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.

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