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Delta-class submarine

A Delta I class submarine
A Delta I class submarine
Class overview
Name: Delta I class submarine
Builders: Severodvinsk and Komsomolsk
Operators: Soviet Union
Preceded by: Yankee I class submarine
Succeeded by: Delta II class submarine
Completed: 18
Retired: 18
General characteristics
Displacement:

Surfaced: 7800 tons

Submerged: 10,000 tons
Length: 139 m (456 ft)
Beam: 12 m (39 ft 4 in)
Draught: 9 m (29 ft 6 in)
Propulsion: two pressurized water-cooled reactors powering two steam turbines driving two shafts and each developing 38.7 MW (52,000 shp)
Speed:

Surfaced: 12 knots

Submerged: 25 knots
Range: Unlimited, except by food supplies
Complement: 120
Armament: D-9 launch tubes for 12 R-29 (SS-N-8 Sawfly) SLBM's and 4 533 mm torpedoes tubes and two 400 mm torpedo tubes
A Delta II class submarine
A Delta II class submarine
Class overview
Name: Delta II class submarine
Builders: Severodvinsk
Operators: Soviet Union
Preceded by: Delta I class submarine
Succeeded by: Delta III class submarine
Completed: 4
Retired: 4
General characteristics
Displacement:

Surfaced: 9,350 tons

Submerged: 10,500 tons
Length: 155 m (508 ft 6 in)
Beam: 12 m (39 ft 4 in)
Draught: 9 m (29 ft 6 in)
Propulsion: two pressurized water-cooled reactors powering two steam turbines driving two shafts each developing 41 MW (55,000 shp)
Speed:

Surfaced: 12 knots

Submerged: 24 knots
Range: Unlimited, except by food supplies
Complement: 130
Armament: D-9D launch tubes for 16 R-29D SLBM's, four 533 mm and two 400 mm torpedo tubes
A Delta III class submarine
A Delta III class submarine
Class overview
Name: Delta III class submarine
Builders: Severodvinsk
Operators: Soviet Union, Russia
Preceded by: Delta II class submarine
Succeeded by: Typhoon class submarine & Delta IV class submarines
Completed: 14
Active: 3+1
General characteristics
Displacement:

Surfaced: 13,500 tons

Submerged: 18,200 tons
Length: 166 m (544 ft 7 in)
Beam: 12.3 m (40 ft 4 in)
Draught: 8.8 m (29 ft)
Propulsion: two pressurized water-cooled reactors powering two steam turbines delivering 44,700 kW (60,000 shp) to two five-bladed fixed-pitched shrouded propellers.
Speed:

Surfaced: 14 knots

Submerged: 24 knots
Range: Unlimited, except by food supplies
Complement: 135
Armament: 16 missiles and four 533 mm (21.0 in) torpedo tubes in the bow.
A Delta IV class submarine
A Delta IV class submarine
Class overview
Name: Delta IV class submarine
Builders: Severodvinsk
Operators: Soviet Union, Russian Federation
Preceded by: Delta III & Typhoon class submarines
Succeeded by: Borei class submarine
Completed: 7
Active: 6
General characteristics
Propulsion: two pressurized water-cooled reactors powering two steam turbines with two fixed-pitched shrouded propellers.
Speed:

Surfaced: 14 knots

Submerged: 24 knots
Range: Unlimited, except by food supplies

The Delta class (Project 667B "Murena", Project 667BD "Murena-M", Project 667BDR "Kalmar", Project 667BDRM "Delfin") are a common name of four types of submarines which formed the backbone of the Soviet and Russian strategic submarine fleet since its introduction in 1973. They carry nuclear ballistic missiles of the R-29 Vysota family, with the Delta I, II, III and IV carrying the R-29 (NATO reporting name: SS-N-8 'Sawfly'), R-29D (SS-N-8 'Sawfly'), R-29R (SS-N-18 'Stingray') and R-29RM (SS-N-23 'Skiff') respectively. The Delta I carried 12 missiles, Delta II was a Delta I lengthened to carry 16 missiles; the Delta III and IV carry 16 missiles with multiple warheads and have improved electronics and noise reduction.

The R-27 Zyb missile carried by the Project 667s of the late 1960s had a range of just 2,500–3,000 km (1,600–1,900 mi), so the earlier subs were forced to patrol close to the North American coast, whereas the Deltas could launch the >7,700 km (4,780 mi)-range R-29s from the relative safety of the Arctic Ocean. In turn the Deltas were superseded by the larger Typhoon class submarines. The early Deltas remained in service until the 1990s with treaties such as START I. High running costs and the retirement of the Typhoons' R-39 missiles meant that some Delta IIIs were reactivated in the 2000s (decade) to replace the Typhoons.

In December 2010 Pavel Podvig and russianforces.org estimated the strength of the Russian strategic submarine fleet at one Typhoon class submarine (used to test the R-30 Bulava missile), four Delta III, and six Delta IV class submarines, and one Borei. They will ultimately be replaced by the new Borei class submarines (also known as the Dolgorukiy class).

In the 1960s the Soviet Navy wanted new submarine-launched nuclear missiles that could threaten targets in North America without their launch platforms needing to pass the SOSUS sensors in the GIUK gap to be within range.


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