MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The unique architecture of the Yasen-class submarines makes them stand out from anything Russia had before.
A battery of slanted 533 mm torpedo tubes are not located in the immediate bow as in the previous Akula-class subs, but is moved aft, in close vicinity of eight vertical launchers for Kalibr and Oniks cruise missiles.
"On July 28, the multipurpose nuclear submarine Ulyanovsk built on the improved Yasen-M project will be laid at the Sevmash [shipyard]," Korolev told graduates of the Russian Navy educational institutions.
A combination of torpedoes and missiles enables the sub to effectively engage a wide range of targets from submarines and stationary land facilities to all types of surface ships. Before very long, the Yasen submarines will also be armed with heat-seeking torpedoes.
Yasen-class submarines will be the first Russian SSNs/SSGNs equipped with a fourth generation nuclear reactor. The reactor has a 25-30-year core life and will not have to be refueled.
Currently under construction at Sevmash shipyards are Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Arkhangelsk and Perm Yasen-class multirole nuclear submarines.
