On December 29, 2023, Russia's most advanced multipurpose nuclear submarine was launched in Severodvinsk, marking the continued development of the Russian Navy and shipbuilding industry in the field of nuclear submarines. The United States and Russia have long been the countries with the most powerful nuclear submarine forces in the world. So, in today's era, who has the advantage over the US and Russian nuclear submarines?This article will analyze the three aspects of technology, quantity, and strategic significance.
At the technical level, the design and construction capabilities of Russian nuclear submarines are considerable. The launch of the new multipurpose nuclear submarine represents Russia's latest achievements in submarine stealth performance, advanced equipment, sensor systems, etc. In addition, Russia also has the world's largest ballistic missile nuclear submarine - the "Boreas" class, which uses advanced silent technology and submarine-launched intercontinental ballistic missiles to have extremely high strategic deterrence.
The U.S. Virginia-class attack nuclear submarines are known for their versatility and can perform a variety of missions, including anti-submarine warfare, surface warfare, and special operations support. At the same time, the United States is developing Columbia-class strategic nuclear submarines, which are expected to become one of the most advanced and survivable strategic nuclear submarines in the world as a replacement for the Ohio-class. In terms of quantitative comparisons, although past data show that Russia has more nuclear submarines than the United States, these figures may change over time.
According to open information, as of September 2023, Russia has 74 nuclear submarines, while the United States has 66. Although the quantitative difference between the two countries is not significant, in practical operation, the number of submarines is not a decisive factor, since the quality and technical level of nuclear submarines are equally important. In terms of strategic significance, the nuclear submarines of the United States and Russia are important components of each other.
For Russia, nuclear submarines are a key tool for maintaining military pressure on the West, especially when its conventional military is relatively weak. For the United States, nuclear submarines are an important pillar of its global deployment and strike capabilities, as well as an effective means of countering the nuclear threat of a potential adversary.
Based on the above factors, it can be said that the United States and Russia have their own advantages, and there is no absolute superiority or inferiority, but Russia has a slight advantage in underwater submarine combat power!Each country designs and builds nuclear submarines according to its own defense needs and development strategies. The key to assessing the strength of U.S. and Russian nuclear submarines is not only to compare technical parameters and numbers, but also to reveal the embodiment of the national strategic thinking behind them. Therefore, in addition to considering hard indicators, it is also necessary to have a deep understanding of the positioning and strategic intentions of the two countries in the global security landscape.