1064 submarines in 120 years were built to Rubin designs
St.Petersburg, December 22. Rubin Design Bureau, an affiliate of the United Shipbuilding Corporation, celebrates today 120 years of its activity. Over this period, 948 submarines designed by Rubin were built for the Russian Navy.
Rubin Design Bureau also developed 116 export submarines that joined navies of 15 countries
"As design of nuclear and non-nuclear submarines takes place within one company, the search for new solutions, both engineering and scientific, never stops. We continue to work on improvements of ships of different types and development of new advanced projects", - said CEO Rubin Design Bureau Igor Vilnit.
In Russia, the first design unit intended for underwater shipbuilding was established on 22 December 1900 under the name of Submarine Construction Commission. The Naval Ministry made a decision on the design and construction of semi-submersible boats - a new class of ships capable of attacking enemy's ships when submerged. The engineers Ivan Bubnov, Ivan Goryunov and Mikhail Beklemishev were commissioned to develop the project. Construction and trials of the first combat submarine Delfin of the Russian Navy were successfully completed in 1903.
Throughout subsequent 117 years, the design unit was subjected to a number of transformations. It became the Central Design Bureau for Marine Engineering Rubin in 1989.
The entire nuclear submarine fleet of Russia, equipped with ballistic missiles, was constructed to the designs of Rubin.
Rubin initiated the use of submarine-launched cruise missiles in the USSR by developing the first national nuclear submarine with cruise missiles - Project 659, then Project 675 and a number of its modifications. These first-generation nuclear submarines were meant for missile attacks against heavily protected sea targets.
In the 1980s, nuclear-powered submarines of Project 949 and 949A armed with anti-ship cruise missiles were built to Rubin's designs. These submarines feature improved stealth, excellent manoeuvrability and easy control.
At present, the construction of fourth-generation nuclear and non-nuclear submarines designed by Rubin is underway.
A new area of Rubin Design Bureau activities is engineering of marine robotic systems. Autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle Vityaz-D was developed. For the first time in the world, it dived to the bottom of the Mariana Trench on 9 May 2020.
Besides 120 years of activity, the year of 2020 is momentous for Rubin by four more anniversaries:
On 31 December - 40 years since the first Varshavyanka, the lead unit of Project 877, was delivered to the Russian Navy. Over a period of these years, 71 submarines of Project 877 and Project 636 were built;
On 29 December - 40 years since the Acceptance Act was signed for the third-generation lead ship Arkhangelsk of Project 949 armed with nuclear cruise missiles;
On 12 November - 60 years since the first Soviet nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine of Project 658 joined the Navy;
On 19 September - 110 years of the birth of Pavel Pustyntsev, Head of the Design Bureau from с 1951 to1974. New by that time, type of submarines with cruise missiles was developed under his direction. Pavel Pustyntsev was the Chief Designer of projects that were used for the construction of 56 submarines, including 48 nuclear-powered ones. He was one of the initiators for the development of the deepest submarine in the world - Komsomolets that dived to 1000 metres.