Russia launches Yasen-M class Perm as first nuclear attack submarine specifically designed to carry Zircon hypersonic missiles.

On March 27, 2025, Russian President Vladimir Putin officially launched the Perm, a fourth-generation nuclear-powered attack submarine belonging to the Yasen-M class. Named after the city of Perm in the Urals, it is the sixth vessel in the Yasen/Yasen-M series and the first Russian nuclear submarine to be officially equipped with the 3M22 Zircon hypersonic cruise missile as a standard feature. The submarine was laid down on July 29, 2016, at the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk. Its launch marks a significant stage in the Russian Navy’s ongoing shipbuilding program. The Perm is scheduled to enter service with the Russian Navy in 2026.
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The Perm differs slightly in design from earlier Project 885M submarines to accommodate the Zircon missile system and is the first regular attack submarine specifically constructed for its deployment. (Picture source: Telegram/Dmitry Makhonin)

The Perm was laid down at Sevmash Shipyard on July 29, 2016, on the eve of Russia’s Navy Day. It is the second submarine in Russian naval history to bear this name; the earlier B-292 Perm was a Project 671RTMK submarine in service between 2002 and 2005. The current Perm belongs to the Yasen-M class (Project 885M), a modernized version of the Yasen-class submarines developed by the Malakhit Marine Engineering Bureau under Chief Designer Vladimir Pyalov. It is being constructed by Sevmash, part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation, which has been building Yasen-class submarines since 2009. The Perm differs slightly in design from earlier Project 885M submarines to accommodate the Zircon missile system and is the first regular attack submarine specifically constructed for its deployment. Sevmash has delivered several Project 885M submarines to the Russian Navy under the state defense procurement program, including Kazan (2021), Novosibirsk (2021), Krasnoyarsk (2023), and Arkhangelsk (2024). Additional submarines under construction include Ulyanovsk, Voronezh, and Vladivostok, with reported plans for more units, including Bratsk.

The Perm is powered by a KTP-6-185SP pressurized water-cooled nuclear reactor generating 200 megawatts (approximately 268,204 hp). Propulsion is provided through a single shaft and low-noise propeller, supported by two thrusters, allowing the submarine to reach speeds of up to 31 knots underwater and 16 knots on the surface. This fourth-generation nuclear reactor has a 25–30-year core life, eliminating the need for mid-life refueling, and allows natural coolant circulation, contributing to lower acoustic signatures. With a maximum diving depth of 600 meters and an operational depth of 520 meters, the Perm can remain submerged for up to 100 days. The vessel has a submerged displacement of 13,800 tons and a surface displacement of 8,600 tons, slightly less than earlier Yasen-M units. Its overall length is 130 meters, with a beam of 13 meters and a draft of 9.4 meters, and it accommodates a crew of 64 members.

The submarine’s armament includes 10 torpedo tubes of 533 mm caliber, located in the midsection of the hull and mounted at an angle due to the presence of a large spherical sonar array in the bow. It is capable of launching various types of torpedoes, including the USET-80, Fizik-2, and Case models, as well as naval mines. The Perm has eight vertical launch systems configured to carry either 4 P-800 Onyx anti-ship cruise missiles, 4 3M22 Zircon nuclear-capable hypersonic cruise missiles, or 5 3M14 Kalibr cruise missiles per launcher. For self-defense, the submarine also carries man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS), such as the Igla or Verba. The onboard systems include updated electronic weaponry, navigation, and hydroacoustic suites.

The 3M22 Zircon, now officially integrated into the Perm as a standard weapon, is a Russian hypersonic cruise missile developed by the Tactical Missiles Corporation (KTRV). According to available data, the missile is between 8 and 9.5 meters in length, with a warhead weighing 300 to 400 kg. Designed to strike naval and ground targets, it can reach speeds up to Mach 9 (approximately 11,025 km/h) and has an estimated operational range between 400 and over 1,000 kilometers. Combining an inertial navigation system with an active radar seeker for guidance, the Zircon flies at an altitude of 30–40 km during its mid-course phase to reduce air resistance, increasing both speed and range, though its speed decreases in the terminal phase due to increased atmospheric drag. Although it was declared extremely difficult to intercept, multiple air defense systems in use internationally — including THAAD, SM-3, SM-6, Patriot PAC-3, and Aster 30-based systems — are theoretically capable of engaging targets at similar speeds during the terminal phase.

