Russian President Vladimir Putin has a new weapon at his disposal: a top-secret nuclear submarine named Severodvinsk.
The fourth-generation vessel, the first Yasen K-560 nuclear submarine, was christened Tuesday, the Russian news agency ITAR-TASS reported.
“The Navy’s incorporation of the new nuclear submarine Severodvinsk is a significant step toward strengthening the undersea component of the Navy potential. Rejuvenation of the submarine forces has come to a practical stage,” Russia’s Navy Commander Admiral Viktor Chirkov said Tuesday at the ceremony, Interfax reported.
“The submarine is equipped with the newest communications and navigation systems, a completely new nuclear power unit, and [it] carries powerful armaments, among them supersonic cruise missiles,” Adm. Chirkov added.
The Severodvinsk is the 131st nuclear submarine built for the Russian Navy. It was built at Russia’s largest shipyard, located at Sevmash.
“The key feature of the Yasen-class submarine, which still remains one of the Russian defense industry’s most closely guarded projects, is its universality, previously unachievable either by its Russian predecessors or their foreign equivalents,” Russia Beyond the Headlines reported Tuesday.
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• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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