Hydra class
| A Hydra class submarine A Hydra class submarine
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Hydra class submarine |
| Builders: | Fortuna Ironworks |
| Operators: | Tarsas |
| Preceded by: | VS class |
| Built: | 2014- |
| In service: | 2014- |
| Planned: | 15 |
| Completed: | 2 |
| Active: | 2 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: |
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| Length: | 170 m (560 ft) |
| Beam: | 12 m (39 ft 4 in) |
| Draught: | 9 m (29 ft 6 in) |
| Installed power: | 62,000 shp |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: |
Surfaced: 15 knots Submerged: 27-28 knots |
| Range: | Unlimited, except by food supplies |
| Test depth: | 650m |
| Complement: | 5 officers, 30 enlisted |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
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| Armament: |
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| Armour: |
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The Hydra class is a ballistic missile submarine developed and constructed by the Empire of Tarsas to replace the aging VS class SSBN. The sub was first developed in 2010 and constructed in secret at the arctic based Fortuna Ironworks drydocks. The first boat, the ITNS Hydra was unveiled in December of 2015 after CDI analysts had been claiming it existed for a year. The submarines are named for mythological Tarsan creatures. This is a significant break from the navy tradition of giving boats generic number names.
Development
The Hydra class was developed in utmost secrecy at the Marvius Institute of Naval Design. MIND had previously been responsible for the development of the VS class series as well as the Havae class submarine. The MIND team was contracted in early 2010 to develop a successor for the VS class and was awarded a significant budget on a four year time line. The development project was known as Project 537. There were many new requirements for the new vessel across the entire design. The range would have to be much further than the VS IV class. Significant automation of internal functions and systems was requested in order to bring the crew down to a bare minimum. A significant increase in the number of armaments carried was requested as the primary objective. The sixteen Sub launched ballistic missiles on board the VS IV were considered short of the amount that the Strategic Sea Command wanted to be able to carry in a single new generation submarine. Another key requirement was the capability to sit for long periods of time under water to commit preemptive strikes. In an all out war situation, military targets would need to be quickly eliminated.