Russia To Finish Building ‘World’s Stealthiest’ Submarines By 2023

Russia is going to complete building a series of seven Yasen-class nuclear submarines by 2023. The confirmation comes from Vladimir Dorofeyev, CEO of the Malakhit Marine Engineering Design Bureau.

It is believed that the Yasen-class vessels are the “stealthiest submarines” in the world. The submarines will be 13.5 meters wide, 119 meters long and 9.4 meters high. They will have a maximum speed of 31 knots submerged and 16 knots surfaced. The Yase-class submarines, touted as a deserving counterpart to the Seawolf- and Virginia-class submarines owned by the U.S. Navy, would upgrade the Russian navy's fleet.

Previous reports suggested that eight Yasen-class submarines would be constructed by 2020. Viktor Chirkov, commander-in-chief of the Russian navy, said the series would continue even beyond the 2020 deadline.

"In accordance with the state armaments program, the project to build a series of seven submarines will be completed after 2023," Dorofeyev told Russian news agency Tass. The first submarine of the Yasen class multipurpose nuclear submarines was the Severodvinsk. The Malakhit Design Bureau laid it down in 1993. The Russian navy put it into service with its operations testing in 2013.

The Severodvinsk, the 131st nuclear submarine built for the Russian navy at the Sevmash Shipyard, is the first in the Graney class of nuclear-powered attack submarines. Russia’s Naval Doctrine said that the Yasen-class submarines would become the chief multipurpose nuclear vehicles for the Russian navy.

The Severodvinsk fired the cruise missiles five times in 2012. The missile was targeted at a surface while the submarine was submerged in the White Sea. There were five successive launches, all of which turned out to be successful.

Sputnik News reported in March that there would be a ceremony for the Arkhangelsk, the fifth Yasen-class nuclear submarine. The ceremony was scheduled to be held at Sevmash shipyard March 19.

It was reported that the Yasen-class submarines were believed to be the most advanced nuclear powered multipurpose underwater craft possessed by the Russian navy, which had been using older craft like the Akula class submarines from the Soviet era.