Russian President Vladimir Putin inaugurated two brand-new fourth-generation nuclear-propelled submarines in the northern shipyard city of Severodvinsk on Monday.
The two vessels, ‘Emperor Alexander III’ and ‘Krasnoyarsk,’ are set to join the Russian Navy’s Pacific Fleet, Putin announced during the flag-hoisting ceremony to inaugurate the vessels.
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“Soon, the submarine missile carriers ‘Emperor Alexander III’ and ‘Krasnoyarsk’ will begin their service with the Pacific Fleet,” Putin stated, describing the subs as “fearsome” and “unrivaled in their classes.”
The ‘Emperor Alexander III’ is the seventh vessel in the strategic Borei-class series and the fourth among the upgraded Borei-A variants. ‘Krasnoyarsk’ is the fourth among the multi-role Yasen-M family.
Three more Borei-A submarines are currently under construction and expected to be launched over the next few years, Putin stated, with five other Yasen-M vessels under construction.
Borei-class submarines are the backbone of Russia’s strategic naval forces, each carrying 16 solid-fueled 8,000km (4971 miles) range Bulava intercontinental ballistic missiles. The vessels also boast six massive 533-mm torpedo tubes as their ‘secondary’ armament, with the weapons capable of launching various munitions, including cruise missiles and naval mines.
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The Yasen-M family of submarines fills more of a tactical role within the navy, with vessels in this class capable of carrying a wide range of munitions. A Yasen-M submarine has ten 533-mm torpedo tubes and eight vertical launch systems. Each launcher can be armed with four Oniks anti-ship missiles or the new Zircon hypersonic munitions introduced early this year. The vertical launchers can also fit up to five Kalibr cruise missiles each.