The Russian Navy has received a new Yasen-M class submarine, writes The National Interest. The K-564 Arkhangelsk is one of the best submarines built by Russia. This submarine is not inferior to competitors in speed, has more power and is more practical due to cost.
This submarine has become one of the best built by Russia. The anti-submarine submarine combines increased firepower, range and stealth.
The Russian Navy continues to build up its power while the Western powers show indecision. The once-powerful Northern Fleet appears to be emerging from the post-Cold War crisis and is returning to its previous level of efficiency.
As reported, on the morning of December 27, the Navy received the newest Yasen-M class nuclear attack submarine. Built at Russia's legendary Sevmash shipyard, the submarine, designated K-564 Arkhangelsk, became the fourth Yasen-M class submarine built and the second to join Russia's growing Northern Fleet.
The importance of the Russian Northern Fleet
The Northern Fleet is based in Severomorsk. Its history as a strategic force in Russia began in 1733, when it was established. Its area of operation, as the name implies, includes the regions adjacent to the northern border of Russia. Warships and submarines of the Russian Northern Fleet operate in the Arctic, the Barents and Kara Seas.
The Northern Fleet's tasks also include protecting the approaches to Russia from places such as the Norwegian Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.
Back in 2008, the Arctic was named the most important strategic region for Russia in the annual memorandum on national security, which outlines the main goals and overall strategy of the Russian armed forces. Even before the conflict between Russia and Ukraine began in February 2022, Moscow was spending time and money on modernizing and expanding the Northern Fleet in order to achieve its goal of dominating the Arctic.
Now, during the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, when NATO is actively supporting the Ukrainian side, the Northern Fleet is taking over the protection of sea passages to Russian waters from the borders with Northern Europe.
Created to replace obsolete Soviet-era Oscar and Shark class nuclear attack submarines, the Yasen-class submarine was designed by the legendary Soviet Malachite Marine Engineering Bureau several decades ago. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the chaos of the post-Soviet era in Russia in the 1990s created many problems that forced Russian engineers to create an updated version of the Yasen, the Yasen-M.
Technical characteristics of the mighty "Ash-M"
Yasen-M class submarines are designed for a crew of sixty-four people. This boat is one of the best submarines created by Russia. She is an anti-submarine submarine and combines increased firepower, range and stealth. Russia intends to equip its Northern Fleet with four such boats, which shows how important the northern border is to Moscow, both defensively and, more importantly, as a show of force zone.
The surface displacement of the Yasen-M type multipurpose submarines is 8,600 tons, while the underwater displacement is 13,800 tons. On the surface, the boat is moving at a speed of 29.6 km/h (16 knots). The Yasen-M is much faster underwater. The average underwater speed of the submarine is just over 57 km/h (31 knots).
By comparison, the fastest boat in the U.S. Navy is probably the modern Seawolf-class nuclear attack submarine, which travels at 35 knots or 64 km/h. Given the enormous cost of an American submarine compared to the relatively inexpensive Yasen-M class, the Russians possess an adaptable, cost-effective, and highly efficient submarine that, to the West's displeasure, is more practical than American systems.
In "quiet mode", the submarine can reach speeds from 20 to 28 knots (42-59 km/h). If the statements of the Russian designers of the Yasen-M are true, then it can compete even with the powerful and much more expensive Virginia-class submarines of the US Navy.
As for the power plant, Yasen-M is equipped with a fourth-generation KTP-6 monoblock nuclear reactor, which is designed to operate for 25-30 years without refueling. The boat's sonar is a spherical system known as MGK-600 Irtysh-Amphora, which, according to Navy officials, "enhances detection capabilities while maintaining a minimum noise level." The boat itself is made of low-magnetic steel, which contributes to its impressively low visibility.
More powerful than competitors from the USA and NATO
As for weapons, being a guided missile submarine (SSGN), the vessel contains a powerful complex of long-range cruise missiles for water-to-ground strikes. Among the ammunition these boats are equipped with are Kalibr and Onyx cruise missiles. According to estimates by most naval analysts, there are from twenty-four to forty missiles on the Yasen-M, thanks to the UKSK vertical launch system.
In addition, the Yasen-M was designed to be equipped with a powerful Zircon hypersonic missile. The Americans have neither their own means of countering hypersonic weapons, nor a significant defensive potential to repel attacks from Zircon and similar Russian hypersonic weapon platforms.
In other words, the Yasen-M class submarines of the Russian Northern Fleet are completely superior in firepower to the naval forces of the United States and its NATO allies.
With 10 torpedo tubes (533 mm), the Yasen-M is designed for close combat with enemy submarines. Using their ultra-quiet equipment, these sea monsters can ambush US or NATO submarines without being noticed, and then attack them with their 533 mm torpedoes.
All of the above also applies to the Yasen-M attacks by U.S. and NATO surface ships.
The Russian Northern Fleet is beginning to outpower the enemy forces. This still-manageable strategic imbalance will be decisive in Russia's favor over the next decade, as Western naval shipyards continue to struggle to meet current demand and increase productivity to meet the global instability in the world.
