The Varshavyanka, Veliky Novgorod and Kolpino submarines will join the Black Sea Fleet by November. The tests on the Veliky Novgorod have been completed successfully and next Tuesday, 25 October, will be officially delivered to the Black Sea Fleet. The tests on the Kolpino, finally, will be completed within two weeks. His delivery is scheduled for the next November 25.
Both the Veliky Novgorod and the Kolpino will be in active service by next December. Varshavyanka class diesel-electric submarines are a key element of the new Russian naval strategy. Propelled by diesel engines with very low noise emissions, they can hit targets at long distances without being detected by enemy anti-submarine sensors. Improved version of Kilo, the latter under five speed nodes is invisible to passive sonar, implements advanced stealth technology. It has a displacement of 3.100 tons, reaches a speed of 20 nodes, can dive up to 300 meters and transport crews of 52 people. Submarines, armed with 18 torpedoes, mines and eight Kalibr 3M54 cruise missiles (NATO SS-N-27 Sizzler), are designed to perform anti-submarine missions in hunter-killer roles, in relatively shallow waters.
The construction of the first submarine, Novorossiysk, took off in August of 2010, followed by Rostov-on-Don in November 2011, Stary Oskol in August of 2012 and the fourth boat, Krasnodar entered the construction site on twenty February of the 2014. The fifth submarine, the Veliky Novgorod, was launched last 18 March. The Novorossiysk is serving in the Black Sea from the 22 2014 of August, while the Rostov-on-Don from the 30 December of the 2014. Stary Oskol has been in service since July of the 2015. The Krasnodar, fourth in the Varshavyanka class, is in active service from the 5 last November. The Veliky Novgorod was launched on 18 last March in St. Petersburg, in the 110 anniversary of the Russian submarine fleet. The sixth submarine, the Kolpino, has been launched the 31 last May. All six submarines will be operational at the Novorossiysk naval base by the end of the year. The Xhavum class Varshavyanka Project for the Black Sea Fleet was completed in six years.
Last December, the Rostov-on-Don launched the entire cruise missile set Kalibr 3M54 on board enemy targets near the Syrian city of Raqqa. Rostov-on-don has in fact entered the history of the Russian Navy as the first submarine to have launched cruise missiles against real enemy targets. The Russian Admiralty, last May, recognized the value of the 636,3 class Varshavyanka project, initially designed to operate only with the Black Sea Fleet of War. The North and Baltic War Fleets will receive the fifth diesel-electric submarines generation. They will be made at the Admiralty Wharves shipyard and delivered at the rate of two per year starting from the 2019. The six Varshavyanka class submarines intended for the Pacific War Fleet will be delivered within 2021.
(photo: MoD Russian Federation)
