In April 2019, during the “60 Minutes” program broadcast by CBS News, Admiral James Foggo, then head of US Naval Forces Europe and Allied Joint Force Command Naples, had admitted that he was particularly concerned about the “Severondvinsk”, a nuclear attack submarine [SNA] belonging to the “Yasen” class [ou Iasen] and admitted to service by the Russian Northern Fleet six years earlier.
“The Severodvinsk inaugurates an entirely new class of submarines. It is very effective and very silent, which is the most important thing for submarine warfare,” Admiral Foggo had indeed declared… who then took refuge behind the confidentiality of operations to avoid answering the question of whether the US Navy had already lost track of this new Russian SNA.
However, Pentagon officials told “60 Minutes” reporters that the Severodvinsk had eluded all attempts by the US Navy to find it in the Atlantic for weeks. “In a crisis, it could be a disaster,” CBS News said.
However, the K-560 Severodvinsk was put on hold in December… 1993, that is to say thirty years before its admission to active service. And this because of the economic slump which the Russian had to face in the 1990s… But not only since the naval singer Sevmash was also confronted with financial and technical difficulties. However, Russian engineers improved the design and capabilities of this submarine, which served the following units, which are believed to be more efficient. So much so that it would be appropriate to speak of a new class, in this case the Yasen-M.
For the moment, Moscow intends to equip its naval forces with ten Yasen-M class submarines, in addition to the K-560 Severodvinsk, which is also participating in the development of the Zircon hypersonic missile. In 2021, K-561 Kazan and K-573 Novosibirsk were admitted to active service, while K-571 Krasnoyarsk was preparing for a sea trial campaign.
Obviously, as this program progresses, Russia will be able to keep several Yasen-class SNAs at sea. United [NORTHCOM]during a parliamentary hearing last week.
The risk “absolutely increases. Last year, Russia deployed Yasen in the Pacific. […] Now we have them in the Atlantic, but we also have them in the Pacific. And it’s only a matter of time – probably a year or two – before it becomes a persistent threat, 24 hours a day,” said General VanHerck.
Especially since the oceanic component of Russian nuclear deterrence is modernizing, with the gradual arrival of nuclear ballistic missile submarines [SNLE] of the Borei class. The sixth in the series, K-553 Generalissimo Suvorov was admitted to service in 2022. And the seventh, called “Emperor Alexander III”, should be in this year. A total of twelve units will be built.
Anyway, Yasen-M class SNAs [sans oublier le K-560 Severodvinsk] will allow Moscow to exert pressure on the western and eastern coasts of the United States, potentially with the ability to launch a strike on very short notice, especially when these submarines can implement Kalibr missiles and, above all, Zircon . However, the US Navy would not have sufficient resources to counter such a threat… especially since it must also keep an eye on the activities of Chinese naval forces, both in the Pacific [avec Taïwan en ligne de mire] than in the Arctic.
“Russia has modernized its icebreaker fleet, strategic defense and submarine forces. China is sailing in the Arctic under cover of [missions] of research and we know that it carries out military operations, surveying the seabed”, indeed advanced the boss of the US NORTHCOM. However, he added, American forces “are not organized, trained and equipped to operate and intervene in the Arctic”.
