Russia's Borei, Yasen nuclear missile submarines, and Varshavyanka-class diesel-electric subs will be indistinguishable from whales and orcas as Moscow installs noise-dumping plates to make them hard to track.
"Due to its specific design, they effectively absorb noise of different frequencies and at different depths, thus making it difficult for the submarine to be detected," Alexander Livshits, CEO of the Cheboksary Production Association, the developer of the noise-absorbing plates, told Rossiiskaya Gazeta.
Meanwhile, the press service of Techmash, an arm maker that is part of Rostect Corporation, said that over the next five years, it will be busy making cutting-edge submarine rubber coating for Borei, Yasen, and Varshavyanka-class submarines in line with a state order, Sputnik News reported.
Meanwhile, Russia is also poised to receive the world's biggest nuclear submarine, the Project 09852 (Belgorod). The Belgorod is expected to conduct research missions; carry uninhabited deep sea vehicles, bathyscaphes, and special scientific equipment; perform a study on laying underwater communications; and search for minerals on the bottom of the Russian Arctic shelf.
Inspired from the unfinished Antey-class strike missile carrier Project 949A of Soviet Union, the Belgorod's also boasts of new features including the 'Losharik' autonomous deepwater station. The sub will explore the territory beneath the Arctic shelf amid fears that Russia and the US could compete for oil beneath the North Pole.
China and Russia are also planning to construct the world's first commercial submarine by the end of the year. Scientists from both countries are trying to create the first civilian sub that can accommodate between 20 and 40 passengers and could go to a depth of 24 meters.
The sub will reportedly be equipped with an electric motor for its underwater trips and will operate on diesel or electricity on the surface. After completion, the submarine will be used mainly for tourism to countries including Greece, Turkey, Thailand, and Vietnam.