Open-source defense reporting in December 2016 placed one, possibly two, Russian Oscar II-class SSGNs in the eastern Mediterranean near NATO carrier groups operating off Syria. The evidence supports conflict-theater naval presence and carrier-group pressure/protection, not confirmed Oscar II weapons release in Syria.
Role detailsNaval Systems
Oscar II-class submarine
Also known as
- Oscar II
- Oscar II-class
- Project 949A
- Project 949A Antey
- Antey-class
- Antei-class
- NATO: Oscar II
The Oscar II-class submarine is NATO's reporting name for Project 949A Antey, the improved Soviet/Russian third-generation nuclear-powered cruise-missile submarine designed by Rubin and built by Sevmash. The class was built around a carrier-strike mission with 24 P-700 Granit anti-ship missiles in side launchers, a large double-hull SSGN design, long endurance, and improved crew habitability; later Project 949AM modernization reporting centers on replacing the Granit fit with newer cruise missiles.
Role in Conflicts
Profile / Specs
Profile
- Origin
- Soviet Union / Russia
- Built by
- Sevmash
- Built in
- Russia
- Type
- Nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine
- Service note
- 1980s-present
- Designer
- Central Design Bureau for Marine Engineering "Rubin"
- Designed
- 1969 government assignment for a nuclear submarine with the Granit missile complex
- Produced
- 1985-1999
- Number built
- 11 Project 949A boats completed
- Developed from
- Project 949 Oscar I
Specifications
- Displacement
- 15,100 tonnes surfaced; 25,650 tonnes submerged
- Length
- 154.7 metres
- Beam
- 18 metres
- Draft
- 9.5 metres
- Crew
- 48 officers and 59 crew
- Endurance
- 120 days
- Diving depth
- 600 metres
- Speed
- 14.6 knots surfaced; 33.4 knots submerged
- Propulsion
- 2 VM-4P pressurized-water reactors; 2 OK-300 steam turbines
- Missile battery
- 24 P-700 Granit anti-ship cruise missiles in side launchers outside the pressure hull
- Torpedo tubes
- 4 × 533 mm bow tubes and 2 × 650 mm bow tubes
- Armament
- 24 P-700 Granit cruise missiles; 533 mm and 650 mm torpedo tubes for torpedoes, anti-submarine missiles, and mines
- Modernization missile fit
- Project 949AM reporting describes replacement of the Granit-centered fit with newer cruise missiles including Kalibr and Oniks
Design And Missile Layout
Project 949A is best understood as a large cruise-missile submarine built around salvo attack against major surface groups, especially aircraft-carrier formations.
Missile layout
The class carried 24 Granit missiles in angled launch tubes arranged along the sides between the inner pressure hull and outer hydrodynamic hull.
Hull architecture
Open references describe a double-hull submarine, with the improved Oscar II about 10 metres longer than Oscar I and fitted with upgraded electronic systems.
Modernization path
Project 949AM reporting centers on replacing the original Granit-centered fit with a more flexible cruise-missile load.
Primary support: Project 949A; Project 949 Granit / Oscar I; Project 949A Antey / Oscar II; The Aviationist: Oscar II Mediterranean search.
Variants
Project 949A Antey is the improved Oscar II production design that followed the two Project 949 Granit/Oscar I boats; Project 949AM is the modernization path reported for selected Project 949A submarines.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
| Project 949A Antey | Baseline Oscar II SSGN | Rubin says the improved Project 949A design started with the third ship in the 949/949A line and was built around a long-range Granit missile complex for action against carrier strike forces. Sources: Project 949A |
| Project 949AM | Modernized missile fit | Open-source reporting describes Project 949AM as a modernization path intended to replace the original 24-missile Granit fit with a larger load of newer cruise missiles such as Kalibr and Oniks. |
Carried Missile Fit
The baseline Project 949A design is defined by its heavy Granit anti-ship missile battery; modernization reporting describes a later path toward smaller cruise missiles in larger numbers.
| Carried item | Item type | Carriage evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | Original anti-ship missile battery | Rubin identifies the Project 949A mission around the Granit missile complex, and open references describe the Oscar layout with 24 SS-N-19/P-700 missiles in side launchers. Sources: Project 949A, Project 949 Granit / Oscar I; Project 949A Antey / Oscar II, P-700 Granit/SS-N-19 Shipwreck |
 | Reported Project 949AM modernization missile | Project 949AM reporting describes replacing the 24 SS-N-19 missiles with a larger load of newer 3M54 Klub/Kalibr-family missiles on modernized Oscar II boats. |
 | Reported Project 949AM modernization missile | The same modernization reporting describes Oniks as another missile family associated with the Project 949AM rearmament path. |
Timeline
Oscar II-class submarine Key Events
Granit submarine requirement is issued
Rubin says the Soviet government assigned development of a nuclear submarine with the Granit missile complex in 1969, setting the program that led from Project 949 to the improved Project 949A.
Sources: Project 949A
Project 949 enters service
Open references place the first Project 949/Oscar I boat in service in 1980, before the enlarged and improved Project 949A/Oscar II design followed.
Sources: Project 949 Granit / Oscar I; Project 949A Antey / Oscar II
Oscar II deployment reported in the eastern Mediterranean
Defense reporting said one, possibly two, Russian Oscar II-class submarines were operating near NATO carrier groups off Syria, with no public evidence that an Oscar II fired weapons in the Syrian campaign.
Sources: The Aviationist: Oscar II Mediterranean search, Popular Mechanics: NATO hunting carrier killer submarines
Media
Oscar II-class submarine Images
Related Weapon Systems
Sources
Project 949APublisher: CDB ME Rubin | Note: Supports Project 949A background, Rubin designer context, the 1969 Granit-submarine assignment, carrier-strike mission, missile salvo features, and improved 949A design lineage. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Project 949A Antey (NATO name Oscar II)Publisher: Nuclear Threat Initiative / James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies | Note: Supports Oscar II-class technical data including displacement, dimensions, propulsion, speed, crew, diving depth, endurance, and armament. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Project 949 Granit / Oscar I; Project 949A Antey / Oscar IIPublisher: GlobalSecurity.org | Note: Supports Oscar I/Oscar II design distinction, double-hull layout, side missile launcher arrangement, and 24 SS-N-19 missile fit. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Oscar II-classPublisher: GlobalMilitary.net | Note: Supports Sevmash as the manufacturer, the submarine subtype, the Russian service context, and additional technical summary data. | Accessed: 2026-07-03The Aviationist: Oscar II Mediterranean searchPublisher: The Aviationist | Note: Supports 2011 Syrian Civil War direct conflict-theater reporting that one, possibly two, Russian Oscar II-class submarines were operating in the eastern Mediterranean near NATO carrier groups off Syria; also supports Project 949AM modernization context. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Popular Mechanics: NATO hunting carrier killer submarinesPublisher: Popular Mechanics | Note: Supports 2011 Syrian Civil War direct conflict-theater context by corroborating reports of Oscar II submarines near NATO carrier groups operating off Syria, while framing the role as pressure/protection rather than weapons release. | Accessed: 2026-07-03P-700 Granit/SS-N-19 ShipwreckPublisher: Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance | Note: Supports P-700 Granit missile background, performance summary, launch-platform limits, and Oscar-class relationship context. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Oscar class submarine 1.JPGPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports the primary image provenance and public-domain status for the Oscar II-class submarine photo. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Oscar II class SSGN.svgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports the silhouette gallery image provenance and Creative Commons licensing context. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Oscar class submarine 3.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports the second photo gallery image provenance and public-domain status for an Oscar II-class submarine image. | Accessed: 2026-07-03