Russia’s Borei-A-class submarine, the newly commissioned Knyaz’ Pozharskiy to name one, represents leaps up in strategic capabilities for the Russian Navy. Equipped with 16 Bulava intercontinental ballistic missiles and state-of-the-art sonar systems, they are stealthy designs suited to strategic nuclear deterrence.
The Borei-A class is much quieter and tech-savvier than the earlier predecessors which would qualify as a significant threat to Western forces.
These submarines are going to be stationed in the Northern and Pacific Fleets, thus strengthening Russian strategic positioning and deterrence power in such strategically important global regions.
Moscow was going to have had by the 2030s a fleet of 12 Borei-class submarines, with the purpose not merely to deter perceived adversaries but, upon necessity, to launch nuclear attacks.
Knyaz’ Pozharskiy, the newest Borei-A-class submarine, has been launched from the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk. It is the fifth unit to be produced according to Russia’s program 955A.
By the end of 2024, the submarine will be incorporated into service with the Northern Fleet. The Northern Fleet operates, along with other forces, to deter possible NATO interference in the war in Ukraine, and open waters of the Baltic Sea for Russia.
The Borei-A has 16 3M30 intercontinental submarine-launched ballistic missiles under the Bulava System, and six 533 mm launchers for torpedoes, anti-submarine rockets, and bottom mines.
The Knyaz’ Pozharskiy is the first in Russia’s fleet to make use of a pump-jet thruster, which will improve its acoustic discretion. Its single 170MW OK-650W nuclear reactor will power its propulsion system.
It carries on its nose the state-of-the-art MGK-600B Irtysh-Amfora-Borei sonar system with a spherical antenna. Reconciling the need for noise reduction and this advanced sonar system has placed the Borei-A squarely among a category of boats that Western forces fear most: nuclear launchers.
Beyond the Northern Fleet, Borei-class submarines are also planned for the Pacific Fleet, where such aircraft-carrier killers will be strong deterrents to other major power competitors in the region, including the United States.
There is an urgent need in the sparsely populated and constantly threatened Russian Far East for a solid, modern naval presence.
The Knyaz’ Pozharskiy, currently at sea trials, is expected to be ready for battle in the second half of 2024 or early 2025. These submarines will be patrolling the northeast Barents Sea and sneaking under the Arctic ice cap as part of the nuclear deterrence missions, forming a key part of the Northern Fleet’s main element in Putin’s nuclear strategy.
No one can undermine Russia in the manufacture of SSBN. Putin managed to pull out from the New START nuclear arms reduction so that Russia could take the lead both in the boomer technology and ICBMs. The renewed interest in nuclear capabilities reminds me of the Cold War arms race.
The United States naval intelligence will be very busy trying to find out where all these Borei-A-class submarines are coming from. These represent an important part of Russia’s nuclear triad, featuring modernized propulsion and noise canceling.
The fact that the country is at war in Ukraine speaks little about its submarine industrial base, which is modernized. This is a message to NATO and the United States that it is capable of actually following through on nuclear rhetoric with some advanced undersea capabilities.