ST. PETERSBURG, November 13 (RIA Novosti) – The construction of a fifth Borey-class nuclear-powered ballistic-missile submarine is expected to begin in late 2014, Russia’s navy chief Adm.Viktor Chirkov said Wednesday.
“We have a state defense procurement program in line with which the construction of ships is taking place,” Chirkov told reporters on the sidelines of a conference on prospects of military shipbuilding until 2050.
“I cannot talk about a specific date … but the start to construction of another Borey will happen within a year,” he said.
The first Borey-class submarine, the Yury Dolgoruky, was commissioned into the Northern Fleet in January.
The third boat, the Vladimir Monomakh, is undergoing sea and state trials, while the fourth Borey-class submarine, the Knyaz Vladimir, has been under construction at the Sevmash shipyard in northern Russia since July 2012.
Borey-class ballistic-missile submarines are to become the mainstay of the Navy's strategic nuclear deterrent, replacing the aging Project 941 (designated by NATO as Typhoon-class) and Project 667 (Delta-3 and Delta-4) boats.
A total of eight Borey-class boats are to be built for the Russian Navy by 2020.
