--- title: "Russia Just Accepted Its New Super-Quiet, Cruise Missile-Packed Submarine Into Service" description: "It’s been a long wait, but the new Yasen-M subclass should help revitalize the Russian Navy’s nuclear-powered submarine force." date: "2021-05-07" modified: "2021-05-07" authors: - name: "Thomas Newdick" job_title: "Staff Writer" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/thomas-newdick" url: "https://www.twz.com/40503/russia-just-accepted-its-new-super-quiet-cruise-missile-packed-submarine-into-service" categories: - "Around The Globe" - "Europe" - "Navies" - "News & Features" - "Nuclear" - "Nuclear Guided Missile Submarines (SSGNs)" - "Nuclear Power" - "Russia" - "Russian Navy" - "Sea" - "Submarines" - "Yasen Class" tags: - "Kalibr" - "Kazan" - "Oniks" - "Project 885" - "Project 885M" - "Russian Navy" - "Severodvinsk" - "SSGN" - "Yasen" - "Yasen-M" --- # Russia Just Accepted Its New Super-Quiet, Cruise Missile-Packed Submarine Into Service ![]() *www.twz.com* More than seven years after its last nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine, or SSGN, entered service, the Russian Navy has commissioned its next such vessel, the *Kazan*, the lead ship of a new subclass. The event marks an important advance in the overhaul of Russia’s mainly Cold War-era nuclear submarine fleet, which had previously introduced only one SSGN of all-new design, the [*Severodvinsk*](), since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The new type is based on the design of the *Severodvinsk*, the sole Project 885 *Yasen* vessel. The *Kazan*, first of the Project 885M *Yasen-M* subclass, was [officially commissioned]() into service today at the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk, on the White Sea in northwest Russia. Construction work on the submarine had started back in 2009 and, after much delay, it had finally been launched in March 2017. ![message-editor%2F1620402324721-kazanyasen-m.jpg]() *The *Kazan* during its state evaluation program, completed at the end of December. , *Russian Ministry of Defense** Quoting a statement from the United Shipbuilding Corporation, the Sevmash shipyard’s parent organization, Russia’s *Interfax* news agency [previously reported]() that the *Kazan* completed its state trials last December 28, clearing the way for it to enter service. “Sevmash has now completed all work to [address the criticisms]() and prepare the submarine for handover to the navy,” the statement added. As part of those pre-commissioning trials, last November, the *Kazan* carried out a test launch of one of its [Oniks supersonic cruise missiles](), according to *Interfax*. Before that, the submarine also launched an example of the [Kalibr subsonic cruise missile](), the same report said. Those missile types are available in different anti-ship, land attack, and anti-submarine versions, with optional nuclear warheads, and are delivered from vertical launch system (VLS) tubes. In the future, the *Yasen-M* boats are also likely to deploy the [shadowy hypersonic 3M22 Zircon missile](), too. Until now, the Russian Navy had taken delivery of only a single example of the previous Project 885 *Yasen* class, from which the *Yasen-M* is derived. Entering service with the Northern Fleet in December 2013, the *Severodvinsk* is characterized by its significant cruise missile carriage — up to 40 Kalibr missiles, plus [other weapons]() — as well as having an [especially low acoustic signature](). Compared to its predecessor, the *Severodvinsk,* the *Yasen-M* is smaller, with its overall length reduced by up to around 40 feet, resulting in the previous large flank-mounted [sonar array]() being deleted from the forward end. Like the *Severodvinsk*, the new design also utilizes a single-hull construction, akin to Western designs, and a break from the Soviet/Russian tradition of double-hull construction. https://youtube.com/embed/UEzgQ26W4hE According to [H. I. Sutton](), an author and an expert on submarine warfare, the smaller size of the *Yasen-M* is intended to reduce construction costs. “Because of general improvements in technology the newer boats are unlikely to be any less capable than the original design, except perhaps in terms of passive sonar due to the reduced flank arrays.” The *Yasen-M* reportedly also includes a new reactor that features an updated cooling system that is said to [further reduce the noise]() the submarine generates. With that in mind, despite the decrease in size, the *Yasen-M* is likely to be a significant development for the Russian Navy, providing a means to potentially build more submarines, more cheaply, even if they have slightly reduced capabilities in other regards. https://twitter.com/_/status/1390417995177111564 [In the past](), *The War Zone* has explained how a combination of *Yasen* or *Yasen-M* class and the 1,500-mile range Kalibr cruise missiles could present a particular threat to a wide range of potential