SEVASTOPOL, March 20. /TASS/. The Russian Black Sea Fleet’s Project 636.3 (NATO reporting name: Improved Kilo-II) diesel-electric submarines Kolpino and Stary Oskol practiced torpedo fire from their submerged position during drills in the Black Sea, the Fleet’s press office reported on Monday.
"The crews of the submarines successfully coped with the assigned objectives and conducted torpedo firings from their submerged position against a sea target simulated by one of the Fleet’s ships at a permissible safe distance," the press office said in a statement.
The submariners made a transit to the combat training area, conducted a set of preparatory exercises and dived to the designated depth for the torpedo firings. After the drills were over, all the torpedoes were recovered by a torpedo recovery boat from the water, it said.
"The efficiency of the crews of the Black Sea Fleet’s submarines in employing torpedo weapons will be assessed after the data on the torpedo fire at the target is received in laboratory conditions," the press office said.
Torpedo firings are a mandatory element of submariners’ combat training and are conducted in accordance with the approved plan.
Project 636.3 submarines are 74 meters long and displace more than 3,900 tons. Due to their strong hull, the submarines have an operational depth of 240 meters and can dive to a maximum depth of 300 meters. 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.
Project 636 submarines are considered among the world’s quietest submarine cruisers. They can accelerate to 20 knots, have their sea endurance of 45 days and a crew of 52 men.
Three of Project 636.3 submarines, the Veliky Novgorod, the Kolpino and the Rostov-on-Don, numerously delivered strikes with Kalibr-PL cruise missiles against terrorist targets in Syria.