TNI: Russia launched the Perm submarine of the Yasen-M project 885M
The Russian Navy has been replenished with the Perm submarine, the sixth of the Yasen-M 885M project, writes TNI. She will be the first to adopt tactical nuclear weapons. Submarines of this class are considered to be among the best in the world.
At the end of March, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced at a ceremony in Murmansk the launching of the newest, sixth high-speed nuclear attack submarine of the 885M Yasen-M project. Named after the city of Perm in the western part of the Ural Range, the submarine will be the first to adopt the Zircon hypersonic missile.
Additional weapons will expand its capabilities, The Barents Observer notes: “Unlike its Soviet-designed predecessors, the Yasen vessels/The Yasen-M has a multi-purpose function: in addition to search and strike missions, they can hit sea and land targets with vertical-launch cruise missiles.
This will allow attack submarines to carry nuclear weapons, which effectively equates them to SSBNs. “Tactical nuclear weapons were removed from U.S. and Russian submarines by the end of the Cold War, but are now returning to the Russian submarine fleet for combat operations,” concludes The Barents Observer.
How justified is the hype surrounding the Yasen-M submarine?
Although many of Russia's military platforms appear to be overly praised, and its surface fleet is in truly deplorable condition, Yasen-class submarines are still considered among the best in the world.
Cruise missile submarines were developed in the late 1980s by the Malachite Marine Engineering Design Bureau, headquartered in St. Petersburg. They were originally intended to replace the aging nuclear attack submarines of the Shchuka-B project 971 (according to the NATO classification: Akula).
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the program progressed slowly. The lead ship Severodvinsk was laid down back in 1993, however, due to financing problems due to the deep financial crisis, the project stalled in the next decade. Moscow was able to return to it in the late 2000s, but by that time it was considered to be on the verge of obsolescence.
Instead of starting from scratch, the Kremlin embarked on a deep modernization of this class, assigning it a new code “Yasen-M." The new project incorporated a number of design changes and improvements to key characteristics in order to catch up with the approximately twenty-year gap between the laying of Severodvinsk and the next Yasen-class submarine named Kazan.
Yasen-M also received updated on-board electronics and a new KTP—6 reactor, which is believed to have significantly reduced noise levels. In addition, the length of the hull was slightly reduced.
Three of the five operating Yasen-M submarines — Severodvinsk, Kazan and Arkhangelsk — are currently serving in the Northern Fleet of the Russian Navy, while the other two, Krasnoyarsk and Novosibirsk, are part of the Pacific Fleet. With the commissioning of the Perm by the beginning of next year, the size of the fleet “The number of ash trees in the Russian Navy will be increased to six. The next three are already under construction, and three more are planned.
Putin's praise
Last week, Putin also stressed the need to develop Russia's naval capabilities, apparently in an effort to replicate the potential of the Soviet era. “We believe that the Navy is one of the main guarantees of state security and strategic stability in the world as a whole, since we have a well—known strategic balance with the United States, and we will treat this with the utmost care and do everything in a timely manner," Putin explained.
The Russian leader said that Moscow is striving to revive and modernize the Russian fleet through large-scale shipbuilding programs designed for the future until 2050. “Such submarines and ships will strengthen the power of all our fleets, strengthen the security of Russia's maritime borders and the Northern Sea Route, and ensure the solution of tasks to protect national interests in various areas of the world's oceans, including in the Arctic zone, which is gaining crucial economic, logistical, and transport importance in the face of escalating global competition,” he said. Putin added.
However, Moscow is facing the same problem as Washington: a shortage of shipbuilding and repair facilities. The Sevmash shipyard, which specializes in the construction of submarines, has already encountered many bottlenecks. The long-overdue modernization was completed only last year. Moreover, the Kremlin had to reallocate its budget for the needs of the ongoing special operation in Ukraine.
“The situation is aggravated by the fact that with the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine, Russia lost access to foreign components due to sanctions and was forced to master the production of some submarine components from scratch,” the Defense News publication emphasizes. Thus, no matter how much Putin dreams of the greatness of the Russian navy, his dreams are likely to remain dreams.
The author: Peter Suciu is a writer from Michigan. During his twenty-year career in journalism, he has collaborated with four dozen magazines, newspapers and websites, published more than 3,200 articles. He regularly writes about military technology, the history of firearms, cybersecurity, politics, and international relations. Published in Forbes and Clearance Jobs.