targets across Scandanavia and northern Europe, [as well as Iceland](), deploying at short notice from Northern Fleet bases. Operating [in the North Atlantic](), these SSGNs could also hold targets to risk on[ the U.S. East Coast](), as well as within an area that was previously considered a “safe haven” for U.S. Navy ships and submarines. The way these submarines launch their missiles is also different from their predecessors, which had [angled launch silos](). The *Yasen* classes are based around modular-type launch VLS cylinders that can accommodate different missile types as required. This also opens up the possibility of launching missiles without even leaving port, something that the *Severodvinsk* has done [on at least one occasion](). ![message-editor%2F1620401142056-severodvinsk.jpeg]() *The *Yasen* class nuclear-powered attack submarine *Severodvinsk.*, *Russian Ministry of Defense** And, of course, these vessels are hard to find. A *War Zone* source disclosed that, back in 2019, a large number of U.S. Navy submarines, warships, and maritime patrol aircraft spent weeks in an unsuccessful effort to locate the *Severodvinsk* in the North Atlantic. “The *Yasen* may represent the pinnacle of Russian SSN design, benefiting not only from all the information from the [Walker Spy Ring]() but the considerable technological advances that have occurred since the end of the Cold War,” explained Peter Hennessy and James Jinks in their book [*The Silent Deep*](). Among others, the fact the *Yasen* design is so quiet and difficult to detect and track has spurred the U.S. Navy to [begin looking at developing]() a new [*Seawolf*-like advanced attack submarine](). ![message-editor%2F1620402419378-kazanyasen-mcrewandtubes.jpg]() *Crew on the hull of *Kazan* while in harbor. Note the hatches for torpedo loading (on the left of the picture) and torpedo launch (on the right)., *Russian Ministry of Defense** The *Severodvinsk* joined the fleet after President Vladimir Putin had [announced in 2011]() plans to overhaul all branches of the military by adding around $360 billion to the defense budget. That project began to be derailed amid a serious economic crisis in Russia, including the collapse in the value of the rouble in 2015. At that point, the average age of the submarines within the Northern Fleet was 22 years. Since then, for the Russian Navy, in particular, large-scale programs have been scaled back [or even axed entirely](). Faced with this new economic reality, the scope of the SSGN renewal plan has been revised accordingly. As of 2015, four *Yasen* boats were reportedly under construction with Sevmash, with plans for another three to join them by 2023. Now it seems unlikely there will be any more *Yasens* and instead, the focus is on the *Yasen-M*, at least eight of which are planned. A second *Yasen-M*, *Novosibirsk*, was reportedly engaged in sea trials in June 2020. While they may have been conceived as successors to the [*Oscar* class SSGNs](), the *Yasens* are far more versatile than simple cruise missile slingers, able to operate as general-purpose attack boats as well as intelligence gatherers and potentially as a special missions platform. ![message-editor%2F1620402511299-kazanyasen-mrear.jpg]() *The *Kazan* underway on the surface., *Russian Ministry of Defense** Of course, the new SSGN type is just one part of the wider modernization of the Russian Navy nuclear-powered submarine force, a process that has been moving at a glacial pace so far. However, by the end of the year, the service is expected to take into service the first revised [*Borei-A* class]() nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, the *Knyaz Oleg*, originally due to enter service back in 2017, plus the second *Yasen-M* class boat, the *Novosibirsk*. It has been a long time coming, but the much-needed overhaul of the Russian Navy’s mainly Cold War-era nuclear-powered submarine fleet is finally starting to show progress on all fronts. *Contact the author: thomas@thedrive.com* ## Author Thomas Newdick is a staff writer at *TWZ*, where he covers military aviation, defense technology, weapons systems, and international security. Based in Berlin, Germany, he reports on conflicts, military modernization efforts, and emerging aerospace technologies around the world, with a particular interest in airpower and its role in contemporary warfare. His reporting is informed by deep expertise in modern and historical airpower, particularly in Europe, with a focus on military aviation, air campaigns, and aerospace developments across the continent and beyond. Over a journalism career spanning more than 25 years, Thomas has become known for making complex defense and aerospace topics accessible to a broad audience. His reporting combines technical expertise, historical context, and a focus on the real-world operational and strategic implications of military developments. ### Author social links [Twitter]()