Russian President Vladimir Putin must finally be satisfied with his military, after taking a pounding during the war in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has agreed to a ceasefire and is pulling his troops out of Russia’s Kursk region.
Putin senses weakness and has not committed to a ceasefire agreement. Meanwhile, he holds the cards when it comes to nuclear weapons. The Russian nuclear triad is healthy, especially with 16 mostly modern nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs).
The SSBN fleet is the pride and joy of the Russian navy. There is no better way to deliver a nuclear weapon.
Undersea warfare with boomers grants advantages in stealth and range. Nuclear-powered SSBNs can sneak close even to the United States and fire their nuclear missiles—some of which have multiple warheads.
Borei-class Boomers Are Top-notch
The Borei-class of ballistic-missile submarines is the crown jewel of the Russian SSBN fleet.
In 2017, Russia launched its first Borei A-class submarine, dubbed the Knyaz Vladimir. In 2021, this sub became fully operational. The Borei boats are good at traveling quietly under the ice while patrolling the Arctic and other cold climates, and in 2019, the Russian navy said it would build two more Borei-class vessels to take advantage of this capability.
The Knyaz Oleg joined the fleet in 2021. The Generalissimo Suvorov, another Borei-class SSBN, entered service in 2022 and was assigned to the Northern Fleet. These two submarines can fire conventional cruise missiles in addition to their nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles.
Fast and Stealthy
There are now a total of eight Borei-class SSBNs, and five are the updated Borei-A models. Not only are the Borei-class and Borei A-class boats stealthy, but they are also fast; they can reach speeds of 29 knots underwater.
Each carries Bulava ballistic missiles with multiple warheads. The Borei-class features “pump-jet propulsion and other acoustic improvements, the Borei-class submarines are considerably stealthier than their Soviet-era predecessors,” according to the Nuclear Threat Initiative.
Older Workhorse Delfin-class Subs Still Pack a Nuclear Punch
Russia’s Delfin-class SSBNs are much older than the Borei-class, dating back to the end of the Cold War. Seven of these models are assigned to the Northern Fleet. They were made from 1985 to 1992, and these often are referred to as the Delta-IV class.
Delfin-class boomers travel at a slower 22 knots and are armed with the R-29M Shtil nuclear missile, alongside a collection of anti-submarine missiles and torpedoes. The Delfin-class can also launch a newer submarine-launched ballistic missile known as the Sineva that can carry four warheads.
There are seven operational Delfin-class subs, although these are not fully deployed at all times. Rotations in and out of maintenance give their crews a rest before they head out to sea again.
Don’t Forget the Kalmar-class Boomer
Russia also has one Kalmar-class SSBN that travels beneath the waves at a speed of 25 knots. The Kalmar-class boasts SS-N-18 Stingray ballistic missiles, plus an array of torpedoes, and one variant of anti-submarine missiles.
Putin has every intention of building more Borei-class subs to boost his SSBN fleet. Russia has for all practical purposes withdrawn from the New START treaty.
The Kremlin suspended Russia’s participation in that nuclear-arms-control pact in 2023, and Putin is not inclined to stop building SSBNs.
What Is Next With the American Submarine Program?
It is not clear what U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth thinks about arms control. Hegseth has prioritized construction of the Virginia-class fast-attack cruise-missile submarine. He has also named overall nuclear-force modernization efforts as one of his top priorities.
The U.S. Navy’s top goal is to build the future Columbia-class SSBN. This will be expensive, but Congress and the Navy brass believe the Columbia-class is a huge step up from its current fleet of submarines and will give the Americans the overall advantage in undersea warfare for decades.
This means that there is an arms race going on, with the United States and Russia pursuing new and improved ballistic-missile submarines. To stop it would require a new non-proliferation agreement between the two sides, and that doesn’t appear likely anytime soon.
U.S. President Donald Trump is using all of his international relations capital on ending the war in Ukraine, and that is all the United States can negotiate right now.
Russia seems to be in the driver’s seat with its nuclear triad. Its navy adds a deadly equation to the nuclear calculus.
Russian Yasen-class Submarine.
Moscow is ready to pour money into these subs and build more Borei-class boats; it will then look at updating all its ballistic missiles with multiple warheads.
With no arms-control measures in place, after the Russians walked away from New START, there will be continued interest in improving SSBN forces by both Russia and the United States.
About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood
Brent M. Eastwood, PhD is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
