Russia’s Disappearing Subs

A debate is raging over whether Russia will soon decommission its three gigantic Typhoon-class nuclear-powered ballistic-missile submarines.

With or without the enormous Typhoons, each of which displaces 34,000 tons while submerged, Russia's undersea fleet is all but certain to decline – and that has strategic implications for Moscow and Washington.

Prior to last week, it was reportedly the official plan of the Russian navy to keep all three of the surviving, 1980s-vintage Typhoons in service until 2019, following the addition of unspecified, new-generation, nuclear-tipped missiles. ‘They have good modernization potential,’ Adm. Vladimir Vysotsky said.

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