UnderSea Threat: Top 5 Russian Submarines

By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization

With one corroded and much damaged aircraft carrier which may never set sea again, and a small fleet of destroyers and surface warships, the Russian Navy is ill-equipped to project global power and operate as a substantial threat or counter to the US Navy.  The Russian Navy can perhaps operate as a regional power in the Black Sea or along the Northern Sea Route with its icebreakers. The Russian Navy could possibly also present some kind of a threatening presence in the Baltic Sea … however, while the Russian Navy is likely a threat taken seriously, Russia’s surface fleet does not by any estimate pose a serious threat to US Naval supremacy. This has been the case for many years, as Russia may not have the ambition to become a dominant global naval power such as the US or China. 

Russian Submarines … however, present a totally different threat equation, as they not only rival the US in terms of sheer fleet size but may also be competitive when it comes to quieting technologies, firepower, nuclear-weapons delivery and even hypersonic missile attacks.