Yasen Day: Arkhangelsk nuclear-powered submarine joined the Navy
The Arkhangelsk Project 885 Yasen-M multipurpose nuclear submarine, which joined the Russian Navy on December 27, will strengthen the Northern Fleet. The main strike weapons of the Yasen family of nuclear submarines are Kalibr-PL or Oniks cruise missiles, as well as hypersonic Zirkon missiles. Experts note that the new submarine will become an important element in ensuring the combat stability of the grouping of maritime strategic nuclear forces.
Multipurpose submarine
The Arkhangelsk multipurpose nuclear submarine will join the Northern Fleet, sources in the Russian Defense Ministry told Izvestia.
The flag-raising ceremony on the ship took place in Severodvinsk at the Sevmash shipyard. It was held under the leadership of Admiral Alexander Moiseyev, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy. During the ceremony he presented the St. Andrew's Flag to the commander of the submarine, Captain 1st Rank Alexander Gladkov. After that, the flag was raised on the ship's flagpole.
"Arkhangelsk" nuclear-powered submarine cruiser is a carrier of all types of naval missile weapons capable of effectively hitting both sea and shore targets. This allows the Yasen-M class submarines to remain an effective and promising weapon. Thanks to this, in peacetime they make their invaluable contribution to maintaining global and regional security," Alexander Moiseyev said at the opening ceremony.
Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Alexander Moiseyev
The Admiral reminded that the submariners "achieved high results in the fulfillment of the task of the Navy's military presence in the World Ocean within the framework of the voyage of the lead ship of Project 885M Kazan to the Republic of Cuba this year".
According to Alexander Moiseyev, the construction of a series of submarines of this project will be continued. In the near future, the Navy will be replenished with four multipurpose nuclear submarines Perm, Ulyanovsk, Voronezh and Vladivostok."
"The Arkhangelsk nuclear-powered submarine has a formidable strike force and high performance. It embodies advanced engineering developments, implements modern systems and mechanisms. I am sure that this newest cruiser will become one more weighty argument in defending national interests in the World Ocean", - said Mikhail Budnichenko, Sevmash General Director.
To date, four cruisers of the Yasen and Yasen-M projects - Severodvinsk, Kazan, Novosibirsk and Krasnoyarsk - are already serving in the Russian Navy. Another four submarines are at various stages of construction.
The multipurpose submarines of the Yasen-M project are our most modern ships, which are ahead of any submarines of our "partners" in many tactical and technical characteristics, Admiral Sergei Avakyants, former commander of the Pacific Fleet, told Izvestia.
- In addition, the Yaseni are carriers of high-precision, long-range hypersonic weapons," the admiral said. - The main purpose of these ships - stealthily, being in any of the points of the World Ocean, to be ready to strike large industrial and control centers, other critical facilities of the enemy. Our Navy, receiving ships with such capabilities, will be able to conduct independent strategic operations in the ocean area. This is what we should strive for.
"Arkhangelsk" - Ilya Kramnik, a researcher at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Izvestia.
- It can hunt submarines, given its rather advanced hydroacoustic armament, which is combined with low noise and high speed," he noted. - It can also destroy enemy surface ships. The boat's launchers can accommodate both anti-ship and missiles for destroying coastal targets. There are also certain issues with the torpedo armament - it is still Soviet-era - and they will have to be resolved. The new torpedoes have not yet been fully tested, so there is a lot to work on and improve. Potentially, this is a very important acquisition that will serve for many years.
But the main task of the boats of this project is to ensure the combat stability of the grouping of maritime strategic nuclear forces, he said.
- The boats can also participate in covering the Northern Sea Route and work in the Atlantic," the expert explained. - But, I should note, the Northern Fleet does not have enough ships to operate in the Atlantic, and their number should be increased.
Power of Arkhangelsk
More than 400 organizations across Russia were involved in the construction of the Arkhangelsk nuclear submarine. The ship successfully passed all stages of testing. It became the 141st nuclear submarine built for the Russian Navy on the Sevmash slipway. The designer is the St. Petersburg Naval Bureau of Machine Building of OSK Malakhit.
The construction of this series of submarines utilizes the latest Russian developments in the field of military armament, naval weapons, technical and radio-electronic complexes, and main power plants. The changes and technical solutions introduced in the Yasen-M project concern the element base of the complexes, modernized equipment and materials produced by Russian enterprises.
In particular, for the first time in the practice of construction of domestic submarines the so-called one and a half hull design was used - the light hull "covers" the strong hull not completely, but only partially.
Cruise missiles are the basis of the attack power of nuclear submarines. In the shafts of the "Yasen" are "Onyx" or "Kalibras", also "Zircon".
"Kalibras" are extremely effective in strikes not only on surface, but also on land targets - their range of fire is not less than 1.5 thousand kilometers. Supersonic "Onyx" are designed to combat surface naval groups and single ships, as well as for strikes on land targets.
"Yaseni" can also use hypersonic missiles "Zirkon". In 2021, the Severodvinsk boat of this project used them for the first time in history. Moreover, the launches were made both from the surface position of the ship and from underwater from a depth of 40 meters. These missiles can strike various objects: both surface ship formations and coastal targets. At the same time, the Zircones are practically invulnerable; existing air defense systems cannot intercept them.
