The Secret Mission of the Yantar (translated)

translated post from Военная хроника with the commentary from Andrey Martianov

NB! We are not authors of this text, this is translation of Russian of post from Военная хроника and a commentary by Andrey Martianov. With all the due respect to their rights as authors.

Военная хроника writes:

The Secret Mission of the Yantar: What the Russian 'Spy Ship' Was Looking for Off the Coast of Norway

🔺Over the past few days, Norwegian P-8A Poseidon anti-submarine aircraft have been constantly monitoring the work of the Northern Fleet's Project 22010 Kruis oceanographic research vessel, “Yantar.” This is the only and unique complex of its kind for oceanographic research, and its functionality has long been of interest to NATO intelligence agencies.

What kind of ship is this?

The key feature of Yantar is that it carries deep-sea manned vehicles, "Consul," and unmanned vehicles for studying the features of the seabed (and everything that is laid upon it). Some foreign sources associate Yantar with the presence of theq underwater drones MMT-300/3000, which allows surveying objects at a depth of up to 6 km.

What tasks did Yantar perform near Norway?

The Norwegian Sea is a key area for the operational deployment of low-noise submarines of Project 885M Yasen-M and strategic missile submarines (SSBNs) to combat duty in the North Sea and central Atlantic Ocean.

In the difficult hydrological conditions of the stormy North Atlantic, detecting Yasen using AN/SQS-53/C hydroacoustic systems (installed on Arleigh Burke-class destroyers) is an extremely difficult task at a distance of more than 30-50 km.

For this reason, NATO's main goal is the timely detection of our submarines while still in the Norwegian Sea, for which purpose it uses dispersed fields of passive and active AN/SSQ-53E DIFAR and AN/SSQ-62B DICASS hydroacoustic buoys, as well as stationary underwater hydroacoustic systems consisting of arrays with hydrophones and sound-emitting devices to form an acoustic backlight.

One such system is the promising IUSS (The Integrated Undersea Surveillance System), one of the elements of which is a distributed network of stationary underwater hydrophones, some of which are deployed in the Norwegian Sea and the Arctic Ocean. There is also a similar Norwegian system called LoVe, the cables of which were disabled in 2021 for an unknown reason.

If the assumptions about the capabilities of the Yantar are correct, then the equipment on board can detect in advance both the stationary hydrophones of such systems and their power cables for subsequent de-energization using low-visibility underwater vehicles.

Carrying out such a task could be particularly effective prior to a major escalation in the North Atlantic and Northern European theatres of military operations.

In addition, Yantar is said to be equipped with multi-band radio intelligence systems, which allow for surveillance and, possibly, the decoding of signals from radio stations located at naval bases and Norwegian Air Force bases.

The combination of Yantar's high-tech equipment and the ability to conduct underwater operations of virtually any complexity was the reason why almost half of NATO's air and sea fleets were dispatched to track just one vessel.

It is noteworthy that in retaliation for the Yantar's work in the northern latitudes, the Silver Dania vessel was detained. Presumably, the Russian crew of the vessel is suspected of involvement in damaging underwater cables in the Baltic Sea.

Commentary by Andrei Martianov

Here in this text everything is correct, WITH THE EXCEPTION of one thing - the importance of the Faroe-Icelandic ASW Boundary is no longer quite what it was in the 1980s and 1990s. I wrote about this, including the polemics in the same “Proceedings” (Andrew Metrick) on this very topic. There is no secret here, including the "plug"* (or stopper) of the Norwegian Sea. The question is about the elementary launch distances of the same 3M22 Tsirkon and the order of forces necessary to both ensure the deployment of the SSN (RK) of the KSF in the North Atlantic, and the survival of any NATO patrol aircraft bases (Keflavik, etc.) in the event of a conventional war with Russia. For those romantic Navalists who still rave about general naval battles, the system of ALL armed forces, all types and branches of the military, is fighting, which makes any attempts to “control” the Norwegian Sea a wet dream of NATO.

*Note on the “plug” of the Norwegian Sea: The "plug" of the Norwegian Sea refers to the Greenland-Scotland Ridge, a submarine ridge system that acts as a natural barrier between the deep waters of the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean. This ridge plays a crucial role in regulating the exchange of water masses between these two regions.