Russia’s Christmas Gift to NATO: New Yasen-M Nuclear Submarine Launched

Russian shipyards launched the country’s first ever Yasen-M Class nuclear attack submarine, the Novosibirsk, on December 25th, as the first of seven set to serve in the country’s fleet by the late 2020s. The warship has been dubbed the world's  “deadliest submarine ever” by the American paper the National Interest, and benefits from unique new capabilities unrivalled in the Russian fleet. The warship is capable of deploying all existing classes of Russian cruise missile, and is equipped with ten silos with vertical launch systems, eight torpedo tubes and an Igla-M short ranged surface to air missile system. The warship can carry up to 32 cruise missiles, and is compatible with a range of missile types from the Kalibr and P-800 to the extreme ranged Kh-101 and the new hypersonic Zircon.

The Novosibirsk is likely to be equipped with Zircon missiles when it enters service in 2020, which will allow it to strike enemy warships at ranges of over 1000km with precision. The range and capabilities of the Zircon, combined with the stealthy design and high endurance of the submarine, will allow it to threaten warships in blue waters far from Russia’s coasts from safe distances. The speed, radar evading capabilities and high manoeuvrability of the Zircon in particular make it extremely difficult to intercept even for the integrated multi layered systems protecting high value ships such as American supercarriers, while the sheer force of the missile's impact is considered sufficient to disable even the largest warships with a single well placed hit. The warship’s massive 533mm homing torpedoes, meanwhile, provide a lethal anti-ship capability at closer ranges.