Russia’sYasen-class submarine get hypersonic missiles
Russia’s Yasen-class submarine
US Military seen Russia’s Yasen-class submarine as a threat for years
In a recent article published by Business Insider, the head of a top Russian shipbuilder was revealed Monday that some of Russia’s most troubling guided-missile submarines with Zircon hypersonic weapons. Following the Russian navy frigate, multi-purpose nuclear Yasen-class submarine project will also be equipped with the Zircon missile system.
The Russia’s Yasen-class submarine, nuclear-powered cruise-missile submarines are quiet, difficult to track, heavily armed, and able to conduct attacks against land- and sea-based targets. The first Yasen-class submarine, the Severodvinsk, was commissioned late in 2013 following decades of design, development, and creation that started during the Cold War
US Navy Rear Adm. Dave Johnson, then Naval Sea Systems Command’s program executive officer for submarines, said at a naval symposium that the US would be facing tough potential opponents. He added that one only has to look at the Yasen-class submarine Severodvinsk. The Yasen-class submarine built after Severodvinsk are part of the Yasen-M sub-class and have an updated design with more advanced features, Yasen-class submarine has new quieting technology, new sensors, and a quieter nuclear reactor.
Read Also:Russia deploying hypersonic missiles on new nuclear submarines
The US defense officials continue to see Yasen-class submarine as a challenge. Armed with ten torpedo tubes and eight vertical launch system cells able to fire both P-800 Oniks or 3M-14 Kalibr missiles, these Yasen-class submarine is already considered intimidating undersea threats, and the addition of the Zircon, sometimes spelled Tsirkon, missile is only increase that threat.
The commander said a year later in congressional testimony that Russian Yasen-class submarine is designed to deploy undetected within cruise-missile range of the coastlines to threaten critical infrastructure during an escalating crisis. He added that the challenge posed by these Russian Yasen-class submarines will be seen in the next few years.
Russia had only two Yasen-class submarine, but their numbers have grown. Three boats are already active, one is going through trials, and Rakhmanov, the senior shipbuilding official who spoke to Russian media, that the fifth Yasen-class submarine will be launched later this year.
Read Also:Putin is sending a warship into the Atlantic armed with new hypersonic cruise missiles
