Borei class submarine

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Career
Borei submarine mockup
Laid down:	November 2, 1996
Launched:	N/A
Commissioned:	N/A
General Characteristics
Length:	170 metres
Diameter:	13.5 metres
Draft:	10 metres
Displacement:	Surfaced: 14,720 tonnes Submerged: 24,000 tonnes
Propulsion:	1×ОК-650В nuclear reactor 1×AEU steam turbine 1×shaft and propeller
Complement:	130 officers and men
Armament:	12×Bulava (Yury Dolgoruky only) SLBMs 16× Bulava (other ships of class) SLBMs 6×SS-N-15 (533mm torpedo tubes)

The Borei class (or Borey; Russian: Борей, named after Boreas) is a nuclear-powered ballistic missile-carrying submarine (SSBN) currently in development by Russia. It is intended to replace the Typhoon class in the Russian Navy.

Work on the first unit of the Borei class (officially designated Project 935) started in 1996. A new submarine-launched ballistic missile was developed in parallel, called the SS-N-28. However, the work on the SS-N-28 was abandoned, and a new missile called the SS-NX-30 Bulava was designed. The submarine needed to be redesigned to accommodate the new missile, and the project name was changed to Project 955.

The Borei is claimed to represent the state of the art in submarine design, incorporating characteristics that make it superior to any submarine currently in service, such as the ability to cruise silently and be less detectable to sonar. Costing some $2 billion USD, Borei is approximately 170 metres long, 10 metres in diameter, and has a maximum submerged speed of at least 25 knots. Smaller than the Typhoon class, the Borei was initially slated to carry the same number of missiles, 20, but has been forced to sacrifice 8 missiles due to the increase in mass of the 45 ton Bulava SCBM (a modified version of the new Topol-M ICBM) over the proposed SS-N-28. The boats following Yury Dolgoruky will be longer and will carry 16, rather than 12, Bulava missiles.[1]

As of late 2005 there are three Borei class submarines under construction. The first, named Yury Dolgoruky, was initially expected to enter service in 2006, but in late 2005 the Navy Commander-in-Chief said it would not be ready until 2007. The others are named Alexander Nevsky and Vladimir Monomakh. The planned contingent of 10 strategic submarines is expected to be commissioned within the next decade (5 "project 955" are planned for purchase to 2015 [2]).