MOSCOW, January 8. /TASS/. Russia’s newest nuclear submarines, Prince Vladimir (Project 955A, the Borei-A class) and Kazan (Project 885M, the Yasen-M class) will complete the manufacturer’s sea trials in summer, a source in the Russian shipbuilding industry told TASS on Tuesday.

"At present, the sea trials of the two submarines were suspended due to ice conditions at the Russian Navy’s testing zones in northern seas. The trials will continue and be completed in summer," the source said.

"From the very outset, those trials were scheduled for completion in summer, due to a vast amount of tests to be carried out on new systems installed on the modernized submarines," he added.

TASS has been unable to officially confirm this information at the time of the publication.

Mikhail Budnichenko, the CEO of the Sevmash Shipyard where both submarines were built, earlier said that the nuclear-powered submarines will complete shipbuilder’s sea trials in late December.

About Kazan and Prince Vladimir subs

Kazan is the first nuclear submarine of the modernized Yasen-M class. Cruise missile submarines of this class are designed to destroy surface and underwater targets and ground facilities. Full displacement is 13800 tons. They can submerge to 600 meters and develop underwater speed of 30 knots. The subs have a mixed construction scheme and the light hull covers only a part of the durable hull in the bow to decrease the signature. For the first time in the Russian shipbuilding torpedo launchers were installed not in the bow, but behind the central post compartment. The submarines are armed with Onix and Kalibr missiles and a powerful torpedo-missile complex.

Borei and Borei-A lead nuclear-powered submarines have been developed by the Rubin Central Design Bureau of Marine Engineering to carry Bulava submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM). The Sevmash Shipyard in Severodvinsk in northwest Russia continues building a series of eight such submarines. The distinctions of Project 955 and Project 955A are unknown. However, according to open sources, the Borei-A sub features the modernized hull and new electronics compared to its predecessor. Also, Project 955A subs have better stealth capabilities.