Key Points and Summary – Born to match America’s Ohio-class, the Project 941 Typhoon-class was the USSR’s ultimate second-strike machine: a double-hull giant with two reactors, under-ice tactics, and 20 R-39 missiles carrying up to 200 MIRVed warheads.
-Measuring 175m and displacing 48,000 tons submerged, it mixed survivability with unheard-of crew amenities for months-long Arctic patrols.
Russia’s Typhoon-Class Submarine. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Typhoon-Class Submarine. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Typhoon-Class. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
-Anechoic tiles, isolated machinery and polar basing kept it hidden; reinforced sails punched through ice to launch.
-Post-Cold War budgets, START limits, and eye-watering upkeep killed the fleet after just six boats.
-Dmitry Donskoy lingered as a testbed until 2023, with smaller, stealthier Borei SSBNs now carrying Russia’s deterrent.
The Typhoon-Class Submarine Was the Size of Some Aircraft Carriers
During the Cold War, the Soviet Union was known for its naval mishaps. From missing ships to flat-out mutinies, there was always an issue in the Soviet Navy.
There were, however, a few exceptions that stood out. The Project 941 Akula (NATO reporting name: Typhoon) nuclear submarines were some of the largest and most capable submarines ever built by the USSR.
Equipped with the latest stealth technology and capable of carrying up to 20 nuclear missiles, these advanced submarines posed an existential threat to the US and NATO every time they left for deployment.
Design and Development of the Typhoon-class
The Typhoon-class was first developed in the 1970s during a period of increased tensions with the West. At that time, the United States had deployed the Ohio-class SSBNs, which carried 24 Trident missiles capable of striking targets across continents.
To maintain strategic parity and uphold the doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction, the Soviet Union needed a platform that could deliver devastating second-strike capability even under the most adverse conditions.
The solution was audacious: create the largest submarine ever built, capable of operating beneath Arctic ice, carrying an enormous payload of nuclear missiles, and ensuring survivability against NATO’s anti-submarine warfare efforts. Thus, the Typhoon-class was born.
Measuring 175 meters in length, 23 meters in beam, and displacing nearly 48,000 tons when submerged, it remains the largest submarine ever constructed. To put this into perspective, its displacement was almost twice that of the US Ohio-class SSBN. One of its most distinctive features was its double-hull structure, consisting of two parallel pressure hulls with additional smaller compartments in between.
This configuration provided enhanced survivability, as damage to one hull would not necessarily compromise the entire vessel, and it created extra space for crew comfort and storage of provisions for extended patrols.
What Separates the Akula from Other Submarines
Unlike many submarines of its era, especially Soviet submarines, the Typhoon was designed with the welfare of its crew in mind. Long-duration missions under Arctic ice demanded amenities that could sustain morale. The Typhoon offered a swimming pool, a sauna (yes, this is real), and relatively spacious living quarters.
These luxuries were not mere indulgences but essential for maintaining psychological resilience during months-long deployments in extreme conditions.
Two nuclear reactors provided propulsion, each driving a steam turbine connected to a shaft. This dual-reactor setup offered redundancy and immense power, enabling the submarine to reach speeds of up to 22 knots while submerged and granting virtually unlimited range, constrained only by food supplies and crew endurance.
Reinforced sails and specialized sonar systems allowed the Typhoon to surface through thick Arctic ice, a critical feature for launching missiles from concealed positions.
The Submarine that Can Level a Small Country
The heart of the Typhoon-class lay in its armament. Each submarine carried 20 R-39 Rif (SS-N-20 Sturgeon) submarine-launched ballistic missiles. These missiles were enormous, each exceeding 16 meters in length and weighing nearly 90 tons. With a range of approximately 8,300 kilometers, they could strike targets across continents.
Each missile carried multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles, with up to ten nuclear warheads per missile.
This meant a single Typhoon could deliver 200 nuclear warheads, enough to devastate entire nations. The missiles were housed in vertical launch tubes located forward of the sail, a unique arrangement compared to Western designs.
Despite its size, the Typhoon incorporated advanced noise-reduction technologies for its time. Anechoic tiles on the hull absorbed sonar signals, machinery was isolated to reduce acoustic signature, and patrol routes beneath the polar ice cap exploited natural cover to evade detection. Operating under Arctic ice gave Typhoon-class submarines a strategic advantage, allowing them to remain hidden from NATO’s anti-submarine forces and launch missiles from unexpected vectors.
Service Life and Retirement
A total of six Typhoon-class submarines were built between 1981 and 1989: TK-208 (Dmitry Donskoy), TK-202, TK-12, TK-13, TK-17, and TK-20.
These boats served primarily with the Northern Fleet, conducting deterrent patrols in Arctic waters. However, their operational life was relatively short due to high maintenance costs, the economic collapse of the Soviet Union, and arms reduction treaties such as START I and II. By the early 2000s, most Typhoons were retired and scrapped.
Only Dmitry Donskoy remained in service for testing the Bulava missile system until its final decommissioning in 2023.
After their retirement, the Typhoon-class was replaced by the Project 955A Borei-class (NATO reporting name: Dolgorukiy) submarines.
These ships are smaller than their predecessors, measuring only 170m in length and capable of carrying 16 nuclear missiles.
Still, the Borei-class is an overall improvement in terms of stealth systems, radar, and sonar suites, among other aspects. Eight ships have already been completed, with an additional six on the way, and the full fleet is expected to be more than twice as large as the old Typhoon fleet.
About the Author: Isaac Seitz
Isaac Seitz, a Defense Columnist, graduated from Patrick Henry College’s Strategic Intelligence and National Security program. He has also studied Russian at Middlebury Language Schools and has worked as an intelligence Analyst in the private sector.
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