Russian Navy Northern fleet prepares to accept Arkhangelsk Yasen-M cruise missile submarine.

According to news published by the Russian press agency TASS on June 10, 2020, the Russian Navy Northern fleet is preparing to accept the cruise missile submarine Arkhangelsk latest Yasen-M-class SSGN (Ship Submersible Guided Nuclear) of project 885M. The commander will be appointed by the end of the year and the crew formed. The submarine is to join a division of the Russian Navy Northern fleet.
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Russian Navy Yasen-M-class SSGN Ship Submersible Guided Nuclear of project 885M. (Picture source Russian Mod)

The crew will be trained in the Navy center in 2021 and will go to the shipyard to test the submarine. The SSGN can destroy warships and ground objects with Kalibr and Tsirkon missiles, the Izvestia daily writes.

Defense Ministry sources said the crew will be formed by the end of the year in the 11th submarine division of the Northern fleet. The captain and his mates will be appointed shortly. The crew will begin training in early 2021 and will accept the Arkhangelsk at the shipyard.

The Northern fleet currently operates the Severodvinsk Yasen-class lead SSGN of project 885. Subsequent subs are built by upgraded project 885M. The Kazan SSGN is to be handed over to the Navy in autumn. The Arkhangelsk is the fifth submarine of projects 885 and 885M. It was laid in 2015.

Crew training to operate new nuclear submarines comprises several stages and can last several years, expert Igor Kurdin said. “They first appoint the captain, then mates and sailors. Theoretical training is provided in one of the two Navy centers in Obninsk and Sosnovy Bor. The navymen then go to the shipyard to assist in the final stage of construction. The crew and designers participate in mooring, running and acceptance trials to test maneuvering and arms engagement. If the sub is the first in the series, the crew will test operate it, then accept the sub and make the first combat sortie,” he said.

The crew do not change and operate the submarine for several years to know it in detail. Not everyone is ready for such an ordeal and a stop in the career growth, Kurdin said.

The navymen have also to master the latest missiles. Project 885M submarines belong to the fourth generation and can fire various arms. The range of missions has considerably increased. In particular, project 885M SSGN can destroy warships and submarines and strike at strategically important ground facilities. They are armed with homing and remotely operated torpedoes. The submarines can also lay minefields.

SSGN carries Kalibr cruise missiles and Onix antiship missiles to destroy all types of warships. They operate in heavy fire and electronic warfare. Kalibr have been engaged in strikes from the Caspian and the Mediterranean Seas at terrorist objects in Syria. In future, the submarines will be armed with hypersonic Tsirkon missiles.

The crews of project 885M submarines will have to learn the new element base and improved equipment and materials. A multirole information system of radioactive control and warning has been designed for projects 885 and 885M. The nuclear reactor has a new design, as the first contour of coolant pipelines is located inside the hull. The new reactor will demand a thorough study, the Izvestia said.

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