Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!olivea!oliveb!veritas!amdcad!amdcad!military From: ab3o+@andrew.cmu.edu (Allan Bourdius) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: Re: Pods on the tail of USSR SSN Message-ID: <1991Apr2.065336.15687@amd.com> Date: 1 Apr 91 15:14:17 GMT References: <1991Apr1.042920.17593@amd.com> Sender: military@amd.com Organization: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Lines: 25 Approved: military@amd.com From: Allan Bourdius >While we are on the subject of submarines, does anyone know what is the >purpose of a mysterious "pod" on top of the tail fin of some of the newer >class of USSR SSNs? These classes includes: Akula, Sierra, and Victor III. I think that the generally accepted explanation is that it's a towed-array housing. >Also, does anyone know why there were only one boat of the Papa and the >Mike class? (Well, the Mike was sunk, so there are none now.) The Soviets built two new classes of SSNs as a test (Akula, Mike) to find out which one was the best design, kind of like the current YF-22/YF-23 competition in our defense industry. One (Mike) was found to be inferior, so no more of that class was built (that's my guess, anyway). The Papa is a cruise missile boat (right?) so perhaps the first sub had design or construction problems or had an accident after completion and the design has fallen out of favor. -- Allan Bourdius ab3o+@andrew.cmu.edu