Russia has signed a new-generation nuclear submarine deal with United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) as a part of the armaments modernisation programme.

According to Reuters, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has made $9bn worth of orders for the navy.

The Yasen-class submarine has an estimated value of $1.3bn and was developed as a replacement for the navy’s Akula-class attack boats.

The 119m-long submarine can be equipped with supersonic high-speed missiles and torpedoes, but is incapable of carrying long-range ballistic missiles such as the Bulava.