Russia launched its Khabarovsk submarine in November, and has confirmed a fifth generation (Image: Getty)

Russia has confirmed that it is developing a fifth-generation nuclear ballistic missile submarine. Nikolai Patrushev, chairman of the country's Naval Board and a presidential aide said engineers are designing a next-generation vessel, and that the project is overall in an early development phase. The program includes autonomous underwater vehicles and an unknown amount of cutting edge underwater weapons “with no global analogues", Patrushev added.

The new ships will succeed the current generation Borei class ships, which in turn replaced the older Delta-class subs and were lauded for their advanced stealth, powerful pump-jet propulsion and 16 Bulava missiles.

It was previously reported by the Rubin Design Bureau that the new submarine design featured an angled hull, which carries 12 missile tubes and Surrogat-V unmanned anti-submarine warfare vessels.

Vladimir Putin wants to make sure his fleet rivals those in the US and China (Image: Getty)

The project aims to ensure that Russia's fleet retains a reputation as being world-leading alongside US and Chinese submarines, Military Watch Magazine reported.

It comes after a different submarine - the Khabarovsk - was launched in November, which was based on the design of a Borei-A class.

Earlier this month, a former senior naval officer claimed Britain is no longer capable of running a capable nuclear submarine programme.

Rear Admiral Philip Mathias spoke out on “catastrophic” failures which he believes has driven the UK’s nuclear deterrent to the brink.

He told the Telegraph: “The UK is no longer capable of managing a nuclear submarine programme,” he said.

“Dreadnought is late, Astute class submarine delivery is getting later, there is a massive backlog in Astute class maintenance and refitting, which continues to get worse, and SSN-Aukus is a submarine which is not going to deliver what the UK or Australia needs in terms of capability or timescale."

He added: “Performance across all aspects of the programme continues to get worse in every dimension. This is an unprecedented situation in the nuclear submarine age."

US President Donald Trump said on October 27 that Putin should end the war in Ukraine instead of testing a Burevestnik nuclear-powered missile.

He also noted that the US has a nuclear submarine stationed close to Russia that “does [not] have to go 8,000 miles”.

This was in reference to Kremlin claims that the Burevestnik missile flew 14,000 kilometers (8,700 miles), the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote.

In September, Russia reportedly provided North Korea with a reactor for a nuclear-powered submarine, likely bringing the state years closer to operating its own nuclear-capable vessel.

Ukraine’s SBU security service reported on December 23 that the country had struck a Russian Il-38N maritime patrol aircraft at Yeysk Airbase with a drone.

This was before a December 15 strike on the Kilo-class submarine at Novorossiysk Naval Base.

"The 13th Main Directorate of the SBU‘s Military Counterintelligence Department reported that the Il-38N was the only Russian asset in the area capable of detecting Ukrainian Sea Baby drones that struck the Kilo-class submarine," the ISW reported.