The Diplomat:
The director general of the St. Petersburg-based Rubin Central Design Bureau for Marine Engineering, Igor Vilnit, told Russian state media that there are currently no plans to build the sixth and seven Project 955A Borei II-class (“North Wind”) or Dolgorukiy-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBN).
Instead Russian submarine construction will focus on more advanced projects that appear to go beyond the two existing SSBN (Borei and Borei A) designs. While Vilnit did not elaborate on the new submarine type, his comments could indicate that Russia is still considering fielding an upgraded Borei-class SSBN variant, designated Borei B-class (or Borei III).
According to a Russian defense industry source, plans to build Borei B-class boomers were scrapped last year. While an earlier draft of Russia’s state armament program for 2018-2027 included funding provisions for the construction of four new Borei B-class subs, an updated version dropped any reference to the SSBNs.
