MOSCOW, October 15. /TASS/. The Novosibirsk, a Project 885M Yasen-M class multi-purpose nuclear-powered submarine of the Russian Pacific Fleet, has fired Oniks and Kalibr cruise missiles at maritime and coastal targets off Kamchatka during a series of exercises, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
"During scheduled exercises, the Pacific Fleet’s Project 885M Yasen-M class nuclear-powered submarine Novosibirsk, while submerged in the Pacific Ocean, launched cruise missiles at both maritime and coastal targets," the ministry stated.
It specified that an Oniks cruise missile was used to engage a maritime target, which simulated an enemy surface ship. The target was struck at a range of over 170 kilometers. A second missile, Kalibr, successfully hit its designated target at the Kura testing ground on the Kamchatka Peninsula, covering a distance of more than 1,200 kilometers.
The ministry further noted that vessels from the Pacific Fleet secured the area, ensuring it was closed off to civilian shipping and aircraft flights. The Novosibirsk is the first serial-production nuclear-powered submarine of Project 885M (codenamed Yasen-M). Its keel was laid on July 26, 2013, and it was launched on December 25, 2019. The primary offensive weaponry for Project 885/885M submarines consists of Kalibr and Oniks cruise missiles. On September 28, 2022, it arrived at its permanent base in the Kamchatka Region, having reached the Pacific Fleet alongside the Knyaz Oleg, a Project 955A (Borei-A) class nuclear-powered strategic missile submarine.