Key Points and Summary – Russia’s Borei-class (Project 955/955A) SSBNs are the keystone of its modern sea-based deterrent, set to replace aging Delta and Typhoon boats.
-Eight are in service with more ordered. Smaller and stealthier than Typhoon (24,000-ton submerged, crew ~107), Boreis are 170 m long, pump-jet propelled, and OK-650 nuclear-powered, making up to 29 knots.
Russia’s Borei-Class Submarine. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
-Each carries 16 RSM-56 Bulava SLBMs (≈8,000 km), typically 6–10 MIRVs of 100–150 kt.
-Despite advanced sensors and quieter acoustics, the program faces shipyard backlogs and lingering Bulava reliability issues—traceable to adapting a land-based ICBM lineage—along with manufacturing quality problems.
Russia’s Borei-Class Submarines
The Russian Navy commands one of the largest submarine fleets in the world, with an estimated 64 vessels. It considers its 16 nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) integral to its strategic deterrent.
Russia has significantly modernized its submarine force in recent years – unlike most of its other naval vessels.
The new Borei-class of strategic submarines will eventually replace all of Russia’s remaining Delta and Typhoon models.
However, for now, Moscow will keep them all online. It needs the firepower for its navy.
Meet The Borei Class of Missile Submarines
The Borei-class (Project 955) nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine is a series of SSBNs being constructed by Sevmash for the Russian Navy. The Russians currently have eight of the Borei-class missile boats, but has ordered more.
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 at once, the Borei-class vessels 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, compared to 160 for the Typhoons). In terms of class, they are most accurately a follow-on to the Delta IV-class SSBNs.
The Borei-class submarines are 170 meters long, 13.5 meters wide, and have a draft of 10 meters. They have a submerged displacement of 24,000 tons and can reach a top speed of 29 knots. The submarines are powered by a single OK-650 nuclear reactor.
The Borei-class submarines are “considerably stealthier than their Soviet-era predecessors,” according to the Nuclear Threat Initiative.
The Borei is considered the most advanced SSBN Russia has ever built. The subs have new electronics and control systems, as well as a pump-jet propulsion system that makes it significantly quieter than its predecessors.
The Russian Navy faces a considerable backlog of modernization, maintenance, and dismantlement tasks.
This has led to delays in Borei-class construction despite an increased defense budget and has forced the Russian Navy to retain two aging Kalmar-class (NATO: Delta III) boats in service.
Borei-Class Submarines’ Armaments
The Borei-class is equipped with 16 Bulava Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) silos capable of carrying 160 nuclear warheads. It features advanced sonar and navigation systems, enhancing its stealth and combat capabilities. The Bulava has a range of 8,000 kilometers.
Initially, the Borei-class was designed to carry the R-39UTTH Bark missile, but it was redesigned to accommodate the newer Bulava SLBM.
Problems With the Bulava Missiles
Russian engineers encountered a bevy of issues while developing the Bulava-class SLBM.
The Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology developed the missile.
The missile is 12.1 meters long and has a diameter of 2.1 meters, including the launch container. It weighs a total of 36.8 metric tons and can carry from six to ten re-entry vehicles with a yield of 100–150 kilotons each.
However, the issue was that it was based on the design of the land-based Topol M Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, according to a Russian missile design engineer.
“It is not a difficult engineering challenge to use a missile originally designed to be launched from a ship or a submarine and then employ that as the template for a missile to be launched from land,” the engineer stated.
“But to go in other direction – try to turn a land-based ICBM design into something that can tolerate the stresses and negative impact on accuracy and launch trajectory that being at sea can cause – is problematic in the extreme.
“It is this mistake – made at the beginning of the project when the Bulava design contract was awarded – that has caused so many missile test failures and has bedeviled this submarine program from Day One.”
Many issues, including defective components and poor-quality work, have been attributed to the manufacturing process rather than the missile’s fundamental design.
About the Author: Steve Balestrieri
Steve Balestrieri is a National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing on defense, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications.
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