ST. PETERSBURG, November 28. /TASS/. The Russian Navy is set to keep building up its grouping of Project 636.3 Varshavyanka-class conventional submarines for domestic Fleets, Navy Commander-in-Chief Nikolay Yevmenov said on Tuesday.
One more Project 636.3 submarine will complete this series for the Russian Pacific Fleet, following which subs of this type will continue to be built for other Fleets, he specified.
"The series will be continued and the fifth warship [Mozhaisk] is not the last one and that is why we [will] have another warship of this series [for the Pacific Fleet] and subsequently this series will be continued for other Fleets. These warships are primarily the carriers of long-range precision weapons. These are Kalibr missiles, which are as reliable as the warship and feature long range and high firepower. We do not make adjustments and we will build up the grouping of these warships," Yevmenov said.
In August 2023, a source in the domestic shipbuilding industry told TASS that the Russian Navy’s Main Staff considered various options of building submarines of this Project.
Head of the Admiralty Shipyard (part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation) Andrey Veselov highlighted that the shipbuilder was fulfilling all of its contractual commitments on time.
"These are complex projects. Nonetheless, the main thing in this work is cooperation with the suppliers of electronic equipment, systems, armament suites and diesel generators. When all this work is properly organized, everything is conveyorized and proceeds smoothly and rhythmically. We have full understanding with the Navy and the state ship acceptance commission and we know from each other what has to be required and delivered and that is why everything is smooth and on schedule," the Shipyard’s chief said.
The Admiralty Shipyard is building a series of six Project 636.3 submarines for the Russian Pacific Fleet. On November 28, the fifth sub of this Project, the Mozhaisk, was delivered to the Russian Navy. Submarines of this Project carry Kalibr-PL cruise missiles as their basic strike weapon.
The Admiralty Shipyard earlier built a series of six Project 636.3 diesel-electric submarines for Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. The Black Sea Fleet’s subs actively participated in delivering missile strikes against terrorist targets in Syria. They are currently used for striking enemy targets in the special military operation in Ukraine.
Project 636.3 Varshavyanka-class submarines (NATO reporting name: Improved Kilo-II) belong to the third generation of large diesel-electric submarine cruisers. They 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.
The submarines of this Project have an operational range of up to 7,500 miles. They are armed with Kalibr-PL cruise missiles launched from torpedo tubes from the sub’s submerged position.
Project 636 submarines are considered among the world’s quietest underwater cruisers. They can develop a speed of up to 20 knots, have their sea endurance of 45 days and a crew of 52.