A Khabarovsk class submarine (Project 09851) is one of a series of five nuclear-powered attack submarines, which will be in service with the Russian Navy in the next couple of years. The first and lead sub of this class was named after the Russian city of Khabarovsk. She was launched on November 1, 2025. She has the same configuration of a Borei class submarine, from which she was developed. However, with a 137-m-long hull, the Khabarovsk class sub is smaller than a Borei boat, which is 160-m in length. The reason for this is that the latter one is a ballistic missile submarine, and the former an attack underwater vessel.
The Khabarovsk class submarine is perhaps, together with the Yasen class, the most advanced and stealthiest attack submarine in the world today. These are the main characteristics that make this boat class a cutting-edge underwater weapon: the vessel features a traditional titanium double-hull structure; it’s not just a submarine; it is the first-ever vessel specially designed to carry the Poseidon underwater drone, which is a nuclear-capable autonomous vehicle that can strike distant targets with unprecedented stealth. Each one of these submarines will be able to carry six or more Poseidons (some sources suggest up to 12) for deep‑sea, long‑range missions. Aside from the Poseidon, the Khabarovsk is armed with fast powerful torpedoes and is equipped with vertical launch tubes for cruise missiles in anti‑ship/land‑attack missions.
"Today is a significant event for us – the heavy nuclear-powered attack submarine Khabarovsk is being launched from the renowned Sevmash shipyard," Defence Minister Andrei Belousov said after Navy Commander Admiral Aleksandr Moiseev smashed the traditional bottle of champagne into the hull of submarine. The Defence Ministry confirms on Telegram that the new submarine will carry robotic weapons systems "for various purposes."
Specifications
Type: nuclear attack submarine
Builder: Sevmash
Displacement: 14,000 tons (submerged)
Length: 137 m
Beam: 12 m
Draft: 7 m
Propulsion: one OK-650V nuclear fission reactor; one steam turbine; one pump-jet.
Maximum Speed: 35 knots (submerged)
Range: 27 years (she must moor at base for food and water supply).
Compliment: 114 men
Armament: 10 Poseidon underwater vehicles; anti-ship and land-attack missiles; 533-mm torpedo tubes.
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| Above, the first Khabarovsk class submarine, which was launched on November 1, 2025. |
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| The aft portion of the new attack submarine. The tail is shrouded for security reason. It uses a pump-jet propulsion system. |
