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"Alright then, Mr. Mavi. After I return, I'll have a thorough discussion with the President!" Hasen Mangalava said this, but his mind was already calculating this year's military budget. This was too good an opportunity for India to pass up.
To ensure the deal went smoothly without any hitches, Mavi chuckled after hearing this and said to the Indian Minister of Defense, "General Hasen Mangalava, if you have the time, why not come with me for a trip out to sea on this Akula-class nuclear submarine? Experience its power firsthand?"
Mavi had to admit, he had never been on a nuclear submarine before. Not giving it a try would be a disservice to his identity as a military enthusiast.
"Yes, Mr. Mavi, I have the time," General Hasen Mangalava nodded in agreement. He had actually wanted to suggest a test ride earlier, but since Mavi hadn't brought it up, he felt a bit awkward mentioning it himself.
Ten minutes later, Mavi, Hasen Mangalava, and the others successfully boarded the Akula-class nuclear submarine under the guidance of the submarine's captain, Colonel Andrei.
When you talk about the internal structure of a nuclear submarine, it's incredibly complex. Within a limited space, you need to have a low-noise propeller, missile and torpedo compartments, side torpedo launchers, a nuclear reactor, the main control room, a full-crew escape pod, crew quarters, the main engine, secret silencing devices, and more.
This means the movable space inside a nuclear submarine is quite cramped. Many areas only allow one or two people to pass through at the same time.
When everyone arrived at the submarine's control room, Captain Andrei picked up the intercom and issued the order to set sail to the entire crew. At this moment, the submarine's special ballast tanks opened, flooding the interior with surrounding seawater. This increased its density, allowing the submarine to slowly sink below the surface.
Then the propeller started, and the submarine left the Northern Fleet base, heading towards the Arctic Ocean.
Old-fashioned submarines used periscopes to check the surface conditions. This optical equipment could only be used by one person at a time, a very obvious drawback. Now, submarines are equipped with optoelectronic periscopes directly inside, replacing the old ones. Mavi and the others could observe the situation on the surface via electronic screens.
For example, after the nuclear submarine had been traveling underwater for nearly an hour and a half, an iceberg that had broken off from the Arctic shelf appeared on the electronic screen in the control room. Judging from its direction of movement, it was heading towards Novaya Zemlya. If left to drift freely, it would pose a threat to the safety of the island's residents and also cause damage to the surrounding fishing industry.
In addition to the nuclear submarine's own electronic periscope, the Russian Navy specially deployed two helicopters for aerial filming to give Mavi and the others a better view of the scene on the surface. The actual footage from the surface was transmitted directly via signal to two displays in the control room.
"Mr. Mavi, that's an iceberg that has broken off from the Arctic mainland ahead of us. We are currently about 25 kilometers away from it. According to our measurements, the iceberg has a diameter of 500 meters, with 90% of its volume hidden underwater," Captain Andrei carefully explained to Mavi.
He had to constantly monitor the iceberg's path, otherwise, a collision with the hard ice could directly sink the submarine. That would be disastrous.
Mavi looked at the iceberg floating on the surface; its visible height was only about 50 meters. The majority was submerged below the surface, which is where the saying "tip of the iceberg" comes from.
"For an iceberg of this size, roughly how much ammunition would be needed to break it down to a safe level?" Mavi asked the captain with concern. This time, they were on a mission, unlike previous times where they were just admiring the power of explosions.
"Mr. Mavi, for an iceberg this large, we would first need to launch four 533mm K-335 torpedoes to hit its four sides. Then, depending on the actual situation, we would launch about eight to ten RPK-7 'Gust' anti-submarine missiles to destroy the iceberg to a safe level," Colonel Andrei honestly told Mavi.
Destroying an iceberg is a technical job. Because when the first torpedo hits the ice mass, the huge explosion will cause it to fracture into multiple pieces. The resulting ice fragments would then block subsequent torpedo launches. Therefore, the four torpedoes need to hit the iceberg almost simultaneously to ensure a uniform explosion.
After Colonel Andrei finished explaining to everyone, he received the mission execution order from the base. He immediately picked up the intercom again and gave orders to the entire crew, "Listen to my command now. Tubes 1, 3, 5, and 7, target the southeast, northwest, and southwest sides of the iceberg respectively. Prepare to launch K-335 torpedoes."
"Countdown starting, 5!"
"4!"
"3!"
"2!"
"1!"
"Launch!"
As Colonel Andrei counted down the 5 seconds, Mavi, Minister Hasen Mangalava, and others standing in the control room suddenly felt a slight tremor in the submarine. Whether it was an illusion or not, it certainly felt real.
Simultaneously, on the ship's radar, four green dots representing the K-335 torpedoes rapidly approached the iceberg ahead at a very high speed.
"Captain, the four torpedoes will hit the target in 15 seconds."
"Captain, estimated 5 seconds until the torpedoes hit the target!" A crew member in the control room, closely monitoring the torpedo launch, alerted everyone.
Just as he finished speaking, the massive iceberg 25 kilometers away suddenly shuddered violently! It was as if it had been struck by some giant creature from the deep sea! Immediately afterward, towering water columns, about 10 meters high, erupted from the four sides of the iceberg almost simultaneously!
That breathtaking scene, even without hearing the sound of the explosions, allowed everyone to fully feel the power of the torpedoes.
As the four torpedoes accurately struck the iceberg, the immense impact from the explosions instantly shattered the previously incredibly hard ice into countless pieces. The fragmented ice chunks were swept into the air by the blast wave, trailing long white ice debris behind them, a scene both tragic and strangely beautiful.
It wasn't until a full minute later that Mavi and the others in the control room felt the seawater around the submarine becoming noticeably more turbulent.
"Tubes 2, 3, 6, and 9, listen to my command. Bearing... launch 'Gust' anti-submarine missiles." Before Mavi and the others could fully appreciate the explosion scene, Colonel Andrei immediately directed the crew to launch missiles to destroy the threatening smaller icebergs.
The shattering of the iceberg by the explosion was just the beginning of the danger. The impact would rapidly push the fragments in all directions. The threat had to be neutralized quickly.
Thus, under the direction of the submarine captain, the crew systematically launched anti-submarine missiles at the smaller icebergs, eliminating all potential threats.
(End of this chapter)