Popular Mechanics compared the characteristics of two advanced nuclear attack submarines: the Russian Yasen-M and the American Virginia. The conclusion: who is who, is ambiguous. The American submarine carries more missiles, but the Russian one has "more tricks".
Virginia is longer, but already "Ash", in the latest modification of the Block V, it can carry up to 66 weapons distributed between torpedo tubes and mines for launching cruise missiles behind the wheelhouse. The submarine is armed with heavy guided Mk. 48 ADCAP torpedoes with advanced capabilities and Tomahawk missiles for hitting surface ships and submarines. A fresh modification of the rocket was able to change the target designation and adjust the course in flight. In total, Virginia is capable of carrying up to 40 cruise missiles - 6 more than the Ash-but has only four torpedo tubes, writes PM. This means that the American woman has much less ready-to-launch torpedoes than the Ash with its ten TA.
The total arsenal of the Russian nuclear submarine is also larger than that of the American one - 70 UGST heavy torpedoes and cruise missiles of three types: subsonic "Calibers", supersonic" Onyx "and hypersonic"Zircons". The latter is one of the " tricks "-the Ash submarine will become the world's first hypersonic weapon carrier submarine. The Americans expect to equip their submarines with something similar no earlier than 2025.
Anton Valagin
