What got The Express’ knickers in a twist this time was the K-564 Arkhangelsk, a Yasen-M class nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine that recently underwent sea trials and is expected to enter service in December.
While the newspaper fears that this submarine “could be undetectable by Western adversaries” and could pose a serious threat to “NATO military bases, naval convoys, and onshore critical infrastructure during a crisis,” it remains to be seen what Arkhangelsk is truly capable of.
Here is what is currently known about the sub:
- It can dive up to 600 meters deep and has a maximum speed of 16 knots on the surface and 31 knots underwater
- The submarine has a crew complement of 64 and an endurance of about 100 days, limited by food and maintenance requirements.
- The vessel’s armament includes 533mm torpedo tubes and vertical launch silos for Oniks anti-ship cruise missiles, Kalibr cruise missiles and Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles. Both Kalibr and Zircon missiles are nuclear-capable.