Russian Yasen-Class Nuclear Submarine Detected Near UK Waters, NATO Alarmed

(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — The United Kingdom has convened an urgent security meeting following the detection of a Kazan-class nuclear submarine by a Royal Air Force (RAF) P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft in the western coastal waters of the UK.

The Russian nuclear submarine, weighing 13,800 tons, was located after RAF maritime patrol aircraft deployed sonar buoys to monitor submarine activity beneath the surface.

 It is believed to be heading towards Scottish waters, home to the UK’s nuclear submarine base at Faslane.

The base hosts all four of the UK’s Vanguard-class nuclear submarines—HMS Vanguard, Vengeance, Victorious, and Vigilant—each equipped with Trident intercontinental ballistic missiles.

These 15,900-ton Vanguard-class submarines are aging and are scheduled to be replaced by the newer Dreadnought-class.

 

The presence of the Yasen-class submarine along the UK coast has alarmed NATO leaders, concerned that the Russian submarine may be attempting to identify vulnerabilities within the alliance.

The British Prime Minister and the Secretary of Defence have been briefed on the situation.

 This detection follows a declaration by Russian President Vladimir Putin promising to “punish” the West for supplying Ukraine with long-range missiles like the ATACMS, allowing attacks on Russian targets and authorizing the use of Russia’s frozen assets worth £40 billion in response.

The Yasen-class submarines represent some of the most advanced in the Russian Navy, capable of carrying a variety of weaponry, including the hypersonic Tsirkon missile.

Capable of speeds up to Mach 10, the Tsirkon can strike targets over 1,000 km away, and the submarines are also armed with Kalibr cruise missiles and torpedoes.

 

While the exact number of Kalibr missiles aboard including those on the Kazan is undisclosed, the first of the Yasen class, the Severodvinsk, carries 40 Kalibr missiles.

Recently, another Yasen-class nuclear submarine, along with three Russian warships, visited Havana, Cuba—close to the United States border—likely heightening tensions between the two superpowers.

This “friendship visit” marks the largest deployment of Russian naval forces to Central America in decades.

 According to the Cuban government, the vessels involved in the visit include the frigate Admiral Gorshkov, the nuclear submarine Kazan, the fuel supply ship Pashin, and the rescue tugboat Chiker.

The Yasen-class submarine Kazan was commissioned in 2021, having been launched from Sevmash Shipyard in Severodvinsk after construction began in 2009 and completed in 2017. — DSA