"Modern and promising": how nuclear submarines of the Yasen project will strengthen the Russian Navy

General Director of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) Alexei Rakhmanov said that the project 885M (Yasen-M) multipurpose nuclear submarine Kazan should enter service with the Russian Navy by the end of this year.

"Both submarines (" Knyaz Oleg "of project 955A and" Kazan "of project 885M . - RT ) are under testing and are planned for delivery by the end of the year," he said in an interview with TASS.

Submarine "Kazan" is the second ship of the project 885 / 885M. After completing the tests, she will enter the Northern Fleet. The submarine was laid down at the JSC PO Sevmash plant (Severodvinsk) on July 24, 2009 and launched on March 31, 2017.

As the head of "Sevmash" Mikhail Budnichenko noted earlier, due to their characteristics, the nuclear submarines of this project can perform the function of non-nuclear strategic deterrence.

"Yasen" nuclear submarines are universal as carriers of missile and torpedo weapons. Due to missile equipment, stealth and speed, for the first time in the history of the Russian Navy, this multi-purpose boat can carry out not only anti-ship operations, but also perform the function of a strategic non-nuclear deterrent, "he told Interfax in March 2019.

"Unique design"

The Ash project was developed at the St. Petersburg Marine Engineering Bureau Malakhit named after academician N. N. Isanin. The history of its creation was difficult.

In the late 1970s, the Soviet leadership tasked the defense complex to develop a fourth generation submarine concept. Design bureaus (KB) "Malachite", "Rubin" (St. Petersburg) and "Lazurit" (Nizhny Novgorod) received the corresponding task.

Moreover, all three design bureaus went their separate ways. "Rubin" concentrated on the creation of a submarine with anti-ship cruise missiles, "Lazurit" was engaged in the development of anti-submarine nuclear submarines. KB "Malachite", in turn, proposed the concept of a multipurpose submarine.

Subsequently, it was decided to combine all three projects into one based on the developments of "Malachite". This is how the Ash project was born.

Development work was completed in the early 1990s, and in 1993 the lead ship of Project 885, Severodvinsk, was laid down at Sevmash.

However, due to the economic difficulties of that period, its construction was stretched for 20 long years. In 1996, work on the Severodvinsk was completely frozen, despite the fact that it was planned to launch it just by that date.

• Nuclear submarine "Severodvinsk"
• © JSC "SPMBM" MALAKHIT "

“First of all, this is due to the difficulties experienced by the state in those years. There were no funds for the development of this project. Today, all the problems have been overcome, there is a state armaments program, within the framework of which sufficiently serious funds are allocated so that Russia can catch up and compensate for the failure that was in the 1990s and 2000s, "military expert Dmitry Litovkin told RT in an interview.

In turn, Konstantin Sivkov, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Rocket and Artillery Sciences, retired captain 1st rank, noted that the complexity of the project also influenced the timing.

“The submarine has a unique design that allows it to dive to great depths. It also houses the latest radio-electronic means, unique water-jet propulsion devices that ensure low-noise movement. To achieve such parameters, it is necessary to do serious and great work. This cannot be done quickly, "Sivkov explained in an interview with RT.

Work on the project resumed only in the early 2000s. By that time, some of the equipment of the submarine had already become outdated, so serious changes had to be made to the project, which also shifted the completion date of construction.

In addition, problems arose with the production of components, since some of the factories that produced them after the collapse of the USSR ended up on the territory of independent states.

As a result, “Severodvinsk” was launched only in 2010 - 14 years later than the planned date. The boat was tested and refined for another four years, after which it was accepted into the Northern Fleet in July 2014.

After the completion of the construction of Severodvinsk, all subsequent ships, including the Kazan, were created according to the updated project 885M or Yasen-M. It differs from the original version in improved and more modern equipment, a modified shape of the hull contours and a reduced noise level, which, as experts say, is a critical parameter for submarines.  

It is also worth noting that all submarines of this project are equipped exclusively with Russian components - it was decided to refuse cooperation with factories that remained on the territory of the post-Soviet republics.

On July 26, 2013, the third boat of the Yasen-M project, Novosibirsk, was laid down on the stocks of Sevmash. Its construction is carried out in the interests of the Russian Pacific Fleet. The launch of this submarine was carried out on December 25, 2019.

• Novosibirsk nuclear submarine launching ceremony
• © JSC "United Shipbuilding Corporation"

In 2014-2017, four more submarines of this class were laid down: Krasnoyarsk, Arkhangelsk, Perm and Ulyanovsk.

In 2020, construction began on two project 885M submarines - Voronezh and Vladivostok. Russian President Vladimir Putin watched the solemn ceremony of laying down the new ships via videoconference. In his speech, he noted the exceptional importance of the Navy in ensuring the security of Russia and thanked the shipbuilders for their conscientious work.

"Ship killer"

As noted on the website of the design bureau "Malakhit", the ships of project 885 are designed to combat submarines and naval groupings, as well as to strike at enemy ground targets.

Nuclear submarine cruisers of this class are equipped with vertical launchers, "which provides salvo firing of high-precision cruise missiles, which allows you to destroy group and highly protected targets, including those equipped with anti-missile defense systems," the developers say.

A total of eight such installations are located on one ship, while the ammunition capacity is 24 Onyx or Caliber missiles. To launch 30 torpedoes, ten 533 mm caliber devices are installed on the submarine. In this case, the torpedo-missile system can conduct both single and salvo fire.

As noted in "Malakhit", the ships of the project 885 are equipped with the main power plants of the new generation, which provide "a decrease in the acoustic parameters of the ship." They consist of "one pressurized water reactor and a modular single-shaft steam turbine plant with a wide redundancy of mechanisms and equipment."

Among the main advantages of the ships of project 885, Konstantin Sivkov singles out their low noise level and powerful sonar equipment, which makes it possible to "detect foreign submarines at a great distance."

“In addition, the Russian submarine has a unique set of weapons systems. Even a salvo of half of its ammunition is capable of knocking out an aircraft carrier or an aircraft carrier multipurpose group. In this respect, the Russian submarine has no equal in the world, ”Sivkov says.

According to Dmitry Litovkin, the ships of Project 885M are currently the most modern in the Russian Navy.

“This is the most modern and promising project, the submarines of which can use a whole range of different weapons, including the Caliber and Onyx missiles. It is important to note that the latest torpedo armament on these submarines is along the side, and the bow is occupied by a new hydroacoustic station, ”the analyst said in an interview with RT.

At the same time, Dmitry Litovkin emphasized that the Ash project is one of the most technologically advanced and secret in the Russian Navy, so not much is known about it. According to him, the main task of "Ash" is to destroy enemy ships.

“This is a ship killer. Submarines of the Yasen type are capable of operating on sea lanes far from Russian shores, sinking aircraft carriers, transport caravans and performing other tasks to ensure the security of the Russian Federation, including striking coastal targets, ”the expert noted.

According to media reports, in the future, the ships of this class can be equipped with Zircon hypersonic missiles, which are now undergoing state tests. Experts believe that they will be able to dramatically increase the combat power of the Ash.

The “Zircon” missile, which cannot be intercepted, will be capable of sinking an aircraft carrier, a cruiser, or strike a coastal facility. But, most likely, the main armament of these submarines will still be Caliber missiles, which can be used to solve a variety of tasks, "the analyst said.

According to Konstantin Sivkov, project 885M submarines in the future can become the main striking force of the Russian submarine fleet.

“This project will effectively ensure the security of Russia, fight against underwater opponents, as well as surface ships. Undoubtedly, as they improve, such submarines will form the basis of the attack submarine forces of the Russian Navy, ”the analyst concluded.