Delta Class Submarine

The Delta class are a common name of four types of submarines which formed the backbone of the Soviet and Russian strategic submarine fleet since its introduction in 1973. They carry nuclear ballistic missiles of the R-29 Vysota family, with the Delta I, II, III and IV carrying the R-29 (NATO reporting name: SS-N-8 ‘Sawfly’), R-29D (SS-N-8 ‘Sawfly’), R-29R (SS-N-18 ‘Stingray’) and R-29RM (SS-N-23 ‘Skiff’) respectively. The Delta I carried 12 missiles, the Delta II was a “stretched” Delta I that could carry 16 missiles; the Delta III and IV carry 16 missiles with multiple warheads and have improved electronics and noise reduction.