The Russian Navy has commissioned Project 885M Yasen M Class submarine, Kazan, on May 7 with a ceremony held at Sevmash Shipyard on the White Sea in northwest Russia. Construction work on the submarine had started in 2009 and, after much delay, it had finally been launched in March 2017. The boat began its sea trials on September 25, 2018. During its sea trials, the submarine has successfully test-fired Kalibr and Onyx missiles.
The Russian Navy’s commander-in-chief, Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov, attended the event and handed the St. Andrew’s Flag to the submarine’s commander, Captain 1st class Alexander Beketov.
Yevmenov expressed the certainty that Kazan’s crew would handle their mission of strengthening the nation’s defenses with dignity.
Project 885M (Yasen-M-class) submarines:
Project 885M Yasen-M, also referred to as Graney class, is a series of the newest nuclear-powered cruise missile submarines designed by Malakhit and Sevmash. Based on the Akula class and Alfa class designs, the Yasen class is projected to replace the Russian Navy’s current Soviet-era nuclear attack submarines.
Project 885/885M submarines are armed with Kalibr-PL and (or) Oniks cruise missiles and will eventually carry Tsirkon hypersonic missiles as their basic weapons.
Each submarine can carry 32 Kalibr or 24 Oniks (other sources claim 40 Kalibr and 32 Oniks) cruise missiles which are stored in eight (ten for 855M) vertical launchers (additional missiles may be carried in the torpedo room at the expense of torpedoes). It will also have ten 533 mm tubes and mines and anti-submarine missiles such as the RPK-7.
The first Russian submarine class is equipped with a spherical sonar, designated as MGK-600 Irtysh-Amfora. The device (allegedly the Irtysh/Amfora sonar system) was tested on a modified Yankee-class submarine. The sonar system consists of a spherical bow array, flank arrays, and a towed array.
Yasen-class submarines are the first to be equipped with a fourth-generation nuclear reactor. The reactor, built by Afrikantov OKBM, will allegedly have a 25-30-year core life and will not have to be refuelled.
Check out Naval Library App to find out the specifications of the Project 885M Class Submarines.
