The Russian Sevmash shipbuilding enterprise has officially rolled out and floated the Ulyanovsk, the latest Project 885M (Yasen-M) class multirole nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine. Marked by a formal ceremony at the shipyard in Severodvinsk exactly nine years after its keel-laying on July 28, 2017, the milestone transitions the heavy stealth platform from baseline hull construction into the final phases of outfitting, systems integration, and pier-side testing. Russian naval command has slated the vessel for formal delivery to the Northern Fleet following the conclusion of state and sea trials targeted for late 2027.
As the sixth modernized serial-built variant in the Yasen class lineage, the Ulyanovsk incorporates extensive acoustic suppression measures, vibration-damped machinery mountings, and a massive spherical bow sonar array designed to provide exceptionally long passive and active detection ranges. Displacing roughly 13,800 tons submerged, the submarine is powered by a single 190 MW pressurized water nuclear reactor driving a pump-jet propulsion system, enabling underwater speeds exceeding 31 knots and operational diving depths down to 600 meters.
The platform’s combat punch centers on its versatile vertical launch system (VLS) silos, engineered to field a mixed payload of up to 40 Kalibr land-attack cruise missiles, P-800 Oniks anti-ship weapons, or upcoming 3M22 Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles. This heavy-strike capacity is paired with ten 533mm torpedo tubes relocated further aft to accommodate the voluminous bow sonar, allowing the vessel to simultaneously execute anti-submarine warfare, covert intelligence gathering, and strategic conventional deterrence missions across contested maritime approaches.
The float-out event closely aligns with broader announcements from Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Alexander Moiseyev confirming that the preceding Yasen-M boat, the Perm, is on track to enter active service before the end of the year as the world's first operational submarine armed natively with Zircon hypersonic missiles. With additional hulls such as the Murmansk recently laid down and others progressing through active assembly lines, Moscow is methodically replacing its aging legacy Soviet-era attack submarine inventory with standardized, highly automated fourth-generation platforms.
Ultimately, the steady expansion of the Yasen-M fleet underscores Moscow's long-term commitment to projecting undersea power across the Arctic, the Barents Sea, and the North Atlantic. As the Ulyanovsk begins its extensive trials itinerary ahead of its late 2027 commissioning, the continued fielding of these low-signature, heavily armed cruise missile submarines poses an escalating tactical challenge to NATO force-protection architectures and maritime dominance in northern European waters.
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