The Yasen-class submarine is the newest Russian nuclear-powered multipurpose
attack submarine. Based on the Akula-class submarine and the Alfa-class
submarines it is projected to replace Russia's Soviet-era attack submarines,
both Akula and Oscar-class submarines. According to one of the U.S. Navy’s top
submarine officers Rear Adm. Dave Johnson, Naval Sea Systems Command’s
program executive officer submarines, "We’ll be facing tough potential
opponents. One only has to look at the Severodvinsk, Russia’s version of a
[nuclear guided missile submarine]. I am so impressed with this ship that I had
Carderock build a model from unclassified data [so that he could look
at it every day on his way to his office].”
History Yasen-class submarines were designed by
the Malakhit Central Design Bureau, formed by the combination of SKB-143 and
TsKB-16, with work on the initial design scheduled for start in 1977 and
completion in 1985. Malakhit is one of the three Soviet/Russian submarine
design centers, along with Rubin Design Bureau and Lazurit Central Design
Bureau. Construction on the first submarine
started on 21 December 1993 with its launch slated for 1995 and commissioning
for 1998. However, the project was delayed due to financial problems and it
appeared during 1996 that work on the submarine had stopped completely. Some
reports suggested that as of 1999 the submarine was less than 10 percent
completed. In 2003 the project then received additional funding and the work
of finishing the submarine continued. In 2004 it was reported that the work on
the submarine was moving forward, but due to the priority given to the new
SSBN Borei-class submarine, Severodvinsk, the lead unit of the Yasen
class would not be ready before 2010. In July 2006 the deputy chairman of the
Military-Industrial Commission, Vladislav Putilin, stated that two
Yasen-class submarines were to join the Russian Navy before 2015.
On 24 July 2009, work commenced on a second Yasen submarine, named Kazan. On
26 July, the Russian navy command announced that starting in 2011, one
multipurpose submarine would be laid down every year, although not
necessarily of this class. An August 2009 report from the U.S.
Office of Naval Intelligence estimated the Yasen-class submarines to be the
quietest, or least detectable, of contemporaneous Russian and Chinese
nuclear submarines but is still not as quiet as contemporary U.S. Navy
submarines. In April 2010 it was reported that the 7
May launch of the first boat had been postponed due to 'Technical Reasons'.
The launch of the first ship of this class and the beginning of sea trials
was reported in September 2011. K-329 Severodvinsk went on her first
voyage in September 2011 in order to conduct sea trials.
On 9 November 2011 Russia signed a contract for 4 Yasen-class submarines to
be delivered by 2016. On 26 July 2013 the third submarine,
Novosibirsk, was laid down. On 30 December 2013 the first submarine,
Severodvinsk, was handed over to the Russian Navy. The flag-raising ceremony
was held on 17 June 2014 marking its introduction into the Russian Navy.
= Costs = It was speculated that the cost of the
first Yasen-class submarine was around US$1 billion, although another source
claims that the price was actually US$2 billion. Recent reports from unnamed
sources speculate that the first-of-class unit cost was 50 billion
rubles while the second boat will cost an estimated 110 billion rubles. This
would make Kazan the most expensive SSN/SSGN in the world together with USS
Jimmy Carter but not as expensive as the $4.8 billion French SSBN Triomphant
class. A single Yasen-class submarine allegedly costs as much as two
Borei-class submarines. In 2011, Defense Minister Anatoliy
Serdyukov criticized the ever increasing cost of the Borei- and Yasen-class
submarines. The Minister described the massive increase in cost between the
first and the second Yasen-class submarine as "incomprehensible".
However, he insisted that the Ministry of Defence and Sevmash would resolve the
issue. Officials from the United Shipbuilding Corporation replied that
work done in Sevmash accounts to only 30% of the submarines completion cost,
the remaining 70% being linked to suppliers/contractors.
Due to the high cost of each submarines some sources believe that a new
generation of SSNs would be of smaller dimensions with a reduced
armament/payload. Description
The vessel's design is claimed to be state-of-the-art. The Yasen-class
nuclear submarine is presumed to be armed with Kalibr-PL system or Oniks
SLCM. Kalibr-PL has several variants including the 3M54K and 3M54K1 antiship,
91R1 antisubmarine, and the 3M14K land-attack variant. It will also have 8
x 650 mm and 2 x 533 mm tubes as well as mines and anti-ship missiles such as the
RPK-7. This class is the first Russian
submarine to be equipped with a spherical sonar, designated as
Irtysh-Amfora. The device was tested on a modified Yankee class submarine. The
sonar system consists of a spherical bow array, flank arrays and a towed array.
Due to the large size of this spherical array, the torpedo tubes are slanted.
The hull is constructed from low-magnetic steel. The submarine has a
crew of about 90, suggesting a high degree of automation in the submarine's
different systems. The newest USA attack submarine, the Virginia-class submarine,
has a crew of 134 in comparison. Yasen-class submarines will be the first
Russian SSNs/SSGNs equipped with a fourth generation nuclear reactor. The
reactor will allegedly have a 25-30 year core life and will not have to be
refueled. A VSK rescue pod is carried in the sail.
Units See also
Borei-class submarine, the latest Russian navy ballistic submarine
095-class submarine, the latest for China's People's Liberation Army Navy,
first launched in 2010 Astute-class submarine, the latest in
service with the British Navy, first launched in 2007
Barracuda-class submarine, the latest for the French Navy, with the first to
be commissioned in 2017 Virginia-class submarine, the latest in
service with the United States Navy, first launched in 2003
References and sources