Russia launched its newest nuclear-powered multi-purpose attack submarine, the K-561 Kazan, on March 31 after an unbearably long development and production process that began in 1990.

The launching ceremony at the Sevmash Shipyard at Severodvinsk in northern Russia was attended by top officers of the Russian Navy and Russian defense officials. A bottle of champagne was broken over the Kazan's bow by its commander, Capt. Alexander Beketov, and Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin.

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"It is a beautiful, powerful boat," said Rogozin later in a tweet.

Admiral Vladimir Korolev, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, was even more effusive. He said the Soviet Union's underwater presence has been restored with the launch of Kazan, which cost anywhere from $3.5 billion to $4 billion in 2011 dollars. This staggering amount makes the Kazan the most expensive submarine in the world.

In contrast, the U.S. Navy's Virginia-class submarine, its newest and which is still being built, costs $2.7 billion per boat.

"Last year, we operated at a level not seen in the post-Soviet era in terms of hours spent underway," said Adm. Korolev. "The Russian submarine fleet last year spent more than 3,000 days at sea. This is an excellent figure."

Officially designated "Project 885 (08850)," the Yasen-class fourth-generation multipurpose nuclear submarine was developed in the 1990s by the St. Petersburg-based Malakhit Design Bureau of Maritime Machine-Building under the direction of Chief Designer Vladimir Popov.

The boat was built by the United Shipbuilding Corporation, the shipyard engaged in the construction of Yasen-class submarines. Four more boats will be built -- money permitting.

Yasen-class boats are designed to destroy U.S. Navy submarines and surface ships, naval bases, ports, naval task forces and other targets.

They're 139 meters long and 13 meters wide and have a draft of 10 meters. They displace 8,600 metric tons on the surface and up to 13,800 metric tons submerged.

It can submerge to a maximum depth of 600 meters and develops a speed of 16 knots on the surface and up to 31 knots submerged. The submarine has a sea endurance of 100 days and a crew of 85 to 90 men.

It is equipped with a single-shaft steam turbine nuclear power unit with a capacity of about 43,000 hp. The submarine's OK-650V water-cooled and water-moderated reactor has a thermal capacity of 190 MW (modernized Project 885M submarines will be outfitted with a power unit of over 200 MW).

The sub is armed with eight vertical silos for Oniks and Kalibr cruise missiles; 10 533 mm torpedo tubes with a load of 30 torpedoes each. The Yasen-class will eventually armed with new Kh-101 (Kh-102) cruise missiles and universal deep-water homing torpedoes.

The lead submarine in the class, K-560 Severodvinsk (Factory No. 160), was floated out on June 15, 2010, delivered to the Russian Navy for operational evaluation on December 30, 2013. It became operational in the Northern Fleet on June 17, 2014.

The third submarine, the K-573 Novosibirsk (Factory No. 162), was laid down on July 26, 2013 and is scheduled to be delivered to the Navy in December 2019.

The fourth submarine, the K-571 Krasnoyarsk (Factory No. 163), was laid down on July 27, 2014 and is expected to be delivered to the Navy in December 2020.

The fifth submarine, the K-564 Arkhangelsk (Factory No. 164), was laid down on March 19, 2015 and is expected to be delivered to the Navy in December 2021.

The sixth submarine Perm (Factory No. 165) was laid down on July 29, 2016 and is expected to be delivered to the Navy in December 2022.

TagsRussia, K-561 Kazan, Russian Navy, Capt. Alexander Beketov, Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, Project 885 (08850), Yasen-class submarines