The sub is believed to be one of three fearsomely
armed subs heading for Mediterranean – easy striking distance of the
besieged Syrian city of Aleppo.
While the world condemns the flotilla of Russian surface battleships on its way to the east Mediterranean, it is the submarines that will unleash deadly metal rain on Syria’s last rebel stronghold, experts warn.
The
news comes as tensions between London and Moscow escalate following
Britain’s decision to deploy tanks, fighter aircraft and up to 800
troops to Baltic war games.
A Royal Navy nuclear submarine was last night tracking two of the boats in the Irish Sea.
They are expected to join the task force, headed by Russia’s only aircraft carrier, Admiral Kuznetsov, on Monday.
It is not the first time Russia has used its silent weapons of destruction to attack Syrian soil.
In
December last year its Military Maritime Fleet successfully trialled
the first firing of cruise missiles from a submarine, when the
Kilo-class ‘Rostov-on-Don’ launched four Kalibr missiles, with a 4,000
km range, on ISIS targets.
It is not ISIS, however,
that is expected to be the target of this newest deployment, but rather
Aleppo, where 270,000 civilians remain trapped with no hope of escape.
Sources revealed that
two Akula-class attack submarines, armed with the same Kalibr land
attack cruise missile system, were “pinged” by a Royal Navy
Trafalgar-class submarine as they sailed through the Irish Sea.
The
boats, made famous by the blockbuster “Hunt for Red October” starring
Sean Connery, are usually based at Severmorsk, near Murmansk.
They
sail as part of the Northern Fleet, formerly known as the “Red Banner”
fleet after an honour it was bestowed during the height of the Cold War
in 1965.
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A
third, a Kilo-class submarine from the same fleet, crept through the
English Channel after being spotted by a Norwegian P3 Maritime Patrol
aircraft while it surfaced.
While slower than their
nuclear-powered counterparts , Russia’s Kilo class submarines are said
to be the quietest diesel-electric submarines in the world, and are
primarily designed for anti-submarine warfare.
All
three have been shadowed off the South West approaches by the Royal Navy
submarine, which boasts Russian-speaking technicians in its crew and
tracked them in a six-hour contact.
It has since been joined by another Nato submarine.
“In
the South West approaches, the Russian submarines made it clear that
they wanted us to know they were there. Then, after a period of time,
they went deep. They were located once more with support from a Nato
partner,” said a naval source.
Russian premier Vladimir
Putin sent a clear statement of ‘strategic power’ when he ordered his
carrier group to sail through the English Channel.
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But the surface fleet may be a potential distraction.
“The
Akula attack submarines are the real strike force, and the Kilo boat
can operate in the shallower waters of the Black Sea,” added the source
last night.
“They have been kitted with the new Kalibr
cruise missile. While the Admiral Kuznetsov will be the main focus of
attention, it is submarines that will provide the strike capability."
Submarines
are the “Crown Jewels” of the Russia’s navy. Conscripts have been
replaced by professional, all-volunteer crews and they have enjoyed
increased funding while other military budgets are being cut.
Nato reported that
Russian submarine activity in the North Atlantic has almost reached Cold
War levels after Russia doubled the number of submarine patrols.
The
Northern Fleet has three active Akula-class submarines, K-154 Tigr ,
K-335 Gepard , and K-317 Pantera, all of which now carry Kalibr cruise
missiles.
Last night former Nato Commander Rear Admiral Chris
Perry said: “This is about Russia wanting a footprint in the Eastern
Mediterranean.
“One reason is for its Syrian operations, but the other is so that it can dominate the Black Sea.
“The
Akulas and Kilos carry quite a few cruise missiles. They provide
protection for the surface force, but are also a potent strike facility
in their own right.
“While cruise-missile firing
submarines can be viewed as a poor man’s ballistic missile submarine,
the advantage is that not carrying a nuclear warhead makes them more
usable.
“When we struck Libya, the American submarine USS Florida fired 162 cruise missiles.”
Russian
navy expert Magnus Nordenman of the Atlantic Council think-tank, added:
“Russia’s successful December launch was very significant. If a Russian
submarine can fire on Syria, it can fire on any land target. Before
then, only the US, Britain and France had this capacity.
“What
they're testing now is how to put their forces together. It's proof the
Russians are getting increasingly proficient in deploying their
military power.
“If reports are accurate, it means
they have deployed two out of three of their available Akulas. The US
would consider this a surge. It takes a lot of stretching to make this
happen.”
He warned that European defence ministries had been
underfunding their navies at a time when naval power was becoming more
crucial, adding: “The priority has been on land operations, either in
the asymmetrical operations or conventional land threats in the Baltic
states.
"The UK got rid of its maritime patrol aircraft and that’s why it now relies on Norway.
“But a lot of emerging contest is now happening in the sea. It's not just Russia. Look at the South China Sea.”
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