The "Laika" Submarine: Another Of The Kremlin's Major Military Projects Is Stuck In The Drawing Board Stage

3.11.2026, 20:50
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All specifications for the “latest weapon” are based on a display model.

The Russian fifth-generation nuclear submarine “Laika,” which the Kremlin has been promising to build for more than a decade, still exists only as a concept. Despite high-profile statements about replacing outdated submarines and developing a fundamentally new weapon, the Russian Ministry of Defense has not even signed a contract to build the first submarine, writes 19FortyFive (translation by the Charter97.org website).

Development of Project 545 began back in 2014 at the Malakhit Design Bureau. In 2016, a contract was signed with the Ministry of Defense, and preliminary design work was completed in 2019. At that time, it was reported that the submarine could be built “after 2020.” Now the timeline has been pushed back again.

According to preliminary estimates, the submarine is to be equipped with a nuclear power plant, torpedo tubes, and “Onyx,” “Kalibr,” and “Zircon” missiles. However, these specifications are based primarily on a model presented back in 2017 and are not final.

In 2026, the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, Admiral Alexander Moiseev, stated: “We are already working on the development of fifth-generation submarines.”

Russia’s naval shipbuilding industry has seen similar situations before. The nuclear-powered destroyer “Lider” was scheduled to be laid down in 2022, but this never happened: the project was effectively put on hold. The only Russian aircraft carrier, the “Admiral Kuznetsov”, has also not returned to service after many years of repairs.

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