Putin announces new submarines despite industry tensions
The Kremlin leader unveiled the plans during the launching ceremony of the new nuclear submarine Perm, belonging to the Yasen-M class, which was held last week. This submarine will be the first to be used full-time as a launch pad for the hypersonic cruise missile Zircon.
Initially, after the withdrawal of Soviet submarines, the Russian military leadership had planned to build 30 Yasen-class submarines and 14 strategic Borei-class units. However, Putin's announcement marks a change in Moscow's naval ambitions, with the target revised to 10 units for each class.
One of the main obstacles to the realisation of these programmes is the Sevmash shipyard, which is a real bottleneck in the production chain. In recent years, the pace of construction has been below expectations and only recently has the facility undergone a modernisation process.
According to Pavel Luzin, a Russian defence expert at the Center for European Policy Analysis in Washington, the production line of the Yasen-M submarines could be suspended soon, in view of the start of construction of the new class of fifth-generation nuclear submarines by 2027, called Husky.
The complex combination of Russia's current naval capabilities is also causing the authorities to hesitate about the expansion of the Yasen fleet, partly due to the lack of support systems such as reconnaissance satellites, escort ships and surveillance aircraft. This was pointed out by Dmitry Smirnov, a Russian military analyst.
Further complicating the situation is the increasing shift of the defence budget towards the production of armaments for the war in Ukraine. This has significantly reduced orders for Sevmash, causing wage cuts among employees, according to economist Vyacheslav Shiryaev.
Finally, the sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine deprived Russia of access to key foreign components, forcing the starting from scratch for some critical submarine systems.
Born Alessandro Generotti, C.le Maj. Parachutist on leave. Military Parachutist Patent no. 192806. 186th RGT Par. Folgore/5th BTG. Par. El Alamein/XIII Cp. Par. Condor.
Founder and administrator of the website BRIGATAFOLGORE.NET. Blogger and computer scientist by profession.
