Oleg Yerofeev Nezavisimoe Voennoe Obozrenie, May 11, 2001
SUMMARY:
Coefficient of operational application of Russian submarines is several times lower than that of the American ones because some vital elements and mechanisms in Russian submarines are not sufficiently reliable. Our submarines are noisier than their foreign analogs.
Our country has an important document titled “General requirements to submarine design”. Unfortunately, this document is usually neglected.
After the Komsomolets catastrophe, the governmental commission objectively evaluated the condition of the Soviet submarine force and outlined specific measures of improvement of the design, assembly, and exploitation of submarines, and crews training.
Behavior of men in critical situations is frequently unpredictable. The larger the ship, the more easily detectable it is, the more vulnerable it is, the larger the crew it requires is, and the more expensive its exploitation is.
Every serial submarine differs from its predecessor. This nuance lowers reliability, complicates maintenance, and requires additional training.
Quality of the assembly leaves much to be desired.
The Kursk crew is being accused of inadequacy. Spassky of the Rubin Design Bureau hints that the crew lacked professional skills.
Russia should concentrate on creating safe conditions for submariners. Our designers and constructors found unique solutions. Unfortunately, petty economizing nullifies all of it.
There are no doubts anymore that the Kursk was killed by explosion of its arsenals. Nobody knows what caused the explosion.
