Watch Russian submarine test fire cruise missile in Barents Sea

Russia’s Ministry of Defense reports that the submarine launched the state-of-the-art cruise missile last night from submerged position in the Barents Sea. The missile reached its target at the Chizha test range on the Kanin Peninsula in the southern part of Nenets Autonomous Okrug.

From launch to target was nearly 600 kilometers.

«Severodvinsk» is the lead submarine of the Yasen class and has Zapadnaya Litsa near Russia’s border to Norway on the Kola Peninsula as homeport. The multi-purpose nuclear-powered submarine is the most modern in the Navy and in addition to «Severodvinsk» six other subs of the class will be commissioned until 2023. 

This version of Kalibr is a supersonic land attck cruise missile.

Kalibr was first time used in warfare in October 2015 when 26 of them were launched from navy vessels in the Caspian Sea towards different targets inside Syria.

The Russian Northern Fleet will have an busy autumn. In addition to the submarine’s missile launch last night, a convoy of four warships and three support vessels from the fleet’s headquarters in Severomorsk are right now sailing in the Yenisei River as part of a longer Arctic voyage along the Northern Sea Route. Later on, up to 50 naval vessels will take part in an exercise to be held as a preparatory phase to the large-scale joint Russian-Belarus drill Zapad-2017 scheduled for the period 14-20 September.

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Read more news about military and security issues in the high north in the Barents Observer’s dedicated section on Security.