Newest submarine arrives in home base Zapadnaya Litsa
We had a problem with thick sea-ice, captain Aleksandr Gladkov says about the voyage from Severodvinsk to the naval base in the Kola Peninsula. The Arkhangelsk is Russia's fourth multipurpose submarine of the Yasen class.
"In the first part of the voyage, our main problems was connected with sea-ice, and we had to be escorted by an icebreaker" Gladkov says in an interview.
The Arkhangelsk was handed over to the Northern Fleet in late December 2024 and subsequently set course for the shallow White Sea and then the Kola Peninsula. Underway, several tests were conducted.
According to Gladkov, the submarine is performing well.
"The vessel is brand new, and the most modern of the four vessels of its class. All issues from the former vessels have been taken into account," he underlines.
The submarine crew is now to undergo additional training and the vessel will subsequently join the permanent readiness forces of the Northern Fleet, the Russian Navy informs.
As previously reported, the Arkhangelsk is the forth of the Yasen-M class built in Severodvinsk . Two are already sailing for the Pacific Fleet, while the third, the Kazan, belongs to the Northern Fleet. Including the prototype vessel of the Yasen class, the Severodvinsk, the new Arkhangelsk will be the third of the class deployed with the Northern Fleet.
Yasen and Yasen-M class are 4th generation multipurpose nuclear-powered submarines in the Russia navy.
The Arkhangelsk (K-562) was rolled out of the ship hall at Sevmash in late November 2023 and spent 13 months on sea trials, including navigation and weapons testings in the White Sea and Barents Sea.
The Yasen-M class can carry Kalibr and Oniks cruise missiles, but more important for the navy is arming these new submarines with the Tsirkon hypersonic cruise missiles, a weapon key for Russia in the ongoing naval arms race with NATO.
Russia is planning to expand its fleet of the Yasen-M class to 12 vessels. Half of them could be based in the Northern Fleet.
