Russia’s most advanced cruise missile nuclear sub arrives at Zapadnaya Litsa

The “Kazan” cruise missile submarine docked for the first time in Zapadnaya Litsa after sailing north from her construction yard in Severodvinsk, the press service of the Northern Fleet informed on June 1.

The nuclear-powered submarine took 12 years to build and is the first in a serie of the Yasen-M class vessels, an improved version of the first prototype, the “Severodvinsk” that came to the Northern Fleet in 2013. Seven similar submarines are currently under construction, with the last expected to be commissioned in 2027.

Zapadnaya Litsa is the westernmost of the Northern Fleet’s submarine bases on the Kola Peninsula, famous during the Cold War famous for both being homeport to the six giant Typhoon submarines but also most of the prototype nuclear-powered subs in the Soviet navy, like the “Komsomolets” (K-278).

Piers in Nerpitcha were specially constructed to serve the Typhoons. Located only 60 km from the border to Norway, Zapadnaya Litsa got special attention in 2019 when the “Severodvinsk” fired a Kalibr cruise missile without leaving the pier.

It was said to be the first time a nuclear-powered submarine launched a cruise missile directly from the base, a move drastically shortening the time it takes to make a submarine ready for combat.

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Additional to the ship- and land attack Kalibr missile, the “Kazan” submarine can carry Oniks anti-ship missiles and Kh-101 cruise missiles.

The two next Yasen-M subs to be commissioned (“Novosibirsk” and “Krasnoyarsk”) will likely be transferred to the Pacific Fleet, while the “Arkhangelsk”, “Ulyanovsk” and “Voronezh” is expected to be commissioned from 2022 to 2027, making it a total of five submarines of the Yasen and Yasen-M classes based in Zapadnaya Litsa.