The Seventh Borei-class
nuclear-powered missile submarine (Project 955A/Borei-A) - the Emperor
Alexander III, for the Russian Navy, will be laid down at the Severodvinsk
shipyard on December 18, Russian Defence Ministry’s spokesman
for the Navy Igor Dygalo said on Monday.
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"The
laying down ceremony of the Emperor Alexander III newest Borei-A project
nuclear submarine will be held at the Sevmash shipyard in the city of
Severodvinsk on December 18," the official said.
According to Dygalo, the ceremony will be attended by representatives
of the Russian Defence Ministry top leadership, the Navy chief command,
the Northern Fleet command and the White Sea naval base.
"The series of the fourth-generation nuclear-powered submarine
cruisers of projects Borei and Borei-A, armed with the Bulava ballistic
missiles, is to become the core of the Russian naval strategic nuclear
forces for the coming decades," Deputy Commander of the Russian
Navy Viktor Bursuk said.
Dygalo said that three Borei-A project submarines - the Knyaz Vladimir,
Knyaz Oleg and Generalissimo Suvorov - are currently at different stages
of building at the Sevmash shipyard.
The Russian Navy operates three Borei-class submarines, the flag ship
Yury Dolgoruky, Alexander Nevsky and Vladimir Monomakh. The first two
were commissioned in 2013, while the latest one is in active service
since December 2014. The first submarine of the Project 955-A Borei-II
class, dubbed Knyaz Vladimir, is expected to enter service in 2017.
By 2020, the Russian Navy plans to operate a total of eight Borei class
ballistic missile submarines, three Project 955 subs and five Project
955-A vessels. The Borei class submarines are expected to remain in
service for decades to come, at least until 2040. |
