Russian Navy commissions sixth Project 636.3 Varshavyanka-class submarine

The Russian Navy has commissioned Kolpino, the country’s sixth and final Project 636.3 Varshavyanka-class submarine.

All six were built for the Russian Black Sea Fleet.

The flag-hoisting ceremony which marked the submarine’s official entry into the fleet took place in St. Petersburg at Admiralty Shipyards on November 24. Admiralty Shipyards was responsible for the construction of all submarines in the class.

“The Admiralty Shipyards have done a great job to complete the Black Sea Fleet series of submarines. This is a good platform for starting the construction of another series of sub for the Pacific Fleet,” Russian news agency Tass quoted the Admiralty Shipyards CEO, Aleksandr Buzakov as saying.

Work on another series of submarines for the Pacific Fleet is expected to start in 2017 with the completion date set for 2021, the news agency further said.

Construction on the six Black Sea Fleet submarines began in 2010.

Novorossiysk, the lead submarine of the project, joined the Black Sea Fleet in August 2014 with the Rostov-on-Don following suit in December.

The next two submarines, Stary Oskol and Krasnodar, were delivered to RF Navy in July and November 2015 while the Veliky Novgorod was commissioned on October 26, 2016.

Kilo-class submarines from the 636.3 project are armed with 18 torpedoes and eight surface-to-air missiles. The vessels can accommodate a crew of 52 submariners and can stay at sea for 45 days.

They displace 4,000 tonnes when submerged and 2,000 on the surface and reach speeds of “over 17 knots”, the Russian Navy said.

The submarines are also equipped with Kalibr-cruise missiles. Last year, the defense ministry said the Rostov-on-Don successfully fired the missiles from a submerged position in the Mediterranean Sea hitting two objectives in Syrian Raqqa province on December 8.