Admiralty Shipyard has floated out a new submarine for the Russian Navy.
TASS Russian News Agency reported on March 28, 2019, that the latest Project 636.3 diesel-electric submarine had been floated out at Admiralty Shipyard in St. Petersburg. The submarine, named Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, is slated to enter service later this year with the Pacific Fleet, becoming the first of the type with that fleet.
Speaking at the launch ceremony, Admiralty Shipyard CEO Alexander Buzakov stated, “A contract for the construction of submarines for the Pacific Fleet was signed in September 2016 at the Army forum. In 2019, the submarine will be delivered to the Pacific Fleet.”
The Russian Navy already has six Project 636.3 submarines in the Black Sea Fleet. These were delivered between 2010 and 2016. Another set of six, led by the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, will join the Pacific Fleet over the next few years. All should be constructed by 2022. The second submarine in the batch, the Volkhov, was laid down in July 2017.
Speaking at the launch of the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russian Navy deputy commander-in-chief, Igor Mukhametshin, said, “I am confident that we will complete this series by 2025 and all the submarines will arrive at their permanent bases by that time.”
Project 636.3 submarines were designed by the Rubin Central Design Bureau. They displace 2,000 tons surfaced and about 4,000 tons submerged. The submarines can reach a speed of 20 knots and are armed with Kalibr cruise missiles. The submarines are said to be incredibly quiet and thus difficult to detect.
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