The Prince Vladimir was laid down in 2012 and will become the fourth submarine in the series of eight Borei-class underwater cruisers and the first submarine of the improved Borei-A Project. The Severodvinsk Shipyard in north Russia has laid down the eighth Borei-class submarine Prince Pozharsky on Friday. Three submarines of this class have already been delivered to the Navy. Each such Borey-class submarine carries 16 Bulava intercontinental ballistic missiles.
In comparison to the Borei-class, Borei II-class submarines are fitted with four additional missile tubes, boast smaller hulls and cons, and feature improved acoustics and lower sound levels, next to a number of other technical improvements. Both variants of Borei-class subs will be armed with Bulava (RSM-56) intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). The Borei-class will be capable of carrying up to 16 Bulava ICBMs, whereas the improved Borei II-class can carry up to 20 ballistic missiles.
The improved variant of the Borei-class will be capable of launching 96-200 hypersonic, independently maneuverable warheads, yielding 100-150 kilotons apiece.
The Project 885-M Yasen M-class Kazan, laid down already in 2009, is an improved variant of the Yasen-class and reportedly will be one of the quietest subs ever to be commissioned into the Russian Navy.
The 13,800-ton, 390-foot long and highly automated Yasen-class of Russian attack submarines was supposed to replace older Soviet-era multi-purpose nuclear submarine models by 2020. However, only two Yasen subs will be completed by 2020 due to financial constraints.
The Yasen M-class and both variants of the Borei-class are also expected to be fitted with a new deep-water torpedo in 2017
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