The Russian Navy continues its buildup as the Western powers dither. Specifically, Russia’s once-mighty Northern Fleet appears to be breaking out of its post-Cold War era stupor and returning to its previous levels of lethality. 

On the morning of December 27, the Russian Navy reportedly received the newest Yasen-M-class nuclear-powered attack submarine. Built by the legendary Russian Sevmash shipyard, the submarine, designated K-564 Arkhangelsk, is now the fourth Yasen-M-class submarine built, and the second to be incorporated into Russia’s growing Northern Fleet.

The Importance of Russia’s Northern Fleet

Russia’s Northern Fleet is based in Severomorsk and its history as a strategic asset for Russia dates back to 1733, when the Northern Fleet was first created. Its area of operation is, as its name suggests, the regions around Russia’s northern frontier. So, you’ll find Russian Northern Fleet warships and submarines operating in the Arctic, as well as the Barents Sea, and Kara Sea. 

The Northern Fleet is also tasked with defending the approaches to Russia from places like the Norwegian Sea and Atlantic Ocean.

Back in 2008, Moscow’s annual National Security Memo, which outlines the main objectives and grand strategy for the Russian military, identified the Arctic as the most important strategic region for Russia. Even before Russia’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow spent its time and money modernizing and expanding the Northern Fleet to meet this desire to dominate the Arctic.

What’s more, now that the Ukraine war is underway, with NATO so heavily invested in supporting the Ukrainian cause against Russia, the Northern Fleet is on the hook for protecting the maritime passes into Russian waters on the side of Russia that borders Northern Europe.

Designed to replace the aging Oscar-class cruise missile and Akula-class nuclear-powered attack submarines from the old Soviet era, the Yasen-class was designed by the legendary Soviet-era Malakhit Marine Engineering Bureau to be deployed decades ago. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the chaos of the immediate post-Soviet era of Russia in the 1990s created many challenges that led Russian engineers to create an even more updated variant of the Yasen, which is the Yasen-M.

The Specs of the Mighty Yasen-M

Yasen-M-class submarines carry a crew of around sixty-four Russian sailors. This boat is one of the best submarines that Russia has produced. It’s meant to be a submarine killer, so it combines massive firepower, endurance, and stealth. That Russia seems to be frontloading its Northern Fleet with a whopping four of these boats should indicate to readers just how important Moscow views its northern frontier, both defensively and, more importantly, as a region of immense power projection.

A Yasen-M-class submarine displaces around 8,600 tons when surfaced and 13,800 tons when underwater. At the surface, she travels at 16 knots (just 18.41 miles per hour); undersea, however, Yasen-Ms become minnows. The average underwater speed for a Yasen-M is a little bit more than 35 miles per hour (31 knots).

For purposes of comparison, the United States Navy’s fastest boat is likely the advanced Seawolf-class nuclear-powered attack submarine, which travels at 35 knots, or 40 mph. Considering the extreme costs of the American submarine, though, compared to the relatively cheap Yasen-M class, the Russians have a scalable, cost-effective, and highly lethal boat that is more practical than the American systems are, unfortunately (for the West).

While in “quiet mode,” the submarine can operate between 20 to 28 knots (23 to 32 mph). If these claims by the Russian designers of the Yasen-M are true, then it rivals even the powerful (and infinitely more expensive) U.S. Navy Virginia-class subs.

In terms of her power plant, the Yasen-M comes equipped with a fourth-generation KTP-6 monoblock nuclear reactor. It is designed to run for twenty-five to thirty years without needing refueling. Her sonar is the spherical system known as MGK-600 Irtysh-Amfora that, according to Army Recognition, “enhances detection capabilities while maintaining minimal noise levels.” Indeed, the boat itself is constructed from low-magnetic steel, assisting in the sub’s impressive stealth capabilities.

More Powerful Than Its American & NATO Rivals

As for weapons, since it is technically a guided-missile submarine (SSGN), this boat carries a potent mix of long-range cruise missiles for sea-to-surface attack missions. Among the lethal payloads these boats carry are Kalibr and Oniks cruise missiles. Most naval analysts assess that the Yasen-M carries between twenty-four and forty missiles, thanks to its UKSK Vertical Launch System (VLS).

Moreover, the Yasen-M has been designed to incorporate the mighty Zircon hypersonic missile. The Americans lack both their own hypersonic weapon counterweight or a significant defensive capability to stop attacks from the Zircon and similar Russian hypersonic weapons platforms.

In other words, the U.S. Navy (and the navies of its NATO allies) are totally outmatched by the firepower of the Russian Northern Fleet’s Yasen-M-class submarines.

With 10 torpedo tubes (at 533 mm), the Yasen-M is meant for close combat with rival submarines. Utilizing its ultra-quiet rigging, these sea monsters can tailgate American or NATO subs, perhaps completely undetected, and then spring an attack on them with their 533 mm torpedoes.

Dittos for the Yasen-M attack profile against U.S. and NATO surface warships.

Russia’s Northern Fleet is becoming more lethal than what it is facing on the other side. This strategic imbalance, while still manageable for now, will become decisive in Russia’s favor over the next decade as the naval shipyards of the West continue struggling to meet present demand and increase productivity to meet the demands that the unstable global threat environment places upon them.

Brandon J. Weichert, a Senior National Security Editor at The National Interest as well as a Senior Fellow at the Center for the National Interest, and a contributor at Popular Mechanics, consults regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues. Weichert’s writings have appeared in multiple publications, including the Washington Times, National Review, The American Spectator, MSN, the Asia Times, and countless others. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine is available for purchase wherever books are sold. He can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.

Image: Kuleshov Oleg / Shutterstock.com