Stealth warship-submarine hybrid unveiled in Russia (PHOTOS)

A military design bureau in Russia showed digital images of the larger, upgraded model of its stealth combat surface ship-submarine hybrid on Wednesday.

Dubbed ‘Strazh’ (‘the Guardian’), the vessel “combines surface and underwater features,” and can spot enemies with its powerful radar and approach them unnoticed, the Rubin Central Design Bureau for Marine Engineering in St. Petersburg told RIA Novosti.

Rubin unveiled the first, smaller version of the vessel, which operates both as a patrol ship and a submarine, early last year. The newer model is 72 meters long (236ft) and can travel at speeds of up to 21 knots.

© Rubin Design Bureau

Strazh is equipped with a gun turret, two guided missile launchers, four torpedo tubes, and a drone. The model shown last year was designed for a crew of up to 42. Its overall layout is similar to the Soviet-era Whiskey-class submarines, Rubin said.

Rubin said the vessel, marketed overseas as BOSS (Border and Offshore Submersible Sentry), will be cost-effective amid cuts to military spending during the Covid-19 pandemic, and can be tailored to foreign buyers.

The company did not specify if it had a working prototype or a rollout timeline. 

© Rubin Design Bureau

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