Russia's Husky Class Submarine: Armed with Nuclear Torpedoes and Hypersonic Missiles?

[Onkel Neal]

Russia's Husky Class Submarine: Armed with Nuclear Torpedoes and Hypersonic Missiles?

The primary improvement Husky class’ lethality is the new missile it is slated to carry—the 3M22 Zircon hypersonic cruise missile. The Zircon was successfully tested in 2017, reaching speeds of up to Mach 8. These speeds will make it very hard to track and intercept, as a cruise missile would be able to travel from a ship’s radar horizon to the ship very quickly. Zircon’s ability to reach Mach 8 puts it at almost three times faster than prior generation missiles. The P-800 Onyks or P-700 Granit missiles, for instance, could only reach speeds of Mach 2.5. The Husky class would also be capable of carrying Kalibr cruise missiles.

A recent photo released by the design bureau behind the Husky class, SB Malachit, may shed light on how these armament systems will be implemented into the submarine’s design. In the photo, launchers are seen in the bow and middle of the submarine. Eight covers are seen opening in the middle of the submarine. As Mr. Valagin writes at rg.ru, there will be between 40–48 missiles underneath these covers, as a similar launcher construction on the Yasen­-class submarines holds between 4–5 missiles, depending on the type.

Sounds like Russian engineers have not lost touch with their excellence, I've always been impressed with Russian innovation in submarines.