Russia’s Knyaz Vladimir submarine completes state trials.

The advanced Project 955A nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine Knyaz Vladimir (NATO reporting name: Dolgorukiy-class) has completed the cycle of its state trials at Northern Fleet training ranges in the White Sea and arrived in Severodvinsk in north Russia, the Defense Ministry’s press office said.

Knyaz Vladmir during sea trials in February 2019 (Picture source: HoteitH)

"During the trials, the seamen held torpedo firing against an underwater and a surface target in the White Sea. Besides, the Knyaz Vladimir submarine’s crew performed the first test launch of a Bulava [SS-NX-32] sea-based intercontinental ballistic missile from the White Sea towards the Kura training range in Kamchatka [in Russia’s Far East]," the press office said.

The test firing was supported by the Belomorsk naval base.

The Knyaz Vladimir nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine was built under the improved Project 955A.

Compared to the first three Project 955 submarines, the Knyaz Vladimir features a lower noise level and more sophisticated maneuvering, running balance and armament control systems.

The fourth-generation Project 955 nuclear-powered submarine is designed for elimination of the enemy’s strategic land targets and for tactical missions, in particular, antisurface and antisubmarine operations. The submarine embodies advanced shipborne radio electronics and design solutions improving the hull’s hydrodynamics and slashing the noise.

The submarine’s primary weapon is the sophisticated R-30 Bulava multiple individually-targeted re-entry vehicle (MIRV) submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) with a range of over 8,000 kilometers (4,971 miles). Each Project 955 submarine carries 16 solid-propellant Bulava intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

The submarine is equipped with a surfacing escape chamber for the whole crew.

The submarine has a length of 170 meters, a width of 13.5 meters and a submergence depth of 450 meters. Its crew totals 107.

© Copyright 2019 TASS. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.