Russia's Alfa-Class Submarine Had 1 Feature the Navy Can't Hope Match

Summary and Key Points: The Soviet Union, initially lagging behind the U.S. in submarine technology, developed the Type 705 Lyra (Alfa-class) to close the gap.

-The Lyra combined brute force and high-risk technology. Its titanium hull and innovative lead-cooled reactor allowed it to dive deeper and move faster than any NATO submarine.

-Despite its impressive performance, including speeds of 41 knots and depths of 2,200 feet, the Alfa-class was plagued by high maintenance costs and reliability issues.