Russia has launched its first nuclear submarine armed with the Zircon hypersonic cruise missile.
The Perm is the sixth vessel in the Yasen-class Project 885/885M family and is expected to be commissioned into the Russian Navy’s Pacific Fleet next year.
“I congratulate you, all the naval sailors and shipbuilders of Russia, on this great, milestone event,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the launch.
“Today, in Severodvinsk, at the legendary Sevmash, a new multipurpose nuclear submarine Perm is being launched.
We continue serial production of modern submarine missile carriers, and this is already the fifth nuclear submarine of the Yasen-M project. Next year, it should join the Navy and begin performing combat missions.”
The Perm
Unlike previous Russian nuclear attack submarines, Yasen and Yasen-M vessels are multi-role platforms, capable of striking both naval and land-based targets with vertically launched cruise missiles, in addition to their traditional hunter-killer role.
The Yasen class is intended to replace Russia’s Akula and Oscar-class submarines, with five vessels already in service.
The lead vessel was built to the original Yasen specifications, while subsequent submarines were constructed under the modernized Yasen-M design.
The Perm is the first Yasen-class submarine to be equipped with hypersonic missiles.
No additional specifications have been disclosed, but its predecessor, the Arkhangelsk, has a length of 426 feet (130 meters) and a hull diameter of 42.6 feet (13 meters).
Zircon Hypersonic Missile
The Zircon has a reported range of 500 to 1,000 kilometers (311 to 621 miles), depending on its trajectory.
It can fly at Mach 8, or almost 9,900 kilometers/6,138 miles per hour, making it nearly impossible to intercept with current air defense systems, according to the US-based Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance (MDAA).
“If that information is accurate, the Zircon missile would be the fastest in the world, making it nearly impossible to defend against due to its speed alone,” CNN wrote, citing the alliance.
Additionally, during flight, the missile is enveloped by a “plasma cloud” that absorbs radio waves, making it invisible to radar, according to the MDAA.
Although not officially acknowledged by Russia, the missile’s combat use in Ukraine was claimed by a Ukrainian government-owned forensic research institute in February 2024.
According to the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise, debris recovered from a February 7 attack on Kyiv suggests the use of a Zircon missile.