According to GlobalFirepower.com’s 2023 Military Rankings, Russia operates 70-submarines, two more than the 68 US submarines.
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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.
According to GlobalFirepower.com’s 2023 Military Rankings, Russia operates 70-submarines, two more than the 68 US submarines. Along with fleet size, Russia operates attack and ballistic missile submarines which are upgraded, highly lethal, steatlhy and engineered with a suite of advanced technologies. The presence of Russian submarines, and the threat they pose, have arguably inspired the Pentagon to push the envelope of innovation and production for its own submarine force.
Yasen, Borei, Kilo, Typhoon, Delta
1. YASEN-M — Hypersonic Missile-armed Submarines
Russia’s Yasen-M ballistic missile submarines will fire the Zircon hypersonic cruise missile by 2025 from the ocean, a development marking a potential new era in maritime warfare threats.
The first Yasen-M boat in the class to fire the weapon will be the Perm, a vessel slated for commissioning in 2024, according to Russia’s TASS news service.