The Russian Navy has accepted delivery of the strategic ballistic missile carrier submarine Knyaz Vladimir from the Sevmash shipyard.
Xinhua quoted Sevmash shipyard as saying in a statement: “The acceptance certificate has been signed after the successful completion of all stages of the submarine’s testing, confirming its readiness for transfer to the navy.”
Laid down at Sevmash in 2012, the vessel delivered is the improved Borei-A class project of the fourth-generation nuclear submarines.
Borei-A-class submarines have the ability to carry up to 16 Bulava intercontinental ballistic missiles each. They are also armed with 533mm torpedo tubes.
The submarine has also upgraded features with better acoustic stealth, maneuvering and deep-sea running capabilities, and an improved armament control system.
The upgraded version of previous Borei-class vessels, these vessels are said to be a significant part of the Russia’s naval strategic nuclear forces in the future.
The missile carrier successfully concluded the state test cycle in December last year.
In October the same year, the vessel’s crew was successful in performing its first test launch of the Bulava missile from the White Sea. They also conducted the Kura test site in the far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula.
Currently, the Russian Navy operates three baseline Project 955 Borei submarines including Yuri Dolgoruky, Vladimir Monomakh, and Alexander Nevsky.
Located in the port city of Severodvinsk on the White Sea, Sevmash is the Russian Navy’s sole nuclear submarine manufacturer.
It is scheduled to deliver four more nuclear-powered Borei-A submarines to the Russian Navy this year. In addition, it plans to build two more vessels.
