The ukrainian war has highlighted the importance of drones in current war conflicts. Its use has become widespread not only on this front, but also in the Gaza Strip and the Red Sea, where they are used by the Houthis to attack commercial ships. That is why it is no longer strange to see tanks and other armored vehicles that use the so-called anti drone cages to protect yourself from these types of attacks. And now it seems that we will also see them in submarines.
Russia-24 has recently released images of two belonging to the Russian fleet in its home port of Gadzhiyevo in the region of Murmansk, in the extreme north of the country. One of them is the Tulaa class nuclear ballistic missile submarine Delta-IVand you can see a structure of this type mounted on the command tower. According to The Warzone, this is the first evidence of its use on Russian offshore assets.
The media points out the possibility that the metal structure is not an anti-drone cage, but it could be part of some type of parasol or have another purpose. It is also unclear what would happen if the submarine submerged with her, but her Design is in line with the type of anti-drone cages of Russian tanks.
Although the reason for installing this type of structure on a submarine has not been clarified, its presence is a reminder of the danger that drones pose to traditional war machines. In the images, filmed about a month ago, the Tula is docked next to the Vepr, a nuclear attack submarine. However, this does not have similar protection.
SSBN K-114 Tula project 667BDRM – DELTA-IV
SSN K-157 Vepr Project 971 Akula II
🗺️Gadzhievo (Murmansk region)
📹”Vesti” (March 2024) pic.twitter.com/u8HGOXvd6H— Massimo Frantarelli (@MrFrantarelli) March 19, 2024
The top of a submarine's conning tower that is on the surface and open is an attractive target for a drone attack. The submarines They often sail on the surface when entering and leaving ports or when passing through congested waterways if it is in peacetime.
However, when they are not submerged they have limited maneuverability and also lack defenses which are found on warships to protect against threats such as drones. An anti-drone cage could prevent a kamikaze FPV drone from entering the submarine through the conning tower hatch.
Until now, the ships of the Russian fleet have had to contend mainly with Ukrainian marine and underwater drones. A successful FPV drone attack on a submarine armed with nuclear ballistic missiles could be disastrous. If one managed to access the command tower and explode, most likely a fire starts that could destroy the submarine and its crew.