The units of the Oscar class represent the largest cruise missile submarines built for the Soviet Navy. They are of double hull
construction, with the two rows of silos placed between the inner and the outer hull, which gives them a characteristic flattened
appearance. Flanking a huge sail of 32 meters in length are 24 silos for many other SS-N-19 long-range cruise missiles, the same ones carried by the
missile cruisers of the Kirov class. In fact, these submarines and those cruisers share the same purpose: the neutralization of the
American aircraft-carrier task forces. The SS-N-19 has a maximum effective range of about 625 kilometers and can carry either 750
kilograms of high explosive or a 500-kiloton nuclear warhead.
Unlike other attack submarines (SSN) which are prepared for launching cruise missiles solely from their torpedo tubes, the Oscar
class represents a specialized type of cruise missile submarine (SSGN). With the introduction of long-range cruise missiles which
can be launched from torpedo tubes it is possible that the production of SSGN be discontinued in the future in favor of the more
compact SSN. However a number of ballistic missile submarines (SSBN) in service with both spheres of power has been adapted to
launch cruise missiles from their vertical silos, following the international treaties which aim for a reduction in the number of
nuclear warheads in the world.
All of the units in the class were launched between 1980 and 1996. As 2016 about five units of the Oscar II class might remain in
active service. Despite of their large size and wide hull these are very
fast submarines capable of speeds above 30 knots while in immersion. They are more silent than previous classes of Soviet submarines
but surely less than the average western counterpart. Like these, they have been covered with anechoic tiles. Stealth shortcomings
could be compensated by the long operational range of the SS-N-19, however this one probably would require some form of external
guidance for hitting a target at such long distances.
Oscar class: 13 units (2 units Oscar I (K-525 Arkhangelsk (ex-Minskiy Komsomolets), K-206 Murmansk);
11 units Oscar II (K-148 Krasnodar, K-173 Krasnoyarsk, K-132 Irkutsk, K-119 Voronezh, K-410 Smolensk, K-442 Chelyabinsk, K-456 Vilyuchinsk, K-266 Orel, K-186 Omsk, K-141 Kursk, K-150 Tomsk))
Type: Nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine
Length: 145 meters (Oscar I); 154 meters (Oscar II)
Beam: 18.2 meters
Draught: 9 meters
Displacement (surfaced): 12500 tonnes (Oscar I); 13900 tonnes (Oscar II)
Displacement (submerged): 16500 tonnes (Oscar I); 18300 tonnes (Oscar II)
Propulsion: 2 x shaft, 2 x steam turbine, 2 x nuclear reactor OK-650B 190 megawatt, up to 100000 shaft horsepower
Speed (surfaced): 16 knots (29.63 kilometers/hour)
Speed (submerged): 30-35 knots (55.5-64.8 kilometers/hour)
Range: Theoretically unlimited; 120 days of endurance
Design depth: 500 meters
Complement: 94 (Oscar I); 107 (Oscar II)
Armament: 24 x SS-N-19 SLCM, 2 x 650-millimeter torpedo tube, 4 x 533-millimeter torpedo tube, 28 x torpedo/missile reload (Type 40
antisubmarine torpedo, SS-N-15 antiship missile, SS-N-16 antisubmarine missile) or 32 x mine
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