The evolution of the soviet/russian ballistic missile submarine, top to bottom and using their NATO reporting names:
Golf-class submarine, the first and only diesel-electric submarine of this kind in service, quickly passed out after the introduction of nuclear vessels.
Hotel-class submarine, the sovietâs first nuclear-powered vessel of this type, very accident-prone and never completely satisfying in their mission.
Yankee-class submarine, the first to have a conventional layout in which the missile silos are located in the hull and not the sail, but still retaining some of the reactor problems found in the Hotels.
The Delta series, the backbone of the soviet nuclear deterrence force from the 70â˛s until the collapse of the Soviet Union, and still and integral part of Russiaâs nuclear force, heavily reliable, it fixed almost all the problems of the earlier classes, and heavily improved through serial production (Delta I through IV sub-classes), soon to be retired.
Typhoon-class, the worldâs biggest submarines ever made, build alongside the Deltas as her radical design worried the soviet high command, so a parallel, more conventional design was also authorized in case they didnât work. Slowly retired after the Soviet Union collapsed, as her size made them too expensive to operate, specially compared to the Deltas. Nowadays completely retired from the nuclear deterrence role, where only one unit remains in service for testing the newest generation of submarine-launched ICBMs.Â
The Borei-class, the last of the bunch, Russiaâs first design of this type, intended for replacing both the Deltas and the Typhoons, being bigger than the former, but smaller than the latter, allegedly the quietest submarine of this type ever build by a non-american nation (contested by the french Triomphant-class).Â