Sierra II

Sierra II is the NATO reporting name for the Soviet Project 945A Kondor class, a titanium-hulled nuclear-powered attack submarine built by Krasnoye Sormovo. The two completed boats, Pskov and Nizhny Novgorod, remain the Russian Navy's active Sierra-class units and are noted for an enlarged sail, six 533 mm torpedo tubes, and deep-diving, low-noise design.

Various Conflicts🏳️ Unspecified

Sierra II, Nuclear-powered attack submarine, Naval Systems

Image source: Sierra class submarine 2.jpg

Profile

Origin: Soviet Union
Built by: Krasnoye Sormovo Shipyard
Type: Nuclear-powered attack submarine
Service note: Commissioned in 1990 and 1993; still in Russian Northern Fleet service as of 2024
Designer: Lazurit Central Design Bureau
Designed: Project 945A Kondor, developed in the 1980s as an improved Sierra variant
Produced: 1986-1993
Number built: 2
Variants: K-534 Pskov, K-336 Nizhny Novgorod

Also Known As

Project 945A
Project 945A Kondor
Project 945A Condor
Condor
Sierra II class

naval submarine anti-submarine warfare nuclear-powered

Specifications

Displacement: 7,600 tons surfaced; 9,100 tons submerged
Length: 110 m
Beam: 14.2 m
Draft: 8.8 m
Propulsion: One OK-650 pressurized-water reactor rated at 190 MW, with emergency motors and a single shaft
Speed: About 32 knots submerged
Crew: 72
Armament: Six 533 mm torpedo tubes, SS-N-21 cruise missiles, SS-N-15/SS-N-16 anti-submarine weapons, and minelaying capability

Service And Conflict Use

Service History

In service: Two Project 945A boats entered Soviet/Russian service in 1990 and 1993 and remained active in the Russian Northern Fleet as of 2024.
Used by: Russian Navy

Conflict Usage

Side: 🏳️Unspecified

Fielded by the Russian Navy and serving with the Northern Fleet; available sources confirm active operation and modernization planning, but do not tie Sierra II to a single named post-2015 conflict, so the record stays in Various Conflicts.

Timeline

Sierra II Key Events

Jan 1, 1988
First Sierra II laid down
GlobalSecurity lists Pskov as laid down in 1988, marking the first completed Sierra II hull.
Sources: Sierra-class submarine
Jan 1, 1993
Second Sierra II commissioned
GlobalSecurity lists Nizhny Novgorod as commissioned in 1993, giving the class its two completed boats.
Sources: Sierra-class submarine
Oct 1, 2019
Northern Fleet exercise
The Sierra-class submarine article says both Sierra II boats participated in a large naval exercise in October 2019.
Sources: Sierra-class submarine
Feb 21, 2024
Modernization reported
The Sierra-class submarine article says a 2024 report placed the boats at a shipyard awaiting internal-system modernization.
Sources: Sierra-class submarine

Sierra II Images

Sierra II, Nuclear-powered attack submarine, Naval Systems - view 1 — Source: Sierra class submarine 2.jpg

Sierra II, Nuclear-powered attack submarine, Naval Systems - view 2 — Source: Sierra II class SSN.svg

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Sources

Sierra-class submarinePublisher: Wikipedia | Note: Supports Sierra II background, builder context, service history, dimensions, propulsion, armament, and the active Russian Navy status of the Sierra-class boats. | Accessed: 2026-06-25 SIERRA-IIPublisher: Covert Shores | Note: Supports Various Conflicts direct fielding/operation context: the two titanium-hulled Sierra II boats serve with Russia's Northern Fleet, and the article also notes the enlarged sail and sonar fit. | Accessed: 2026-06-25 Sierra class submarine 2.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and public-domain status for the primary Sierra II gallery photograph. | Accessed: 2026-06-25 Sierra class submarine.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and public-domain status for the secondary Sierra-class gallery photograph. | Accessed: 2026-06-25 Sierra II class SSN.svgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and licensing context for the Sierra II silhouette illustration. | Accessed: 2026-06-25