Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the launch of the nuclear submarine "Emperor Alexander III".

The head of state also took part in the ceremony of hoisting the naval flag on ships entering the Navy via video link.

The nuclear submarine cruiser Generalissimo Suvorov, the small missile ship Grad and the sea minesweeper Anatoly Shlemov were accepted into the Russian fleet.

“I would like to congratulate all the sailors and shipbuilders of Russia on this significant, milestone event for the fleet,” Putin stressed.

The Russian leader especially noted the contribution to the creation of the nuclear submarine fleet of the enterprises of the United Shipbuilding Corporation - the Rubin Design Bureau and the Sevmash plant.

“The latest nuclear missile carriers, which are being designed and built there, have no analogues in the world in many respects.

The new submarines and surface ships have modern navigation, communications and hydroacoustics systems, are equipped with high-precision weapons and robotic systems,” the Russian President said.

He also drew attention to the fact that the Generalissimo Suvorov is armed with Bulava ballistic missiles, which "significantly increase the capabilities" of the Russian nuclear naval forces.

“As part of the current state armament program, four more such submarines will be built, which will ensure the security of Russia for decades to come,” Putin stressed.

"Generalissimo Suvorov" and "Emperor Alexander III" became the sixth and seventh missile carriers of the Borey-A family.

It is worth noting that the construction of these nuclear submarines was carried out at the Sevmash plant in Severodvinsk, and they were designed by specialists from Rubin Central Design Bureau MT (St. Petersburg).

According to the Ministry of Defense, nuclear submarines of this project, after being included in the Navy, will form the basis of naval strategic nuclear forces.

  • Underwater cruiser "Generalissimo Suvorov"

  • RIA News

  • © Pavel Lvov

As Sevmash director Mikhail Budnichenko reported earlier, the Generalissimo Suvorov submarine completed all stages of testing, having completed several exits to the sea.

According to him, the ship's systems have been tested "in various modes."

The Ministry of Defense, in turn, said that a submarine fired a Bulava ballistic missile from the White Sea, its warheads successfully reached a given area at the Kura training ground, located in Kamchatka.

Surface novelties

In addition to new nuclear submarines, the President of Russia during his speech paid attention to the Grad small missile ship, which, according to him, is also a new generation project.

“Ships of this class have shown high efficiency in solving combat missions in Syria, they have proven themselves well in the course of a special military operation,” Vladimir Putin said.

Recall that the Grad combat ship belongs to project 21631 (Buyan-M).

Its construction was carried out by the Zelenodolsk plant named after A.M.

Gorky.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the multi-purpose ship is equipped with the latest missile and artillery, anti-sabotage, anti-aircraft and radio equipment.

Vladimir Putin also said that sea minesweepers, such as Anatoly Shlemov, also belong to the new generation.

“This project is considered one of the most successful Russian developments in surface shipbuilding.

In the future, it is planned to build ten more ships of this class,” the Russian leader said.

It is worth noting that the Anatoly Shlemov sea minesweeper became the third for the Pacific Fleet and the seventh in the Project 12700 series. The ship would have been created at the Sredne-Nevsky Shipyard.

According to the Ministry of Defense, the Anatoly Shlemov has a "unique, the largest in the world" hull made of monolithic fiberglass.

The service life of such a body is longer, and the mass is much less, the department noted.

Vladimir Putin promised that Russia would increase the pace and volume of building ships of various projects, as well as equip them with "the most modern weapons."

In addition, the Russian Federation intends to conduct operational and combat training of sailors "taking into account the experience gained, including during a special military operation," the president noted.

“In a word, do everything necessary to reliably ensure the security of Russia, the protection of our national interests in the oceans,” the Russian leader said.

  • Russian President Vladimir Putin

  • RIA News

  • © Mikhail Klimentiev

"Extremely significant event"

Experts note the uniqueness of the simultaneous launching of the nuclear submarine "Emperor Alexander III" and the inclusion of three warships into the Navy at once: the strategic nuclear submarine "Generalissimo Suvorov", the small missile ship "Grad" and the sea minesweeper "Anatoly Shlemov".

“It's four events in one.

Two are associated with underwater "strategists", two more - with combat surface ships.

Borey-A strategic nuclear-powered ships can carry not only ballistic missiles, but also torpedoes, as well as many other "surprises", about which not everything is known yet.

The ships of the modernized Borei-A project, Emperor Alexander III and Generalissimo Suvorov, are elements of the marine component of the nuclear triad, ”said Dmitry Zhavoronkov, fleet historian, executive director of the Novosti Mashinostroeniya portal, in an interview with RT.

He also called the Sevmash plant, where these submarines were built, one of the most powerful in the world.

“This enterprise not only retained Soviet competencies, but also increased them in many respects, and ensured the serial construction of nuclear-powered ships at a rhythmic pace,” said Zhavoronkov.

According to him, the process of development of the Russian Navy through the creation of such ships "is going at the right level."

“After all, a submarine is the most complex object of marine technology, requiring the unification of hundreds of enterprises, counterparties, contractors, the labor of tens of thousands of specialists of various profiles.

But Russia is still doing it well,” says Zhavoronkov.

A similar opinion is shared by retired Rear Admiral Hero of Russia Vsevolod Khmyrov.

“This is an extremely significant event for Moscow, given that the West expected to strangle the Russian Federation with sanctions, and it continues to produce high-tech ships, including nuclear submarines.

Russia is successfully coping with such complex tasks as creating informatization and control systems for ships and submarines,” Khmyrov said.

In turn, Dmitry Zhavoronkov called the successes of Russian shipbuilding "another big step forward."

“Now Russia needs to increase the number of nuclear submarines.

Each of them, even if it is the same project, is still different, it becomes better, more efficient, as designers continuously improve both the project and weapons (for example, target designation and guidance systems, as well as various on-board electronic systems), ”explained is he.

The analyst added that ships such as the Anatoly Shlemov sea minesweeper ensure the safety of water areas, thanks to which “a nuclear submarine strategist can go to sea.”

The Anatoly Shlemov is a unique ship, as it has a fully fiberglass composite hull, which provides certain stealth characteristics.

It is less visible on the radar than a ship with a metal hull: this increases, among other things, the safety of the crew, ”Zhavoronkov stated.

  • Project 12700 sea minesweeper "Anatoly Shlemov" during the ceremony of raising the St. Andrew's flag in Vladivostok

  • RIA News

  • © Vitaly Ankov

According to Vsevolod Khmyrov, the nuclear submarines "Emperor Alexander III", "Generalissimo Suvorov", and the surface ships "Grad" and "Anatoly Shlemov" will become an integral part of the security system of the Russian Federation.

“As for nuclear submarines, they will become part of a triad that, in addition to the naval component, also includes ballistic missile deployment systems and an airborne nuclear weapon delivery system.

It is impossible to overestimate the importance of any carrier of strategic nuclear weapons.

At the same time, such weapons are used to ensure the security of the country and the possibility of rebuffing any aggressor, ”the analyst noted.

Khmyrov explained that the current state armament program was drawn up taking into account assessments of the need to ensure the security of the Russian Federation in an environment where a number of other states also have nuclear weapons.

“This program is being created to achieve 100% success in using the weapons available to Russia for protection in the event of aggression from other countries.

The armament that the Russian Federation already has, as well as four more nuclear submarines that will soon be created, will ensure the security of Russia for the next decade, ”the expert concluded.