“Archangel” and “Curly” in the Line of Russian Monster Submarines

A new surprise has been presented by the Russian defense industry. The second ship of the Yasen M class, Perm, also known as "Si Keriting," was inaugurated by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Weighing nearly 10,000 tons, the submarine is capable of carrying missiles that can travel up to nine times the speed of sound.

Putin inaugurated Perm, also known as "The Curly One," and inspected its "sibling," Arkhangelsk, also known as "The Archangel," in Murmansk, Russia, on Thursday (27/3/2025). The port near the Arctic Circle often freezes, making it suitable for Arkhangelsk and Perm. "With this, I officially inaugurate the operation of the ship," said Putin.

Perm and Arkhangelsk are both capable of launching Zircon, Russia's hypersonic missile. Putin claims that no countermeasure weapon has yet been able to intercept Zircon.

Russia claims that the Zircon can accurately hit targets up to 900 kilometers away. Due to its speed and maneuverability, theoretically, hypersonic weapons are difficult to intercept. Hypersonic weapons move quickly and do not follow ballistic rules. Meanwhile, various air attack interceptors adhere to ballistic rules.

As a result, theoretically, hypersonic weapons are now almost impossible to intercept. Even if they can be destroyed, the kinetic energy from their velocity allows the debris of hypersonic weapons to still penetrate steel.

Perm and Arkhangelsk are both named after cities in Russia. The vessels belong to the Yasen class, a series of Russian nuclear-powered submarines capable of launching nuclear missiles.

In 2019, a top US military commander called the Yasen ships difficult to detect. The comment was made regarding the Severodvinsk, the first of the Yasen-class ships and fully operational since 2014.

The Yasens are Russia's most advanced attack submarines. They are equipped with stealth capabilities. Early Yasens can launch Russia's flagship missiles, the Kalibr and Oniks. Later series such as the Arkhangelsk and Perm can launch the Zircon.

Both Perm and Arkhangelsk were built at the Sevmash shipyard in Murmansk, near the Russian-Finnish border.

Arkhangelsk and Perm are part of Russia's plan to be more powerful in the Arctic Ocean. The ocean is an alternative access for Russia to Africa. Unfortunately, from Russia to Africa, there are a number of countries that are hostile to Russia, from Finland to England, then Spain.

Moving silently in the Arctic allows Russia to approach Canada and the northern coast of Europe without detection. That stealth, as retired US Navy Admiral James Foggo has called it, is a key advantage of the Yasen.

The nuclear reactor on the OK-650 KPM engine as a power source allows Perm and Arkhangelsk to dive up to 600 meters below sea level. The 43,000 horsepower of the OK-650 KPM allows Arkhangelsk to travel up to 35 knots, equivalent to 60 kilometers per hour of land speed.

Built to the original Cold War-era design, Yasen displaces 6,500 tons. When submerged, due to the added weight of the ballast, Arkhangelsk can displace close to 14,000 tons.

The weight makes Arkhangelsk called the "Monster Submarine". The monster ship can survive up to three months under the ice-covered sea.

Yasen is indeed equipped with a number of technologies that other submarines do not have. Its technology is designed to survive the extreme cold under the Arctic Ocean.

The weight of the Yasen ships is partly due to carrying Oniks missiles that can weigh 7 tons per unit. Each Yasen is said to be able to carry up to 32 Oniks or 40 Kalibr. In addition to vertical launchers to fire missiles, Yasen ships are equipped with up to 10 torpedo launcher tubes.

Yasen-M is said to have more automatic instruments than Yasen. Therefore, the Yasen-M crew is smaller than Yasen, 64 compared to 85 people.

Perm and Arkhangelsk are called submarine hunters. Their silence is an important asset as hunters. Perm and Arkhangelsk can bring nightmares to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

During the Ukrainian war, Russia has repeatedly demonstrated the capabilities of Kalibr. While Zircon has never been tested on the battlefield. However, this does not mean that it can be underestimated.

NATO's naval fleet could be crippled by a stealthy interception by Perm or Arkhangelsk. The ability to operate under the ice would allow Perm or Arkhangelsk to cut off NATO's logistics routes around the Arctic.

NATO's founding nations have experienced the pain of having their logistics lines cut off by submarines. This happened during World War II by German and Japanese submarines.

Arkhangelsk Commander, Senior Navy Colonel Alexander Gladkov, said the crew had practiced transfers between bases. The results were considered perfect and ready to be implemented in the mission.

Chief of the Russian Navy Staff Admiral Alexander Moiseyev inaugurated the Arkhangelsk's incorporation into the Russian Navy, on December 27, 2024. The ship was assigned to the Northern Fleet.

The Russian Northern Fleet is based in Severomorsk north of the city of Murmansk, operating in the Arctic Ocean, the Barents Sea and the Kara Sea. Its main task is to guard Russia's northern borders, especially in response to geopolitical dynamics involving NATO and also developments in Ukraine. The location of Severomorsk to the open sea is about 30 kilometers.

Arkhangelsk's main tasks are strategic deterrence, anti-submarine warfare (ASW), power projection, and Arctic Operations. There are strategic sea lanes such as the strait between Iceland-Greenland and the strait between Iceland-Faroe Islands and Scotland.

The existence of Arkhangelsk and similar ships, in addition to their deterrent and power projection functions, can also guarantee the ability of survivors in a nuclear scenario to launch a counterattack because they are capable of carrying nuclear missiles.

The Arctic region is increasingly contested as global warming causes the ice at the North and South Poles to melt. This melting opens up shipping lanes and opportunities to exploit oil, gas and mineral resources.

Russia has staked claims to parts of the Arctic shelf and deployed its submarine fleet to assert those claims. The northern Russian sea lane also cuts shipping time from Russia's European territories to Asia by up to two weeks by bypassing the Mediterranean and the Suez Canal.

The strategic value of the Arctic region has led to an increased military presence in Russia and NATO, especially from the US, Canada and Norway. This situation opens up opportunities for cooperation and open confrontation.

The international community has agreed to encourage scientific cooperation in the Arctic region. At the same time, there is an arms race in the same region. In this case, the presence of the Arkhangelsk submarine is part of Russia's strategy in the Arctic to maintain economic interests, strategic deterrence, and the presence of military assets amidst rapid geopolitical developments. (AFP/AP/REUTERS)