Antey (Project 949A (Oscar II))

The Project 949A Antey, known as Oscar II by NATO, is a class of nuclear-powered cruise missile submarines. These large submarines are primarily designed to attack aircraft carrier battle groups and other surface combatants with their formidable arsenal of anti-ship missiles.

Developed in the 1970s and 1980s by the Rubin Design Bureau as an improvement over the original Project 949 class, these submarines featured enhanced noise reduction and an extended hull to accommodate upgraded electronics. The lead vessel, K-148 Krasnodar, entered service with the Soviet Navy in 1986 to counter NATO maritime superiority. The class gained tragic international prominence in August 2000 when the K-141 Kursk sank in the Barents Sea during a naval exercise. Today, several units remain active in the Russian Navy's Northern and Pacific Fleets, with select hulls undergoing modernization to the Project 949AM standard to carry modern Kalibr and Onyx cruise missiles.