Russian Navy’s special-mission nuclear submarine Belgorod delivered

Sevmash Shipyard, part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation, has delivered the special-mission, nuclear-powered submarine Belgorod.

The delivery ceremony took place on 8 July at the company’s shipyard in Severodvinsk.

“When creating the ship, advanced scientific achievements and the latest construction technologies were applied using the existing technical knowledge. The Belgorod submarine opens up new opportunities for Russia in conducting various research, and allows conducting diverse scientific expeditions and rescue operations in the most remote areas of the world,” Commander-in-Chief of the Navy Nikolai Evmenov stated.

The submarine Belgorod was designed by Rubin Design Bureau. The company launched the vessel in April 2019.

Belgorod started construction in July 1992 and was initially to be part of the Project 949A submarines, which are also known as Oscar II class.

Russian media reports say that the decision to convert Belgorod to a unique special-mission submarine (designated Project 09852) was made in 2012.

Belgorod will reportedly be capable of carrying up to six nuclear-powered and nuclear-armed Status-6 torpedoes. The 24-meter “drones” are also known as Kanyon or Poseidon, and can field a 100-megaton nuclear warhead while achieving a maximum speed of 185km/h.

The ship is designed to solve diverse scientific problems, conduct search and rescue operations, and can also be used as a carrier of rescue deep-sea and autonomous unmanned underwater vehicles.