Russia to build ten Yasen-class subs

22.08.2011 Russia's State Arms Program 2011-2020 provides construction of ten Project 885 Yasen nuclear-powered attack submarines, reports ITAR-TASS referring to a source in Military Industrial Committee at Russian Government.

The mentioned submarines will be armed with supersonic cruise missiles, such as Onyx, rocket torpedoes, and torpedoes. "Use of different munitions is provided, both nuclear and conventional", pointed out the source.

Initially, Russian Navy was supposed to receive 30 Yasen-class subs, but later purchase amount was reduced down to 6 subs due to lack of financing. As is expected, the first Project 885 submarine SSN Severodvinsk would be delivered to the Navy till the current year is over. That submarine was laid down in 1993. Presently, Sevmash shipyard (Severodvinsk) builds the second Yasen-class sub keel-laid in 2009 – SSN Kazan – under upgraded project Yasen-M.

Hull length of Yasen-class submarines is 119 meters; displacement is 13,800 tons; endurance is 100 days; max speed is 31 knots; armament includes ten 650-mm and 533-mm torpedo tubes and 24 launchers for "ship-to-ship" and "ship-to-land" missiles. In addition, submarines of this project will be armed with cruise missiles with operational range of hundreds km.

Editor's comment

To provide execution of the State Arms Program 2011-2020 regarding Project 885 Yasen, one should commission one sub per year, which seems highly improbable in current conditions. Most likely, Russian Navy would not receive promised number of Yasen-class submarines by 2020.