Designed to strike naval and ground targets, the Zircon hypersonic missile can reach speeds up to Mach 9 (approximately 11,025 km/h) and has an estimated operational range between 400 and over 1,000 kilometers. (Picture source: Russian MoD)

Launched from the same UKSK vertical launch systems used for Onyx and Kalibr missiles, the Zircon has been subject to various tests since 2016. Notably, it was launched from the frigate Admiral Gorshkov and from submarines such as the K-560 Severodvinsk, a Yasen-class vessel. On October 4, 2021, Severodvinsk performed two test launches of Zircon from surfaced and submerged positions. In May 2022, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported a Zircon launch that struck a target 1,000 kilometers away. According to Russian officials, the missile is intended to replace the older P-700 Granit, and its deployment on submarines like the Perm reflects a shift toward integrating hypersonic strike capabilities within Russia’s underwater fleet. Previous submarines in the class did not include this system as standard and would require launcher modifications to do so. Although officially accepted into service on January 4, 2023, the Zircon missile's performance has been contested. Ukraine reported successfully intercepting Zircon projectiles with Patriot and SAMP/T air defense systems, suggesting that while the missile travels at hypersonic speeds during the mid-course phase, it decelerates to more interceptable speeds (Mach 4.5) during its terminal phase.

At the launch ceremony, President Putin stated that Russia would increase the pace and volume of ship construction for both surface and underwater platforms, including strategic naval assets, and would equip them with updated weapons and communication systems to reinforce national interests and maritime security, particularly in the Arctic. Russian media also reported that during his visit to Murmansk, Putin visited the nuclear submarine Arkhangelsk, another vessel of the Yasen-M project, and toured the Atomflot facility, which manages Russian icebreaker operations. The head of United Shipbuilding Corporation, Andrei Puchkov, stated that Sevmash will receive new government orders similar to those currently under execution, allowing continued modernization and technological re-equipment of the shipyard. This continued modernization and expansion of the Russian fleet is expected to secure maritime borders, the Northern Sea Route, and national interests across multiple regions of the world's oceans. Puchkov also noted that Sevmash now delivers one or two nuclear submarines annually and maintains high production standards.

The Yasen-class (Project 885), known in NATO as the Graney class, is a series of Russian nuclear-powered cruise missile submarines designed to replace earlier Soviet-era types such as the Akula and Oscar II classes. Unlike earlier double-hull designs, these submarines are primarily constructed with low-magnetic steel and feature a high degree of automation. This class also introduced a one-and-a-half hull design and integrated new electronic systems and vertical missile launchers. The sonar suite includes a large spherical bow array and flank arrays, with the torpedo tubes moved to accommodate this system. Developed starting in the 1980s by Malakhit, the first submarine, Severodvinsk, was laid down in 1993, launched in 2010, and commissioned into the Northern Fleet on June 17, 2014. Severodvinsk is the only Project 885 submarine; all subsequent vessels are built to the improved Project 885M specification. In earlier assessments, Western defense analysts described the Yasen class as quiet but not at the level of the latest U.S. Navy submarines such as the Seawolf and Virginia classes.

The Yasen-M class (Project 885M) is a modernized version of the original Yasen design, with reduced length, improved hydrodynamics, updated sonar, lower noise emissions, and systems built exclusively by Russian suppliers. Eight units have been laid down. Five have been launched or commissioned: Kazan (commissioned May 7, 2021), Novosibirsk (commissioned December 21, 2021), Krasnoyarsk (December 11, 2023), Arkhangelsk (December 27, 2024), and Perm (launched March 27, 2025). Three additional submarines — Ulyanovsk (laid down July 28, 2017), Voronezh (laid down July 20, 2020), and Vladivostok (laid down the same day) — are under construction. Another boat, Bratsk, is scheduled to be laid down in 2025. The class is expected to form the core of Russia’s fourth-generation multipurpose submarine fleet. Certain future boats will be armed with extended-range Kalibr-M missiles capable of striking targets at distances of up to 4,500 kilometers.