Losos class submarine
Encyclopedia
Project 865 Piranha is a type of Russia
n (formerly Soviet) midget submarine
. The NATO reporting name
for the class is Losos, which means "salmon
" in the Russian language.
The Losos was designed for special operations and engaging surface ships located offshore, and is thus very durable and almost completely silent.
The hull is made of a titanium
alloy
, which helps with signature management because it is not magnetic. Thus, like certain other Russian submarines and some manufactured by the People's Republic of China
, the non-magnetic alloy would greatly reduce the effectiveness of enemy magnetic anomaly detector
s or magnetic limpet mine
s.
Only two Losos class submarines were built: the MS-520 and the MS-521. Original planning called for a total of 12 Project 865 Piranya submarines to be constructed; this was eventually reduced to 6, then just the two. Launched in 1986 and 1990, respectively, they are in reserve but are expected to soon be discarded.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n (formerly Soviet) midget submarine
Midget submarine
A midget submarine is any submarine under 150 tons, typically operated by a crew of one or two but sometimes up to 6 or 8, with little or no on-board living accommodation...
. The NATO reporting name
NATO reporting name
NATO reporting names are classified code names for military equipment of the Eastern Bloc...
for the class is Losos, which means "salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
" in the Russian language.
The Losos was designed for special operations and engaging surface ships located offshore, and is thus very durable and almost completely silent.
The hull is made of a titanium
Titanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....
alloy
Alloy
An alloy is a mixture or metallic solid solution composed of two or more elements. Complete solid solution alloys give single solid phase microstructure, while partial solutions give two or more phases that may or may not be homogeneous in distribution, depending on thermal history...
, which helps with signature management because it is not magnetic. Thus, like certain other Russian submarines and some manufactured by the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, the non-magnetic alloy would greatly reduce the effectiveness of enemy magnetic anomaly detector
Magnetic anomaly detector
A magnetic anomaly detector is an instrument used to detect minute variations in the Earth's magnetic field. The term refers specifically to magnetometers used by military forces to detect submarines ; the military MAD gear is a descendent of geomagnetic survey instruments used to search for...
s or magnetic limpet mine
Limpet mine
A limpet mine is a type of naval mine attached to a target by magnets; they are so named because of their superficial similarity to the limpet, a type of mollusk....
s.
Only two Losos class submarines were built: the MS-520 and the MS-521. Original planning called for a total of 12 Project 865 Piranya submarines to be constructed; this was eventually reduced to 6, then just the two. Launched in 1986 and 1990, respectively, they are in reserve but are expected to soon be discarded.