Four Nuclear Submarines Under Construction In Russia’s Far North

Four Nuclear Submarines Under Construction In Russia’s Far North

February 15, 2015

The Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk outside Arkhangelsk in Russia has full orders on the books for 2015.

For the first time since the fall of the Soviet Union, the shipyard is constructing four different nuclear-powered submarines at the same time.

“Sevmash finished 2014 with very good results, and the planned state orders were fulfilled completely,” Marat Abizhanov, head of the department for submarine construction, said in a press release. “Last year we handed two submarines of the Yasen and Borey-class over to the Navy, and four new 4th generation submarines were laid down.”

The workers at Sevmash are currently busy completing four new nuclear-powered submarines. The Yasen-class Kazan and the Borey-class Knyaz Vladimir will soon be ready for electric installation work, according to Abizhanov. The Yasen-class Novosibirsk is ready for insulation works, while the Borey-class Knyaz Oleg is getting ready for hydraulic testing.

The two submarines that were taken into service by the navy in 2014 were the Yasen-class Severodvinsk and the Borey-class Vladimir Monomakh. The Severodvinsk is based in the Zapadnaya Litsa fjord on coast of the Barents Sea, less than 37 miles from the border to Norway, while the Vladimir Monomakh is planned to sail along the northern Sea Route to Kamchatka later this year to enter service in the Pacific Fleet.

Russia is currently in the middle of a huge rearmament program, earlier reported by BarentsObserver to reach $659 billion by 2020. The Navy is a high priority in the program.

Plans for another eight nuclear powered submarines to be commissioned before 2020 are approved, four of the Yasen-class and four of the Borey-class. On March 19, Sevmash will start construction of the fifth Yasen-class sub, to be dubbed “Arkhangelsk,” a Russian defense industry source told TASS.

According to Sevmash's Acting Director General Sergey Marichev, the shipyard plans to increase the number of workers, which already surpasses 25,000, according to Wikipedia.

Anyone that can't see the build up is blind.

Obama's people will get us all killed.

This is from Russian state media so, grain of salt and all that...

Russia Closing the Gap on US With Cutting Edge Yasen Submarines

October 3, 2016

The United States has enjoyed unparalleled naval supremacy for more than two decades, but the most advanced submarine in Russia's arsenal, known as Severodvinsk, has recently emerged as a formidable opponent to the Pentagon's cutting-edge subs, dubbed Virginia, defense and national security writer Kyle Mizokami asserted.

"Both submarines are the pinnacle of their country's submarine technology and, pitted against one another, would be fairly well matched," he wrote for the National Interest. The analyst also described Severodvinsk as "an unusual challenge to US naval superiority, but nevertheless one with a long, lethal pedigree."

True, the Yasen (Ash Tree) class, also known as the Project 885, is impressive. Armed with cruise, anti-ship and anti-submarine missiles, the highly autonomous nuclear-powered multipurpose attack submarine is fast, silent and deep-diving.

The 394-foot-long boat is capable of moving at a maximum speed of 40 miles per hour submerged. The Severodvinsk is armed with up to 32 P-800 Oniks supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles, 40 Kalibr-PL anti-ship, anti-submarine and land attack submarine launched weapons or an unspecified number of Kh-101 cruise missiles.

The expert maintained that the Virginia class has an edge over the Severodvinsk.

"The Virginia class is quieter and has a better sonar rig than its Russian opponent. In the world of submarine warfare, that's an unbeatable combination. It can move and detect in ways that would give away Severodvinsk. One thing to be said for Severodvinsk is that it is more capable of quickly responding to a sudden target opportunity via her supersonic Klub ASW missiles," he explained.

Designed to replace the Akula-class subs, the Yasen class is expected to become the backbone of the Russian Navy.

Severodvinsk, the first Yasen-class sub, entered service in June 2014 and was assigned to Russia's Northern Fleet. The second Yasen-class submarine, dubbed Kazan, will be the first watercraft of the improved Project 885. It is expected to be ready by early 2017 and will be reportedly handed over to the Russian Defense Ministry in 2018.

Four more Yasen-class subs are currently under construction, with the sixth Project 885 watercraft, called Perm, laid down in late July. A total of six updated Yasen-class submarines are due to join the Russian Navy by 2020.