MOSCOW, November 14. /TASS/. The Project 636.3 diesel-electric submarine Ufa built for the Russian Pacific Fleet will enter service on November 16, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Monday.

"Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Nikolay Yevmenov approved the date for the Project 636.3 diesel-electric submarine Ufa built at the Admiralty Shipyard of the United Shipbuilding Corporation in St. Petersburg to enter service with the Navy. The ceremony of hoisting the St. Andrew’s [Russian naval] flag and accepting the submarine for service into the Navy will take place on November 16," the statement reads.

The official ceremony will be held at the Admiralty Shipyard where an order by Admiral Yevmenov on accepting the sub for service into the Navy will be read out. "From the moment the order is read out and the St. Andrew’s flag is hoisted on the flagstaff, the diesel-electric submarine Ufa will be deemed as accepted for service with the Russian Navy," the ministry added.

In addition to the Russian Navy chief, Deputy Industry and Trade Minister Viktor Yevtukhov and Admiralty Shipyard CEO Alexander Buzakov are expected to attend the sub’s acceptance ceremony.

It was reported in October that the conventional submarine Ufa had wrapped up the seaborne round of state tests at Baltic Sea naval ranges. The Ufa successfully performed dives and shipbuilders along with its crew tested its maneuverability and handling at different operational depths.

The Ufa is the fourth sub in a series of underwater cruisers under construction for the Russian Pacific Fleet. It was laid down in November 2019.

Project 636.3 submarines (NATO reporting name: Improved Kilo-II) belong to the third generation of large diesel-electric subs and are among the world's quietest underwater cruisers. They are 74 meters long and displace more than 3,900 tonnes. Due to their strong hull, these submarines have an operational depth of 240 meters and can dive to a maximum depth of 300 meters.

The submarines of this Project have an operational range of up to 7,500 miles. They are armed with Kalibr-PL cruise missiles that are launched from torpedo tubes from the sub’s submerged position.