Russia will reportedly build six more Borei II-class ballistic missile submarines instead.
The Russian government has reportedly cancelled an upgraded variant of the nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) Project 955A Borei II-class (“North Wind”) or Dolgorukiy-class following a cost-effectiveness analysis, according to a Russian defense industry source.
The so-called Borei B-class (Borei III) of SSBNs, which was expected to feature a new water jet propulsion system, an upgraded hull, and new noise reduction technology, next to others, is also apparently no longer listed in Russia’s state armament program for 2018-2027. An earlier draft had included a provision for the construction of four Borei B-class subs. “After the analysis of proposals on building Borei-B nuclear-powered submarines, a decision was made to give them up as the project of building these subs does not meet the ‘cost/efficiency’ criterion. Instead, the final version of the state armament program through 2027 includes Borei-A[Borei II-class] submarines,” the source told TASS news agency on May 21.
