The Typhoon did not simply replace one exhausted ballistic-missile submarine line. Successive Yankee and Delta programs overlapped, and Delta IV construction continued after the Typhoon run ended. Breaking through ice and carrying a large missile provide operational explanations, but they leave the question of why the Soviet Navy wanted simultaneous programs. The interpretation offered here assigns an additional role to the status of possessing the world's largest submarine. Claims that the missile was simply a response to Trident are also challenged through the long development process and the difference between initial operational capability and a mature system.
Notable Point · 4:18:06-4:20:54
Typhoon and Delta reveal parallel Soviet SSBN priorities
The continued Delta IV program alongside the enormous Typhoon suggests that survivability and missile requirements operated together with the political value of possessing the world's largest submarine.