K-564 Arkhangelsk: Russia’s Fourth Yasen-M Class Submarine Joins Northern Fleet
The Russian Navy officially commissioned the “K-564 Arkhangelsk,” the fourth multipurpose nuclear-powered submarine of the Yasen-M project (Project 885M), during a ceremony held last week at the JSC PO Sevmash (Northern Machine Building Company) shipyard in Severodvinsk. The handover ceremony was led by the Russian Navy’s Commander-in-Chief, Admiral Alexander Moiseev, and witnessed by a large number of military officials and representatives of contractor organizations.
Speaking at the ceremony, Admiral Moiseev stated:
“Today is a significant day for the entire Navy! The fourth modern nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine of the Yasen-M family is assuming its mission to protect the maritime borders of our great homeland. These submarines are already operating successfully with the Pacific and Northern Fleets, proudly carrying the St. Andrew’s flag across the world’s oceans.”
After the ceremony, the flag of St. Andrew with two blue diagonal stripes on a white background was hoisted on the mast of “K-564 Arkhangelsk”, the new boat then sailed to the submarine base Zapadnaya Litsa on the Kola Peninsula to join the 11th Submarine Division. Located about 45 kilometers from the border with NATO member Norway, Zapadnaya Litsa is Russia’s largest and most strategically significant naval base for nuclear-powered submarines. It is also home to another Yasen-M class submarine, the K-561 Kazan. The other two submarines in the project, “K-573 Novosibirsk” and “K-571 Krasnoyarsk”, are active in the Pacific Fleet.
The Yasen-M class (Project 885M) is an improved version of the Yasen nuclear attack submarine, which was designed in the 1980s and took nearly 20 years to complete construction due to financial constraints. The submarines offer significant advances over their predecessor, including a redesigned hull for optimized performance, a new power supply system, and improved acoustic defenses to reduce noise signatures and increase stealth capabilities.
These submarines measure 130 meters in length, 15 meters in beam, and have a displacement of 13,800 tons. They can dive to depths of 600 meters, reach speeds of up to 31 knots underwater, and operate continuously for 100 days with a crew of 64. The Yasen-M class is armed with eight torpedo tubes, 3M-14 Kalibr cruise missiles, P-800 Oniks supersonic anti-ship missiles, and the 3M22 Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles, which are capable of striking naval and land targets within a range of 1,000 kilometers.
In the coming years, the Russian Navy plans to commission four more Yasen-M submarines under construction: Perm, Ulyanovsk, Voronezh, and Vladivostok. In addition, Russia has announced its intention to order three more Yasen-M class submarines in 2023, bringing the total fleet size to 12. However, there has been no recent announcement regarding the construction schedule of these additional submarines.
Andrey Sergeyevich Puchkov, General Director of JSC United Shipbuilding Corporation, noted that over 400 organizations and enterprises contributed to the construction of the nuclear submarine. He added, “We will continue to provide our naval forces with a powerful and modern fleet. We will do whatever is necessary to achieve this goal.”
In addition to the Yasen-M class, Russia is continuing the construction of Borei-A (Project 955A) nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines as part of its nuclear force modernization program, which aims to replace aging Soviet-era submarines with advanced systems. The first four Borei-A submarines—Knyaz Vladimir, Knyaz Oleg, Generalissimus Suvorov, and Imperator Aleksandr III—joined the Northern and Pacific Fleets between 2020 and 2024. The fifth submarine, Knyaz Pozharsky, was launched in 2024 and is expected to join the Northern Fleet by 2026. Meanwhile, two additional Borei-A class submarines—Dmitry Donskoy and Prince Potemkin—are currently under construction at the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk.