The Northern Machine-Building Enterprise (Sevmash) is building two groups of nuclear submarines. This was announced by the General Director of the enterprise Mikhail Budnichenko. The first group includes strategic cruisers of project 955A "Borey-A", the second - multi-purpose submarines of project 885M "Yasen-M", he said.

"The main task of Sevmash in 2023 is extremely clear - the implementation of the state defense order (GOZ) program. This year, it will be even more intense: Sevmash is building two groups of nuclear submarines of the Borey-A and Yasen-M projects. The work is carried out in accordance with the schedules, "Budnichenko said in an interview with TASS.

At the moment, the project 955A submarine "Emperor Alexander III" is preparing to pass the tests, Budnichenko added.

"On December 29, 2022, the third serial nuclear-powered strategic submarine cruiser Emperor Alexander III was withdrawn from the slipway. It will pass factory and state tests. They will be provided by the crew of the ship and the delivery team of Sevmash," said the general director of the enterprise.

According to him, in accordance with the schedules, the construction of three more "Borei" continues: "Prince Pozharsky", "Dmitry Donskoy" and "Prince Potemkin". Mikhail Budnichenko said that at the submarine "Prince Pozharsky" now "loading of large-sized equipment, docking of premises, electrical installation work will be carried out." After the completion of slipway work, the vessel will be taken out of the slipway.

As the head of Sevmash noted, in accordance with the plans, work is underway on the submarines of the Yasen-M project.

"A clear perspective (there is. — RT) on the ships of the Yasen-M project. In the summer of 2021, we withdrew the Krasnoyarsk submarine from the slipway and continue the test cycle. Other ships of the project are on slipways. Work is underway," he said.

  • Ceremony of raising the flag on ships entering the Navy and launching the nuclear submarine "Emperor Alexander III"
  • kremlin.ru
  • © frame of the video broadcast

Budnichenko added that at the stage of slipway work, in particular, there are submarines of project 885M "Arkhangelsk" and "Perm". In addition, according to the planned deadlines, the construction of the Ulyanovsk nuclear submarine is underway.

He also stressed that the enterprise, thanks to the modernization carried out in recent years, has the necessary resources to fulfill the state defense order (GOZ).

"Over the past ten years, we have prioritized the task of recruiting personnel and modernizing the enterprise's capacities for the further implementation of the state defense order program. Today, more than 30 thousand people work at Sevmash, all production workshops of the enterprise are being re-equipped. Therefore, I can say with full responsibility that the tasks that will be set for the enterprise will be fulfilled," Mikhail Budnichenko concluded.

"Will ensure the security of Russia"

Recall that the submarines of project 955 and 955A ("Borey") were developed in the Central Design Bureau of Marine Engineering (CCB MT) "Rubin" (St. Petersburg). They belong to the fourth generation of submarines. These cruisers are armed with solid-fuel ballistic intercontinental missiles (ICBMs) of the D-30 Bulava complex, which can carry nuclear warheads.

As Rear Admiral Arkady Navarsky, Chief of Staff of the Pacific Fleet Submarine Forces Command, noted in 2021, one of the main advantages of the Bulava is "the ability to maneuver in the upper stage, which makes the missile invulnerable to any missile defense system."

The website of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation says that the submarine cruisers of the Borey project are designed to become the basis of Russia's naval strategic nuclear forces. The first submarine of this series, K-535 Yuri Dolgoruky, was transferred to the Fleet in 2013. After that, the Russian Navy received five more "Borei": "Alexander Nevsky", "Vladimir Monomakh", "Prince Oleg", "Prince Vladimir" and "Generalissimo Suvorov".

In the ceremony of raising the flag on the submarine "Generalissimo Suvorov" in December last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin took part via video link. He noted that the missile weapons of these submarines significantly expand the capabilities of the Russian armed forces.

  • Ceremony of raising the flag on ships entering the Navy and launching the nuclear submarine "Emperor Alexander III"
  • kremlin.ru

"Generalissimo Suvorov is armed with Bulava ballistic missiles, which significantly increase the capabilities of our nuclear naval forces. And I note that within the framework of the current state armament program, four more such submarines will be built, which will ensure Russia's security for decades to come," the head of state said.

According to analysts, the Borei-A-class cruisers are an important tool for nuclear deterrence.

The Borei-A is a nuclear-powered strategic missile submarine, the naval component of Russia's nuclear triad. In the event of a global conflict, they will destroy the assigned targets on the enemy's territory, "said Dmitry Zhavoronkov, a fleet historian and executive director of the Mashinostroenie News portal, in a conversation with RT.

In turn, the chairman of the Moscow Club for the History of the Fleet Konstantin Strelbitsky in an interview with RT noted that it is much more difficult for the enemy to track nuclear submarines than strategic aviation aircraft or ground launchers of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

"Sea-based ICBMs have a number of advantages over ground and aircraft weapons, since a submarine is the most difficult to track. That is why the marine component of Russia's nuclear triad is developing very actively today," the expert emphasized.

From "Severodvinsk" to "Vladivostok"

The Yasen-M submarine project, which Mikhail Budnichenko also mentioned in an interview, was created in the Malachite design bureau. As noted on the website of the Design Bureau, "fundamentally new complexes of electronic weapons and automation, the main power plant and technical means" were created for these vessels, which were subsequently installed on other ships.

Cruisers of the 885M series are designed to combat submarines and ship groups, as well as to strike at enemy land targets.

At the moment, there are three submarines of the Yasen and Yasen-M series in service: Severodvinsk, Kazan and Novosibirsk. The Krasnoyarsk nuclear submarine is undergoing factory tests. In addition, the submarines "Arkhangelsk", "Perm", "Ulyanovsk", "Voronezh" and "Vladivostok" are at various stages of construction work.

  • Arrival of the multi-purpose nuclear submarine K-561 "Kazan" to the place of permanent basing in the Nerpichya Bay in the Murmansk region
  • RIA Novosti
  • © Pavel Lvov

The ships of this project are armed with "vertical launchers, thanks to which salvo firing of high-precision cruise missiles is ensured," the Malachite materials say. This allows "to destroy group and heavily protected targets, including those equipped with missile defense systems," the developers report.

In total, the submarine is capable of carrying 40 missiles. Currently, 885M submarines use Kalibr cruise missiles as missile weapons. However, as Mikhail Budnichenko reported in 2020, in the future they can be equipped with hypersonic weapons.

According to Dmitry Zhavoronkov, the main task of the Yasen series submarines is to combat enemy ship groups.

"Yasen-M" are multi-purpose submarine cruisers, the main task of which is to destroy enemy ship groups. At the same time, they can work both on sea and land targets. These multifunctional boats, developed by the St. Petersburg Malachite Design Bureau, can ensure the protection of our fleet anywhere in the world, "the analyst told RT.

The development of the nuclear submarine fleet is the key to ensuring the state security of Russia, Zhavoronkov is sure.

"This is a matter of Russia's strategic security, since our submarine fleet, along with the American one, remains the most powerful in the world. Thanks for this to Rubin, Malachite, Sevmash and hundreds of other enterprises that, even in times of crisis for the country, retained their skills and competencies in this matter," the expert emphasized.

In turn, Konstantin Strelbitsky noted the particular importance of creating strategic nuclear submarines that can carry intercontinental ballistic missiles.

"The program for the construction of ICBM submarines has existed since the Soviet era, and it must be developed further. We have a good foundation and experience in order to continue to build such submarines. This is very important, because the underwater component of the strategic missile forces of the Russian Federation is the least vulnerable to the enemy. Thus, the more such submarines we have, the more powerful the nuclear shield of the Motherland will be," the expert concluded.