Russia to start from scratch on some submarine parts amid sanctions

MOSCOW — Russia’ Ministry of Industry and Trade has announced three tenders for submarine parts in a move that appears to be driven by the country’s difficulties in obtaining foreign technology.

According to a March post on the official procurement website, 885M-class boats — otherwise known as fourth-generation Yasen-M nuclear submarines — are in need of parts for an auxiliary electric propulsion system or AEPS. This one contract is worth 286 million rubles (U.S. $3 million).

The ministry explained that during development work, foreign-made components were used as part of the AEPS because the domestic industry was unable to provide the required parts.

The West has hit Russia with economic sanctions over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine , making it difficult and sometimes impossible for the country to procure foreign-made components. As such, Russia is unable to carry out subsequent serial deliveries and repairs of the AEPS.

To overcome this, the ministry has proposed the creation of a modified AEPS based on locally made components — essentially the production of a new system. The move would see industry make Russian analogs of foreign-sourced nodes for a static frequency converter with a microprocessor control system as well as for a propulsion panel with a switching unit.

The nodes for the static frequency converter include the microprocessor control system of the AEPS, the secondary power supply system, the local control panel and the power unit.

The propulsion panel and switching unit nodes include an instrument for measuring insulation resistance and a section of the propulsion panel.

The ministry noted the propulsion electric motor and the transformers with a rotating field will not change in this system.

The work is to take place in four stages and conclude by Nov. 26, 2027. The approximate date for the implementation of the new system is 2028.

The second tender, valued at 295 million rubles, involves the creation of remote control devices for circuit breakers, which provide protection against electrical overloads, short circuits and the like.

Some Russian naval vessels currently use switches from foreign companies, including France’s Schneider Electric and the Switzerland-based firm ABB.

The ministry noted the Russian-made VA16M circuit breakers cannot fully replace foreign-made switches since they do not come with remote control devices.

With Russian versions, the ministry could increase the service life and reliability of the electronic level controller, reduce operating costs due to the increase in scheduled maintenance intervals of the controller, and move toward full automation of the controller.

The work for this potential contract would end by Nov. 30, 2026.

The ministry also published a tender for 444 million rubles to modify the main components of the static inverter POS-650 for the 955A (Borei-A) and 885M (Yasen-M) submarine classes. This would also replace foreign-made options, which the ministry noted are difficult to source.

A static inverter is commonly used as an emergency power system.

The main modifiable components of the POS-650 include the transistor modular switch; power switchgear; upper-level control system; power output measurement system; AC filter unit; power cables and connectors; and the cooling system.

The government will determine the final composition and number of modified POS-650 components needed during the first phase of this effort, which involves developing technical solutions based on the results of an analysis of existing POS-650 components and the availability of domestic production.

The contract work is to conclude by Nov. 26, 2027. The estimated time frame for the system’s implementation is 2028.

This story was updated April 1, 2024, at 5:01 p.m. ET with information about a third tender.

Maxim Starchak is a Russia correspondent for Defense News. He previously worked as an editor for the Russian Defence Ministry and as an expert for the NATO Information Office in Moscow. He has covered Russian nuclear and defense issues for the Atlantic Council, the Center for European Policy Analysis, the Royal United Services Institute and more.

莫斯科——俄罗斯工业和贸易部宣布了三项潜艇零部件招标，此举似乎是由于该国在获取外国技术方面遇到困难所致。

根据官方采购网站3月份发布的消息，885M级潜艇（又称第四代亚森-M型核潜艇）需要辅助电力推进系统（AEPS）的零部件。这份合同价值2.86亿卢布（约合300万美元）。

该部解释说，在研发过程中，由于国内工业无法提供所需的零部件，因此在AEPS中使用了外国制造的零部件。

西方国家因莫斯科入侵乌克兰而对俄罗斯实施经济制裁，导致俄罗斯难以甚至无法采购外国制造的零部件。因此，俄罗斯无法继续进行AEPS的批量交付和维修。

为了克服这一难题，该部提议基于国产零部件改进AEPS系统——本质上是生产一套全新的系统。此举将促使相关企业生产国产版的国外零部件，用于制造带有微处理器控制系统的静态变频器节点以及带有开关单元的推进面板节点。

静态变频器的节点包括 AEPS 的微处理器控制系统、辅助电源系统、本地控制面板和电源单元。

推进面板和开关单元节点包括用于测量绝缘电阻的仪器和推进面板的一部分。

该部指出，该系统中的推进电动机和带旋转磁场的变压器不会发生变化。

这项工作将分四个阶段进行，于 2027 年 11 月 26 日完成。新系统的实施日期大约在 2028 年。

第二项招标价值 2.95 亿卢布，涉及制造断路器的远程控制装置，该装置可提供防止电气过载、短路等的保护。

目前一些俄罗斯海军舰艇使用外国公司的开关，包括法国的施耐德电气和总部位于瑞士的ABB公司。

该部指出，俄罗斯制造的VA16M断路器不能完全取代外国制造的开关，因为它们没有配备遥控装置。

采用俄罗斯版本后，该部可以提高电子液位控制器的使用寿命和可靠性，由于控制器定期维护间隔的增加而降低运营成本，并朝着控制器的完全自动化迈进。

这项潜在合同的工作将于 2026 年 11 月 30 日结束。

该部还发布了一份价值4.44亿卢布的招标书，用于改进955A（北风之神-A）和885M（亚森-M）级潜艇的POS-650静态逆变器的主要部件。此举还将取代目前使用的国外型号，该部指出，这些国外型号难以采购。

静态逆变器通常用作应急电源系统。

POS-650 的主要可修改组件包括晶体管模块化开关；电源开关设备；上级控制系统；功率输出测量系统；交流滤波器单元；电源线和连接器；以及冷却系统。

政府将确定这项工作第一阶段所需的改进型 POS-650 组件的最终组成和数量，该阶段涉及根据对现有 POS-650 组件的分析结果和国内生产的可用性来制定技术解决方案。

合同工作将于2027年11月26日结束。该系统的预计实施时间为2028年。

本文于美国东部时间 2024 年 4 月 1 日下午 5:01 更新，加入了有关第三次招标的信息。

马克西姆·斯塔恰克是《防务新闻》的俄罗斯特派记者。他曾任俄罗斯国防部编辑，也曾担任北约驻莫斯科新闻办公室专家。他还曾为大西洋理事会、欧洲政策分析中心、皇家联合军种研究所等机构报道俄罗斯核问题和国防问题。