Russian submarines of the project 949A "Antey" are getting a new life. As a result of the modernization, they are expected to be able to carry hypersonic Zircon missiles. And such submarines will become even more formidable.
This is written by the publication The National Interest. The author of the article notes that initially the USSR planned to build 20 nuclear submarines of this project. Some were abandoned, others were written off, the Kursk submarine was lost as a result of an accident in the Barents Sea.
The remaining submarines of the Antey project will undergo modernization, which will extend their service life for another ten years. The Irkutsk submarine, commissioned in December 1988, was the first to be upgraded. She will expand her combat potential. The submarine will be equipped with the latest missile, torpedo and radio equipment, as well as modern communication systems. Irkutsk is planned to be transferred to the Pacific Fleet in 2022.
Another submarine of this project, Chelyabinsk, has been on the dock since 2008, it is also planned to be modernized. National Interest concludes: although efforts to modernize aging submarines are not moving too fast, each of them will become a formidable weapon as a result.
Svetlana Tsygankova