Yasen - class submarine The Yasen - class submarine ( Russian : Проект 885 " Ясень " , " ash tree " , NATO reporting name " Severodvinsk " , also known , erroneously , as the " Graney " class ) is a new category of Russian nuclear multipurpose attack submarine . Based on the and the s it is projected to replace Russia ' s Soviet - era attack submarines , both Akula and Oscar class . History . Yasen - class submarines were designed by the SKB - 18 design bureau , with work on the initial design scheduled for start in 1977 and completion in 1985 . The design task was subsequently taken over by the famous Malachite Central Design Bureau , which is one of the three Soviet / Russian submarine design centers , along with Rubin Design Bureau and Lazurit Central Design Bureau ( " Lazurit " is the Russian word for lazurite ) . Construction on the first submarine started on 21 December 1993 with its launch slated for 1995 and commissioning for 1998 . However , the project was delayed due to financial problems and it appeared during 1996 that work on the submarine had stopped completely . Some reports suggested that as of 1999 the submarine was less than 10 percent completed . In 2003 the project then received additional funding and the work of finishing the submarine continued . In 2004 it was reported that the work on the submarine was moving forward , but due to the priority given to the new SSBN , " Severodvinsk " , the lead unit of the " Yasen " class would not be ready before 2010 . In July 2006 the deputy chairman of the Military - Industrial Commission , Vladislav Putilin , stated that two " Yasen " - class submarines were to join the Russian Navy before 2015 . On 24 July 2009 work on a second Yasen submarine , named " Kazan " , was started . On 26 July the Russian navy command announced that starting in 2011 , one multipurpose submarine would be laid down every year , although not necessarily of this class . An August 2009 report from the U . S . Office of Naval Intelligence estimated the Yasen - class submarines to be the quietest , or least detectable , of contemporaneous Russian and Chinese nuclear submarines but is still not as quiet as contemporary U . S . Navy submarines ( i . e . Seawolf and Virginia class ) . In April 2010 it was reported that the 7 May launch of the first boat had been postponed due to ' Technical Reasons ' . The launch of the first ship of this class and the beginning of sea trials was reported in September 2011 . A third submarine is expected to be laid down by the end of 2011 . K - 329 " Severodvinsk " went on her first voyage in September 2011 in order to conduct sea trials . On November 9 , 2011 Russia signed a contract for 4 Yasen class submarines to be delivered by 2016 . On July 26 , 2013 a third submarine , The " Novosibirsk " , was laid down . Costs . It was speculated that the cost of the first Yasen - class submarine was around 1 billion USD . Although another source claims that the price was actually 2 billion USD . Recent reports from unnamed sources speculate that the first - of - class ( Severodvinsk ) unit cost was 50 billion rubles ( roughly 1 . 6 billion USD ) while the second boat ( Kazan ) will cost an estimated 110 billion rubles ( 3 . 5 billion USD ) . This would make Kazan the most expensive SSN / SSGN in the world together with USS Jimmy Carter ( SSN - 23 ) . A single Yasen class submarine allegedly costs as much as two Borei class submarines . In 2011 , ( then ) Defense Minister Anatoliy Serdyukov criticized the ever increasing cost of the Borei and Yasen class submarines . The Minister described the massive increase in cost between the first and the second Yasen class submarine as " incomprehensible " . However , he insisted that the Ministry of Defence and Sevmash ( builder ) would resolve the issue . Officials from the United Shipbuilding Corporation replied that work done in Sevmash accounts to only 30 % of the submarines completion cost , the remaining 70 % being linked to suppliers / contractors . Description . The vessel ' s design is claimed to be state - of - the - art . The Yasen - class nuclear submarine is presumed to be armed with cruise missiles , with several types suggested , but not limited to the 3M51 Alfa SLCM , the P - 800 Oniks SLCM or the RK - 55 Granat SLCM as well as the 3M - 54 Klub ( SS - N - 27 " Sizzler " ) . The 3M - 54 Klub has several variants including the 3M54E ( terminal - supersonic ) and 3M54E1 ( subsonic ) antiship , 91RE1 antisubmarine , and the 3M14E land - attack variant . It will also have 8 x 650 mm and 2 x 533 mm tubes as well as mines and anti - ship missiles such as the RPK - 7 . This class is the first Russian submarine to be equipped with a spherical sonar , designated as Irtysh - Amfora . The device ( allegedly the Irtysh / Amfora sonar system ) was tested on a modified Yankee class submarine . The sonar system consists of a spherical bow array , flank arrays and a towed array . Due to the large size of this spherical array , the torpedo tubes are slanted . The hull is constructed from low - magnetic steel . The submarine has a crew of about 90 , suggesting a high degree of automation in the submarine ' s different systems . The newest U . S . attack sub , the , has a crew of 134 in comparison . Yasen - class submarines will be the first Russian SSNs / SSGNs equipped with a fourth generation nuclear reactor . The reactor will allegedly have a 25 - 30 year core life and will not have to be refueled . A VSK rescue pod is carried in the sail . Deployment . None to date . Unit still fitting out after being launched . Satellite photos . The first unit K - 329 " Severodvinsk " can be seen in the waters of the naval base / submarine manufacturing / scrap base of Severodvinsk , Russia The image suggests that the Yasen true length is about 140m .