It will be up to the Belgorod to carry the torch. So, the Dmitry Donskoy is the end of an era, one in which nuclear Armageddon was a certain fear. Russia’s boomers are an important leg of the country’s nuclear triad and that is something Vladimir Putin does not take lightly. The Warsaw Pact is of course defunct, but the Cold War mentality that proclaims the West is Russia’s ultimate adversary lives on. The Donskoy symbolizes a time when the Warsaw Pact menaced NATO. The headline news is that the Donskoy is at the end of its service life and that official decommissioning will probably happen sometime in the next year. I wouldn’t read too much into the conflicting reports. Typhoon-Class Symbolized Russian Nuclear Might It is clear the Donskoy was meant for nuclear war, so Russia would prefer to keep NATO and the United States guessing when the boomer gets the final ax. The original design had them carrying 20 RSM-52 ballistic missiles with powerful MIRV capability (Multiple Independent Reentry Vehicles). The other five Typhoon subs were retired between 19. The Donskoy was the first Typhoon introduced, so it has enjoyed quite a service life. The six subs of the Typhoon class were built between 19. Nevertheless, the Dmitry Donskoy is assuredly a relic of the Cold War. Each Typhoon class submarine was originally designed to carry up to 20 R-39 Rif. The state-run media outlet said, “The submarine Dmitry Donskoy has been removed from the fleet and is to be scrapped.” The source, quoted by RIA Novosti, even claimed the name of the Typhoon-class sub has already been given to another boat – the “ Borei-A class (Project 955A), which was laid down at Sevmash last year.” Sevmash, in Severodvinsk, is the only Russian yard that produces submarines. Dmitry Donskoy was the first Typhoon to enter service, being formally commissioned into the Soviet Navy in 1981. RIA Novosti said that the Donskoy was headed for the exits. Newsweek began the speculation on July 20 on Dmitry Donskoy by reporting that the sub would be retired soon. The Belgorod would then be the largest sub in the fleet. Known by the Soviet designation Project 941 Akula (Shark), seven of the massive subs were planned with six being completed. After the Donskoy leaves service, it will be replaced by the Belgorod, a 549-foot Oscar II-class nuclear submarine that was commissioned in July. By comparison, the American Ohio-class boomer only displaces around 21,000 tons and is 14 feet shorter than the Dmitry Donskoy. The Dmitry Donskoy nuclear-powered ballistic missile boat displaces 48,000 tons, more than any other submarine in the world. Despite the murky news, the Dmitry Donskoy is probably slated for retirement within the next 12 months as Russia is loath to admit publicly the last days of such a large and fabled submarine. Moscow propaganda organs are releasing news about the sub in question – the Dmitry Donskoy, but there are conflicting reports. Which is it? It doesn’t even look like Russia is certain about its future. The Russian Navy’s last Typhoon-class super-sized submarine could be headed to the scrap yard, or it could still be in service the rest of the year.
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