Zastava-Arms
Banned
Two Akula class submarines have been patrolling 200 miles off the US east coast but remained just inside international waters, the Pentagon said.
The mission, the first of its kind for at least 15 years, recalled many underwater confrontations of the Cold War when the United States and the Soviet Union regularly stationed submarines off each other's coast to steal military secrets.
The deployment is the latest in a series of developments reminiscent of the Cold War. In the past two years, Russian bombers have resumed patrols in international airspace, forcing the Royal Air Force to scramble jets on dozens of occasions. Russian naval vessels have also conducted exercises close to the Bay of Biscay and the coast of Florida.
James Graybeal, a spokesman for the US Northern Command, sought to play down the activities of the two Russian submarines.
"We have been monitoring them during transit and recognise the right of all nations to exercise freedom of navigation in international waters according to international law," he said.
Russia condemned what it described as an atmosphere of "hysteria" surrounding the patrol.
"The Russian navy systematically pinpoints the location of Nato submarines, including US navy submarines, in direct proximity to the territorial waters of the Russian Federation," a military official was quoted as saying by the three main Russian news agencies.
"Consequently, any hysteria in such a case is inappropriate."
Original Article:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...sian-submarines-patrol-off-US-east-coast.html
A quick look at the Akula class submarine:

Project 971 Щука-Б (Shchuka-B, 'Shchuka' meaning pike, NATO reporting name "Akula"), is a nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN) first deployed by the Soviet Navy in 1986. The class is sometimes erroneously called the "Bars" class, after one of its members.
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The Akula incorporates a double hull system composed of an inner pressure hull and an outer "light" hull. This allows more freedom in the design of the exterior hull shape, resulting in a very hydrodynamic submarine compared to western counterparts at the time.
The distinctive "bulb" or "can" seen on top of the Akula's rudder houses its towed sonar array, when retracted.
This is a lot like when Vladimir Putin resumed the long-range air patrols with the Tu-95 "Bear". I found this article pretty interesting, it seems that not all of Russia's navy is rotting in Murmansk.