates the sound signature of the parent sub. Once launched, the nixie veers from the submarines track at three knots. The emissions coming from the nixie obscures the actual noise generated by the creeping submarine. While the tracking submarine is deceived into tracking and launching on a decoy, the Akula may silently alter course and counterattack. At the very least, a nixie will force the NATO submarine to track multiple targets, uncertain which is the Akula.

However, even more intriguing is the layman??€â„?s theory that the newer Russian subs can actually operate at lower sound levels than documented. Learning of the spectacular achievements of US sub quiteness from the Walker revelations (see below), Soviet military doctrine may dictate that all submarines routinely emit a level of noise that exceeds their minimum capability. The theory follows that NATO submarines track, record, and catalogue the Akulas at these artificial sound levels and US naval intelligence may be misled into believing that the profiles represent the best the opposition can do. In the event of actual conflict, doctrine would then direct the Russian submarines to shift into a combat mode of silent running and eliminate the false noise levels, effectively disappearing from NATO??€â„?s view. “The submarine versus submarine engagement profile is a lot more complicated than the simple comparison of radiated noise, which is too often used to oversimplify relative effectiveness,” a Navy expert said. “Other equally important factors include tactical handling and sonar performance, and even non-acoustic sensors must be taken into account.”

Informations

Length: 175 metres
Beam: 23 metres
Draft: 12 metres
Displacement: Surfaced:
23,200-24,500 tonnes
Submerged:
33,800-48,000 tonnes
Propulsion: 2??—OK-650 pressurized-water nuclear reactors
190 megawatt each
VV-type steam turbines
37 megawatt each
2 propellers
Complement: 163 men
Armament: 19K38 Igla SAM

650 mm torpedo tubes
RPK-7 Vodopad AShMs
Type 65K torpedoes
533 mm torpedo tubes
RPK-2 Viyoga cruise missiles
Type 53 torpedoes[1]
D-19 launch system
RSM-52 SLBMs
Speed: Surfaced: 12 knots
Submerged: 27 knots
Maximum depth: 400 metres