Yasen-class

Russia's most advanced nuclear-powered guided-missile submarine — a multirole SSGN combining torpedo attack with a vertical-launch cruise-missile arsenal, and the quietest Russian submarine ever built.

Overview

The Yasen-class (Project 885/885M, NATO reporting name Severodvinsk, sometimes referred to as Graney) is a family of Russian fourth-generation nuclear-powered attack submarines designed for anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface strike, and land-attack cruise-missile missions. Built by Sevmash at Severodvinsk, the boats are the Russian Navy’s premier undersea combatants and the quietest Russian submarines ever fielded. The class bridges the gap between a traditional attack submarine (SSN) and a cruise-missile carrier (SSGN), carrying up to 32 Kalibr, Oniks, and Zircon missiles in vertical silos in addition to heavyweight torpedoes.

Development

The lead boat, K-560 Severodvinsk, was laid down on 21 December 1993 but construction was repeatedly delayed by post-Soviet economic turmoil. The submarine was launched only in 2010 and, after a series of extended trials, was accepted into the Northern Fleet on 17 June 2014, as documented by TASS. The follow-on Yasen-M design (Project 885M), which introduced a more automated, reduced-crew configuration and a slightly shorter hull, saw its first unit, K-561 Kazan, commissioned in May 2021. By early 2025 the fleet included the baseline Severodvinsk plus five improved Yasen-M boats: Kazan, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Arkhangelsk (commissioned December 2024), and Perm (launched 27 March 2025, the first submarine reported to carry the hypersonic Zircon missile as a standard fit) Overt Defense. Sevmash continues to build additional hulls, with open-source estimates suggesting a final fleet of around 12 boats.

Design & capabilities

The Yasen-M is a double-hulled design with a submerged displacement of approximately 13,800 tonnes and an overall length of about 130 metres. Propulsion is provided by a single OK-650 series pressurized-water reactor delivering an estimated 43,000 shaft horsepower to a single shaft, giving the boat a quiet cruising speed of about 28 knots and a maximum sprint speed approaching 35 knots, according to data compiled by NTI. The class’s safe diving depth is estimated at roughly 450 metres, with a never-exceed depth of around 600 metres.

The armament fit is the defining feature: ten 533-mm torpedo tubes are complemented by eight vertical launch silos (the UKSK 3S14 system) that can accommodate a mixed load of 3M-54 Kalibr land-attack and anti-ship variants, P-800 Oniks supersonic anti-ship missiles, and the 3M22 Zircon hypersonic cruise missile. With multiple rounds per silo, the total missile load is approximately 32 weapons, as detailed in the open-source reference Covert Shores. The sensor suite centres on the Irtysh-Amfora integrated sonar array, supplemented by Rim Hat electronic-support measures and a Snoop Pair surface-search radar.

Acoustic discretion is the boat’s other critical attribute. Western assessments characterise the Yasen-M as Russia’s quietest attack submarine, with a radiated-noise signature considered comparable to that of the US Seawolf and Virginia classes, placing it firmly in the top tier of modern SSNs Military Machine. The combination of advanced quieting, a heavy cruise-missile load, and a modern sonar suite makes the Yasen-M a credible first-rank undersea threat.

Variants

• Yasen (Project 885): The single baseline boat, Severodvinsk, with a complement of 85 and a hull length of 139.2 metres.
• Yasen-M (Project 885M): Successive production boats with a reduced crew of 64, a marginally shorter hull (~130 metres), higher automation, and a slightly modified sonar arrangement. Perm is the first hull to be built from the start with the Zircon hypersonic missile capability.

Combat record / operational use

The Yasen class has not yet seen combat, but its commanders have repeatedly demonstrated its strike potential during training. In early 2026, the Northern Fleet’s Yasen-M Arkhangelsk carried out a submerged launch of a P-800 Oniks anti-ship cruise missile in the Barents Sea, marking the first publicised live-fire of that weapon from the class, as reported by Overt Defense. Boats of the class routinely patrol the North Atlantic, the Arctic, and the Barents Sea, providing a persistent cruise-missile threat to NATO surface groups and land targets across northern Europe. The ability to ripple-fire Kalibr land-attack missiles while remaining submerged makes the Yasen-M a strategically significant platform, even though it has not yet been used in anger.

Advantages

• Assessed as Russia’s quietest submarine; open-source analysts equate its acoustic signature with that of the US Seawolf and Virginia classes Military Machine.
• Large vertical-launch missile capacity — up to 32 Kalibr, Oniks, or Zircon rounds — gives a single boat a substantial land-attack and anti-ship punch.
• Multi-role flexibility: can prosecute submarines, surface warships, and land targets from the same patrol.
• High sprint speed (up to ~35 kts estimated) and deep diving capability enhance survivability.
• Advanced integrated sonar suite (Irtysh-Amfora) provides a modern sensor picture.

Drawbacks / limitations

• High unit cost (roughly RUB 47 billion per boat at 2011 prices) limits fleet size, with only about a dozen hulls planned.
• Manpower-intensive compared with Western boats; the crew of 64 on the Yasen-M is still large relative to the Virginia class’s 132-strong complement for a larger boat.
• Reactor plant, while modern, is a single-shaft design, offering no redundancy for propulsion.
• The class has no operational combat record, and its real-world reliability under sustained wartime conditions remains unproven.
• Zircon integration is still maturing; only one boat (Perm) has been configured for the missile from the outset.

Counterparts

• Virginia-class (USA)
• Type 093 Shang (China)

Outlook

The Yasen-M programme continues at a steady pace, with Sevmash expected to deliver roughly one boat every 18-24 months. As the Russian Navy retires legacy Akula and Oscar II boats, the Yasen-M will shoulder an increasing share of the Northern and Pacific fleet’s attack and strike missions. The integration of the Zircon hypersonic missile promises to make the class an even more potent anti-access/area-denial asset, capable of engaging high-value surface targets at speeds believed to exceed Mach 8. Production is assessed to run through the early 2030s, ensuring the Yasen-M remains the backbone of Russia’s nuclear attack-submarine force for at least another decade.

Key specifications

Sources

1. Wikipedia — Yasen-class submarine. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yasen-class_submarine
2. TASS — “The might of Russia's advanced nuclear submarine.” https://tass.com/defense/938673
3. Overt Defense — “K-564 Arkhangelsk: Russia's Fourth Yasen-M Class Submarine Joins Northern Fleet.” https://www.overtdefense.com/2025/01/07/k-564-arkhangelsk-russias-fourth-yasen-m-class-submarine-joins-northern-fleet/
4. Covert Shores (H I Sutton) — “Pr885 Severodvinsk Class.” https://www.hisutton.com/Pr885_Severodvinsk_Class.html
5. NTI — Russia Submarine Capabilities. https://www.nti.org/analysis/articles/russia-submarine-capabilities/
6. Military Machine — “The Yasen-Class Submarine: Russia's Most Dangerous Sub.” https://militarymachine.com/yasen-class-submarine-russia-dangerous-sub