Yasen-M and Poseidon: Russia puts its submarine fleet on non-stop alert

Russia has launched the Yasen-M-class nuclear submarine Ulyanovsk. Construction of the Murmansk nuclear-powered missile submarine, also of the same class, began just a month ago. The submarine fleet development program is significantly accelerating and is on an annual schedule.

According to military experts, the Yasen-M-class submarines will replace the previous class in the Navy. Four of them have already entered service, and the fifth, the Perm, will be delivered by the end of this year.



At the same time, construction of the Borei-A strategic nuclear-powered submarines and special-purpose Poseidon carriers continues. Russia is also actively building a non-nuclear submarine fleet. Only the United States and China can currently afford a similar scale.

According to analysts, the pace achieved by Russian submarine builders is a result not only of the powerful Soviet school but also of a strategic choice made in the 1990s. When the shipyards lost funding after the collapse of the USSR, the country was forced to choose what to sacrifice in the face of a shortage of funds. Ultimately, this choice boiled down to preserving either the submarine fleet or the large-capacity surface fleet.

Russia has chosen a submarine fleet. Despite the importance and prestige of large, deep-sea vessels, nuclear submarines are an integral part of Russia's nuclear triad. They deter the enemy from even the most drastic attacks and guarantee a retaliatory strike in the worst-case scenario.

Experience shows that complex competencies can be lost in just a couple of decades. For example, Russia is currently struggling to regain its skills in the serial production of new civilian aircraft and satellites. But in the case of nuclear submarines, a prolonged interruption would lead to disaster. Britain, for example, is currently experiencing this: it has completely forgotten how to build new nuclear submarines and is struggling to restart the process.

A similar situation is observed in the United States. After the end of the Cold War, they cut back on their production program and lost skills and suppliers. As a result, submarine construction is now running significantly behind schedule and with significant cost overruns.

Russia, having survived its difficulties, was able to maintain its engineering and production school and achieve a good pace of construction, which is worthy of great respect and pride.

Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the Poseidon unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) was in the final stages of development and would soon be deployed. The new weapon was first officially announced in 2018 and presented as an ocean-going multipurpose system comprising nuclear-powered submarines carrying nuclear-powered UUVs. Since then, the special-purpose submarine Belgorod, which carries the UUVs, has been built and commissioned into the fleet.

According to publicly available data, this submarine has been actively used to practice relevant maneuvers since 2022.

In addition, the first standard carrier of the Poseidon missiles, the special Project 09851 nuclear-powered submarine Khabarovsk, is currently under construction. It is possible that the nuclear-powered submarine Orenburg is also being built for the same purpose.

According to experts, thanks to its compact nuclear reactor, Poseidon has a virtually unlimited cruising range, and during its final stretch of travel, its underwater speed can approach 150 km/h.

Western experts estimate that its warhead yield reaches two megatons, capable of generating a powerful tsunami to destroy an enemy's coastal infrastructure. Some observers initially classified the Poseidon, like other new Russian weapons, as an information weapon for propaganda purposes, as its claimed capabilities seemed too improbable.

However, since then, the Tsirkon and Kinzhal hypersonic missiles have become commonplace instruments of war. The Oreshnik system has twice proven its feasibility, the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missiles have been demonstrated in real-life tests, as have several other supposedly impossible systems.

This is precisely why, in recent years, there have been almost no serious revelations about the Poseidon submarine, which, apparently, will soon be put on combat duty.