Russia Begins Construction of Ninth Yasen-M Nuclear Submarine Equipped With Zircon Missiles

On June 17, Russian shipbuilder Sevmash laid down the multipurpose nuclear-powered submarine Murmansk. It is the ninth submarine of the upgraded Project 885M Yasen-M class.

According to Mil.Press, four Project 885M submarines are currently in service with the Russian Navy. The fifth vessel in the class, Perm, is undergoing trials and is expected to enter service by the end of this year. It is also expected to become the first Yasen-M submarine equipped with Zircon hypersonic missiles.

Another submarine, Ulyanovsk, which was laid down in July 2017, is being prepared for launch. Two additional Project 885M submarines, Voronezh and Vladivostok, remain under construction and are at earlier stages of completion.

Multipurpose nuclear-powered submarines of the modernized Project 885M Yasen-M class are 130 meters long and 13 meters wide. Their full submerged displacement is 13,800 tons.

The submarine’s propulsion system is based on a single OK-650V pressurized water reactor (PWR) with a thermal output of 190 MW. This enables the vessel to reach a maximum submerged speed of up to 31 knots, while its surface speed is 16 knots.

The maximum diving depth for vessels of this project is stated at 600 meters, while the operational (working) depth is 520 meters. The submarine’s endurance is limited to 100 days of autonomous operation. The crew of the modernized missile carrier consists of 64 personnel.

The main armament of these submarines consists of 10 vertical launch systems SM-346, each of which can accommodate up to four Oniks cruise missiles or up to five Kalibr missiles.

The submarine’s torpedo armament consists of 10 onboard 533 mm torpedo tubes. They are located in the midship section behind the control room, as the entire bow section of the submarine is occupied by the large antenna of the Irtysh-Amphora sonar system.

For protection against enemy weapons and for anti-torpedo countermeasures, the submarine is equipped with launch systems for deploying decoys designed to divert incoming torpedoes. The hull is made of low-magnetic steel and is covered with a special rubber coating to reduce acoustic signature.

The Yasen-M project is a further development of the baseline Project 885, of which only one lead ship, the Severodvinsk, was built. The modernized version features a reduced hull length, an updated suite of onboard electronic warfare and radio-electronic systems, and, as stated, full import substitution of components.

Main specifications of Yasen-M:

• Displacement: 13,800 tons
• Length: 130 meters
• Beam: 13 meters
• Maximum speed: 31 knots
• Crew: 64 personnel

Armament:

• 10 × 533 mm torpedo tubes
• 32 × anti-ship missiles (Oniks / Zircon)
• or 40 × cruise missiles (Kalibr)
• Igla / Verba MANPADS (man-portable air defense systems)