K-329 Belgorod submarine

Also known as

Belgorod submarine
K-329 Belgorod
BS-329 Belgorod
K-139 Belgorod
Project 09852 Belgorod
Belgorod Project 09852

K-329 Belgorod is a Russian Project 09852 special-purpose nuclear-powered submarine rebuilt from an unfinished Project 949A Oscar II / Antey hull. Public sources connect it to Poseidon underwater strike-vehicle carriage, GUGI-style deep-sea payload work, research and rescue missions, and possible carriage of smaller deep-diving submarines, but this record remains relationship-only because no cited source documents combat use by Belgorod in a named conflict.

K-329 Belgorod submarine, Special-purpose nuclear-powered submarine, Naval Systems

Image source: Wikimedia Commons Belgorod image

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin: Russia
Built by: Sevmash
Type: Special-purpose nuclear-powered submarine
Service note: Launched as a special-purpose submarine in 2019 and delivered to the Russian Navy in 2022
Designer: Rubin Central Design Bureau for Marine Engineering
Designed: Laid down as Project 949A on 1992-07-24 and re-laid under Project 09852 on 2012-12-20
Unit cost: Not publicly disclosed
Produced: 1992-2022, including long construction suspension and later special-purpose conversion
Number built: 1 completed Project 09852 Belgorod submarine

Specifications

Project: 09852
Base hull: Heavily modified Project 949A Oscar II-class guided-missile submarine
Design bureau: Rubin Central Design Bureau for Marine Engineering is identified by TASS as developer of the Project 09852 rebuild
Propulsion: Nuclear-powered submarine
Reported Poseidon capacity: Public sources report capacity or adaptation for six Poseidon vehicles, but public reporting does not verify an operational loadout
Other reported payloads: Deep-water rescue vehicles, autonomous unmanned submersibles, and smaller deep-diving submarines are reported in public carrier-role sources
Reported GUGI role: RUSI describes Belgorod as one of GUGI's current motherships for deep-diving submarine support
Reported length: 184 m / about 604 ft in CSIS and USNI reporting; Naval News cited a lower satellite-derived estimate around 178 m
Reported beam: USNI reports about 49 ft; Naval News estimated about 15 m
Reported displacement: USNI reports about 30,000 tons; exact operational characteristics remain classified in Russian reporting
Primary catalog role: Special-purpose carrier and launch platform for Poseidon-related context

Carried Underwater Strike Vehicle

Belgorod's catalog relevance is its sourced link to Poseidon carriage and launch-platform reporting.

Carried item	Item type	Carriage evidence
2M39 Poseidon	Unmanned underwater strike vehicle	CSIS described Belgorod as the first Poseidon launch platform, and USNI later described it as adapted to launch six Poseidon weapons. Sources: CSIS Belgorod launch, USNI Khabarovsk submarine and Poseidon

Carried item

Item type

Carriage evidence

2M39 Poseidon

Unmanned underwater strike vehicle

CSIS described Belgorod as the first Poseidon launch platform, and USNI later described it as adapted to launch six Poseidon weapons.

Sources: CSIS Belgorod launch, USNI Khabarovsk submarine and Poseidon

Deep-Diving Payload Context

Open reporting also treats Belgorod as a host submarine for deep-diving or autonomous submersible payloads, separate from the Poseidon strategic-weapons role.

Carried item	Item type	Carriage evidence
Kashalot-class submarine	Deep-diving special-purpose submarine	Janes reported that Russia was preparing AS-15, a Project 1910 Kashalot boat, for operations from the Project 09852 Belgorod mother submarine. Sources: Janes Kashalot Belgorod role
Losharik submarine	Deep-water special-purpose submarine	Naval News described Belgorod as intended to host Losharik, while noting the 2019 Losharik accident and later AS-15 reporting complicated that role. Sources: Naval News Belgorod sea trials, Janes Kashalot Belgorod role

Carried item

Item type

Carriage evidence

Kashalot-class submarine

Deep-diving special-purpose submarine

Janes reported that Russia was preparing AS-15, a Project 1910 Kashalot boat, for operations from the Project 09852 Belgorod mother submarine.

Sources: Janes Kashalot Belgorod role

Losharik submarine

Deep-water special-purpose submarine

Naval News described Belgorod as intended to host Losharik, while noting the 2019 Losharik accident and later AS-15 reporting complicated that role.

Sources: Naval News Belgorod sea trials, Janes Kashalot Belgorod role

Platform Context

Belgorod is treated here as a support record because the public evidence connects it to Poseidon carriage, deep-diving payloads, and special-purpose submarine missions, while no cited source in this entry documents combat use by the submarine in a named conflict.

Carrier role

CSIS and USNI identify Belgorod as a Poseidon launch or carrier platform, and USNI describes the boat as adapted to launch six Poseidon weapons.

Sources: CSIS Belgorod launch; USNI Khabarovsk submarine and Poseidon.

Research and rescue role

TASS reported Sevmash statements that Belgorod is designed for research tasks, research-and-rescue work, and carriage of deep-water rescue and autonomous unmanned submersibles.

Source: TASS Belgorod delivery.

Hull context

TASS traces the boat to an unfinished Project 949A Antey hull rebuilt under Project 09852, while USNI describes it as a heavily modified Oscar II-class special-mission submarine.

Sources: TASS Belgorod key facts; USNI Khabarovsk submarine and Poseidon.

Public-data limit

Russian and specialist sources state that detailed operational characteristics remain classified, so public dimensions and payload counts are best treated as reported or estimated values.

Sources: TASS Belgorod key facts; Naval News Belgorod sea trials.

Timeline

K-329 Belgorod submarine Key Events

Jul 24, 1992
Original Project 949A hull laid down
TASS traces Belgorod to a Project 949A Antey submarine hull laid down at Sevmash on July 24, 1992, before construction was suspended and later redirected.
Sources: TASS Belgorod key facts, TASS Belgorod floated out
Dec 20, 2012
Re-laid as Project 09852
TASS says the unfinished hull was re-laid under Project 09852 on December 20, 2012, with Rubin identified as the design bureau for the rebuild.
Sources: TASS Belgorod key facts, TASS Belgorod floated out
Apr 23, 2019
Belgorod launched at Severodvinsk
TASS and CSIS reported that Russia floated out the Project 09852 Belgorod submarine on April 23, 2019, with public reporting already linking it to Poseidon underwater vehicles.
Sources: TASS Belgorod floated out, CSIS Belgorod launch
Jun 25, 2021
First reported sea-trial sortie
Naval News reported that Belgorod left Severodvinsk for the first time on June 25, 2021, marking the start of sea trials after fitting-out and system-test activity.
Sources: Naval News Belgorod sea trials
Jul 8, 2022
Belgorod delivered to the Russian Navy
TASS reported that Sevmash delivered Belgorod to the Russian Navy on July 8, 2022, while later USNI reporting summarized the submarine as delivered in 2022 after adaptation to launch Poseidon weapons.
Sources: TASS Belgorod delivery, USNI Khabarovsk submarine and Poseidon
Sep 1, 2022
Barents Sea surface sightings reported
USNI News reported open-source imagery of Belgorod operating on the surface in the Barents Sea on September 22 and 27, 2022, after its July delivery.
Sources: USNI Belgorod Arctic sighting
Jan 16, 2023
State-linked report describes Poseidon batch for Belgorod
TASS reported that an initial Poseidon batch had been manufactured for Belgorod, while explicitly noting the information lacked official confirmation.
Sources: TASS Poseidon first batch