Borei Class (Project 955 Borei Class) Russian Nuclear-Powered Ballistic Missile Submarine

The Borei Class (Project 955 Borei Class) Russian Nuclear-Powered Ballistic Missile Submarine are series of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines being constructed by Sevmash for the Russian Navy. The class is projected to replace the Soviet-era Delta III, Delta IV, and Typhoon classes in Russian Navy service. Despite being a replacement for many types of submarines, the Borei-class submarines are much smaller than those of the Typhoon class in both volume and crew (24,000 tons opposed to 48,000 tons and 107 people as opposed to 160 for the Typhoons) and are in terms of class more accurately a follow-on to for the Delta IV-class SSBNs. The first design work on the project started in the mid-1980s and the construction of the first vessel started in 1996. Previously, a short-lived, smaller parallel design appeared in the 1980s with the designation Project 935 Borei II. A new submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) called the R-39UTTH Bark was developed in parallel. However, the work on this missile was abandoned and a new missile, the RSM-56 Bulava, was designed. The submarine needed to be redesigned to accommodate the new missile, and the design name was changed to Project 955. The vessels were developed by Rubin Design Bureau are being built by Russia's Northern shipyard Sevmash in Severodvinsk. Because of the repeated failures during Bulava test launches, some experts suggested that the Borei submarines could instead be armed with R-29RMU Sineva SLBMs, already in active duty with the Delta IV-class submarines. It has been reported that the arrival of the Borei class will enable the Russian Navy to resume strategic patrols in southern latitudes that have not seen a Russian missile submarine for 20 years. Borei class includes a compact and integrated hydrodynamically efficient hull for reduced broadband noise and the first-ever use of pump-jet propulsion on a Russian nuclear submarine. The noise level is to be five times lower when compared to the third-generation nuclear-powered Akula-class submarines and two times lower than that of the U.S. Virginia-class submarines. The acoustic signature of Borey is significantly stealthier than that of the previous generations of Russian SSBNs, nevertheless, the USN has been able to identify the main noise emitter, i.e. the hydraulic pump. As the pump ages, it tends to become noisier, allowing for easier detection of the submarine. The Borei submarines are approximately 170 meters (560 ft) long, 13 meters (43 ft) in diameter, and have a maximum submerged speed of at least 46 kilometers per hour (25 km; 29 mph). They are equipped with a floating rescue chamber designed to fit in the whole crew. Smaller than the Typhoon class, the Boreis were initially reported to carry 12 missiles but are able to carry four more due to the decrease in mass of the 36-ton Bulava SLBM (a modified version of the Topol-M ICBM) over the originally proposed R-39UTTH Bark. Cost is some ₽23 billion (USD$890 million), in comparison the cost of an Ohio-class SSBN was around US$2 billion per boat (1997 prices). Each Borey includes 1.3 million units and mechanisms. Its construction requires 17 thousand tons of metal which are 50 % more than the Eiffel Tower. The total length of pipelines is 109 km and the length of cable routes is 600 km. 10 thousand rubber plates cover the hull of the boat.