Russia’s Most Formidable Nuclear Attack Submarine Is Almost Ready
‘Kazan’ prepares to launch
by DAVE MAJUMDAR
Russia is set to launch its second
Yasen-class nuclear-powered attack submarine on March 30. Called
Kazan, the new vessel is an upgraded Project 885M design that is in many ways much more capable than the lead ship of the class, K-560
Severodvinsk.
“Kazan is expected to be rolled out and put afloat on March 30,” a Russian defense source told the Moscow-based
TASS news agency.
The Russian Navy will take delivery of
Kazan in 2018. Once the vessel is operational, she will be the most formidable enemy submarine that the U.S. Navy has ever faced. “It’s probably the most capable nuclear powered submarine out there fielded by a potential adversary,” Center for Naval Analyses Russian military affairs specialist Michael Kofman told
The National Interest.
Kazan incorporates new technological developments that have emerged since
Severodvinsk started construction in 1993.
Kazan also incorporates lessons learned from testing the older vessel.
“The 885M is really the first ship of the class,” Kofman said. “The 885M is intended as a substantial improvement, based on the lessons learned from the lengthy development, construction, and testing process for the original 885.”
The Project 885 vessels are a departure from previous Soviet and Russian submarine designs. Unlike older Soviet vessels, the Project 885 submarines are multi-mission boats similar in concept to American vessels like the
Seawolf or
Virginia classes.
Yasen-class attack submarine. Photo via the U.S. Naval Institute
“[
Severodvinsk] is Russia’s first truly multi-purpose submarine,” Michael Kofman and Norman Polmar
wrote in the U.S. Naval Institute’s
Proceedingsjournal.
“The
Severodvinsk is capable of anti-submarine, anti-ship, and land-attack missions. Among the more interesting features are a large bow sonar dome for the Irtysh-Amfora sonar system and an amidships battery of eight vertical-launch cells that can carry 32 Kalibr (SS-N-27/30 Sizzler) or Oniks (SS-N-26 Strobile) cruise missiles. These anti-ship and land-attack weapons are particularly significant after Russian surface ships and submarines fired long-range missiles into Syria in 2016.”
Russia plans to build a total of seven Project 885M submarines.
Novosibirsk,
Krasnoyarsk,
Arkhangelsk and
Perm are currently under construction at the Sevmash shipyards at the White Sea port city of Severodvinsk.
Meanwhile, Russia is planning on developing a follow-on class of attack submarine designed to hunt U.S. Navy ballistic missile submarines.
According to the authors of that article, “This SSN will have the primary role of countering Western SSBNs. The new SSN is probably a significant program, but very little is known about it other than construction is slated to begin in the near future.”
The Russians undoubtedly have the technical skills to develop an extremely formidable new class of attack submarines. The question is whether the Kremlin has the financial wherewithal to fund them all.
. Merivoimat vetää ässän hihasta ja laittaa noi korvetteihin ja Haminaan. Haminaan mahtuu yksi pystyyn ilman mitää siiloja, sojottaa kuin patsas pystyssä. Korveteissa kaksi silloissa "autotallin" ovien alla 
