09III/09IV (093/094) Nuclear Submarine Thread
- Thread starter SinoSoldier
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eagerly waiting for high resolution images..
The measured length is approximately 108 meters. Sorry to rain in the parade, but this might just be yet another new 093B unit instead of the 1st 095 SSN.
I don't expect 095 to be any longer than 093B tbh, Seawolf class is of comparable size and is only 108m long as well.
Yet it should be noted that the Seawolf SSNs feature neither VLS cells nor multipack VLS tubes, only 8x 673-mm torpedo tubes at the bow. Meanwhile, the pre-Block 5 Virginia SSNs are longer than the former by ~7 meters, featuring 2x VPTs in addition to 4x 533-mm torpedo tubes (all at the bow), all while displacing less than the former by ~1200 tons when submerged.
Hence, I would expect that the 095/A SSNs to be notably longer than the 093B SSNs, especially considering that the 095/As is expected to feature multipack VLS tubes, which should take up more hull volume on a per VLS cell basis than individual VLS cells packed together. Plus, in order to have the same number of missiles as the 093B, the multipack VLS tube section on the 095/As are likely to be notably longer than the individual VLS cell section on the 093Bs.
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I think there's a reasonable argument to be made for 09V/A to be a bit longer than 09IIIB, however I would also note that 09IIIB is the same length as 09III/A despite having 24 VLS cells added in 8x rows of 3.
Assuming 09V maintains a 24 cell count (assuming the cells are of same dimensions as 09IIIB) in a tripack configuration, with each tripack in a side by side manner, that could just be 4x rows of 2 tripacks which in terms of length might not take up too much more space than 09IIIBs 8x rows of 3 individual cells.
This satellite picture from earlier this year depicts all 24 cells, 12 of which are being loaded (ignore the 12+9 cell label, if should be 12+12 instead), and if we think about how each of those individual cells can be packed in a tripack as we've seen from past studies of the suspected 09V tripack tube, then I could conceivably see 09V not being much longer than 09IIIB (though of course it would be a fair bit wider which would require higher quality satellite imagery to confirm).
.... Nevertheless, I think it is more likely the submarine in that image is a 09IIIB at most, simply for the sake that 09V as a more "interesting" and more new project should have a higher threshold of evidence to suspect.
And I certainly don't think that the 095 SSNs are going to be based on the 093 SSN family's hull, let alone some other multitude of new and upgraded features and capabilities which can be expected on the 095 SSNs that would otherwise be degraded or non-existent on the 093B SSNs.
So I don't think copy-pasting what is being done for the 093B from the preceding 093/A directly/straightforwardly onto the 095/A and assuming that the 095 is going to be of similar overall dimension is a sound measure.
Hmm... Width-wise yes, though I'm not so sure that the same applies length-wise...?
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I'm not suggesting 09V will be based on 09III family's hull.
I am only using the 09IIIB's VLS bank/size as a way of visualizing how tripacks of 24 cells (4 x 2) of the same geometry could be packed in the a similar length to the 09IIIB's 24 cells (8 x 3).
That is to say, the underlying assumption is of course that 09V will use a clean sheet hull design that is single hull/hybrid hull in nature with a maximal pressure hull diameter that is likely greater than 09IIIB's overall hull diameter.
However, it is also very possible for it to have a similar length while also having multipack tubes for a total cell count that is not much longer than 09IIIB's VLS bank with the same total cell count.
I don't understand what this is meant to signify?
The Virginia's bow VLS bank utilized individual cells in a 4x2 + 2x2 manner, before being replaced by two six cell multipack canisters with the Virginia Block III (each multipack canister is about the diameter of a Trident missile VLS tube similar to Ohio).
However, given Virginia has only a hull diameter of 10m, they are unable to set the multipack tubes alongside each other, therefore instead of a 1x2 setup (one row, two columns), they have to do a longer 2x1 setup (two rows, one column).
For 09V, considering we expect it to have a 12m ish pressure hull diameter, it will be enough to have its multipacks in two columns similar to the likes of Yasen, or Ohio SSGN/BN etc.
If we are considering 09V having 24 cells (aka 8 tripack tubes), what you have is a 4x rows and 2x column tripack setup, which I cannot see taking up too much more length than the 09IIIB's 8x row 3x column individual cell setup.
I think we should see.
Of course.
Just so people can visualize what I mean, this is roughly an approximate of what I mean in terms of fitting the same number of cells in the about the same length, but in tripack tubes.
The greater beam/width of 09V means two columns of the tripack tubes can be co-located adjacent to one another in the style of Yasen or most SSBNs.
(Exact proportions of the submarines are of course simplified, but it is the VLS bank size relative to one another which is more important)
