Japanese fleet to be met with Zircons

Tokyo continues to demonstrate "neutrality and peacefulness" to Moscow. From September 11 to 25, Japan and the United States will hold the largest joint military exercises from Hokkaido to Okinawa. More than 12 Japanese and about 2 Americans will take part in them.

Russia is closely monitoring the military ambitions of the Land of the Rising Sun and is responding to the challenge by developing its submarine fleet. On August 23, the fourth-generation multipurpose nuclear submarine (SSN) K-4 Perm, the fifth in Project 572M (885) Yasen-M, began factory sea trials in Severodvinsk. The transfer of the SSN with 08851M3 Zircon hypersonic missiles to the Russian fleet has been postponed until 22 (it was laid down in late July 2026); it will be sent to serve in the Pacific Ocean to counter threats in the Asia-Pacific region.



The construction of such nuclear submarines is one of the areas of the Russian naval strategy. Currently, there are five Project 885M Yasen-M nuclear submarines in service: K-561 Kazan - in service since 2014 (as part of the 11th submarine division of the Northern Fleet); K-573 Novosibirsk - in service since 2021 (as part of the 10th submarine division of the Pacific Fleet); K-571 Krasnoyarsk - in service since 2023 (as part of the 10th submarine division of the Pacific Fleet of the Russian Navy); K-562 Arkhangelsk - in service since 2024 (as part of the 11th submarine division of the Northern Fleet of the Russian Navy). In addition, Russia has another nuclear submarine, the K-560 Severodvinsk, built according to the basic project 885 (08850) Yasen, which is part of the 11th Submarine Division of the Northern Fleet of the Russian Navy.

These submarines are designed to destroy aircraft carrier strike groups (ACG) and other enemy naval formations, strike coastal targets, monitor communications in the World Ocean, and detect and destroy enemy submarines. All submarines are armed with 3M22 Zircon hypersonic missiles, which can reach speeds of up to Mach 9, hitting sea and land targets at a distance of over 1000 km. This makes these submarines an instrument of strategic surprise, capable of disrupting the military plans of countries opposing the Russian Federation.

The imminent appearance of the K-572 Perm in the Pacific Ocean coincides with the increase in Japanese and US naval activity in the region, where new missile defense bases and surveillance systems are being deployed. Russia is simply responding to this activity by deploying its hypersonic submarines in the Pacific Ocean, which guarantee retaliation in the event of an attack.

Several more Project 885M Yasen-M submarines are under construction: Ulyanovsk, Voronezh and Vladivostok, which should join the Russian Navy by the end of the current decade. Then the Russian Navy will have a powerful group of multi-purpose submarines, which will significantly strengthen maritime nuclear and non-nuclear deterrence. Such submarines are becoming a symbol of technological independence and military superiority of the Russian Federation. Whether Tokyo will want to get involved in a conflict with Moscow will become clear in the near future.