MOSCOW, December 25. /TASS/. The R&D work on designing the Borei-B-class strategic nuclear-powered submarine will begin in 2018 while the completion of its trails and its transfer to the Russian Navy are planned for 2026, a source in the country’s defense industry told TASS on Monday.

"The Project-B project has been included in the state armament program through 2027. In compliance with this program, the R&D work on developing the lead underwater missile-carrying cruiser should begin in 2018 and its delivery to the fleet after trials is scheduled for 2026," the source said.

TASS does not yet have an official confirmation of this information.

According to the source, the Borei-B submarine will receive the hull of its predecessor while its noise level will be cut considerably thanks to the installation of a new water jet propulsion system.

"The submarine will also feature other innovations," the source added.

The serial construction of Borei-B-class submarines will begin from 2023, the source said.

Borei-B submarines

Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Korolyov said in Severodvinsk on November 17 that the timeframe for building Borei-B submarines would become clear after the conceptual designing of these underwater cruisers was completed.

"We are beginning to work actively on this project from 2018 and I believe that this will happen very soon and we will specify the dates following the results of the first stage, i.e. the work on the outline design," the Navy’s chief said.

The Russian Navy currently operates three Project 955 Borei-class strategic nuclear-powered submarines: the Yuri Dolgoruky, the Alexander Nevsky and the Vladimir Monomakh. They are furnished with Bulava solid-propellant intercontinental ballistic missiles. Each submarine can carry up to 16 such ICBMs. Five Borei-A-class submarines are currently at the stage of construction. The last submarine of this series, the Prince Pozharsky, was laid down in December last year.

Igor Vilnit, the chief executive of the Rubin Central Design Bureau, the Borei submarine developer, earlier told TASS that the project would be developed further after the series of the improved Borei-A submarines.

The pump-jet creates thrust thanks to a jet of water for propulsion compared to the classical propeller and thus considerably reduces noise. Such waterjets are mounted on UK Trafalgar-type submarines and US Seawolf underwater cruisers. In the Soviet Union, the experimental waterjet unit was installed on the B-871 Alrosa diesel-electric submarine built in 1988-1990.