Recently, the conventional submarine force of the Russian Navy has ushered in important new underwater equipment. According to a report by the Russian Ministry of Defense, Russia's newest "Lada"-class submarine No. 2 "Kronstadt" joined the Russian Navy's Northern Fleet, and Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief Yevmenov and Northern Fleet Commander Moiseyev attended the flag-raising ceremony of the "Lada"-class submarine.
The "Lada" class submarine is Russia's latest conventional submarine and is also a conventional submarine independently developed by Russia after the end of the Cold War. The service process of the lead ship "St. Petersburg" is quite tortuous, and it has been in a state of testing since it was launched in 2004, and has directly become synonymous with Russian submarine towing. The Lada-class submarine is very important to the conventional submarines of the Russian Navy, and the "St. Petersburg" joined the Russian Navy in 2022 and announced its retirement after two years of service.
The Russian Navy has profound attainments in conventional submarines, and currently has the Type 636 Kilo-class submarines in service, which are called "ocean black holes" by the West, with excellent combat capabilities, and have been exported to many countries, including the Chinese Navy has purchased 12 Kilo-class submarines. The Kilo-class submarines are known for their powerful firepower and minimal noise, and are among the quietest underwater submarines in the world, but the Kilo-class submarines lack AIP (non-dependent air propulsion) systems, have limited underwater diving time, and have a low level of automation.
Russia decided to develop a new generation of "Lada"-class submarines, that is, Type 677 conventional submarines, on the basis of Kilo-class submarines. As a fourth-generation conventional submarine of Russia, the "Lada" class submarine has a submersible displacement of 2,650 tons, adopts a new diesel-electric engine, has a maximum diving depth of 300 meters, and can dive 1,200 kilometers underwater at a speed of 3 knots, and the overall performance comprehensively surpasses the Type 636 submarine.
Inheriting the aesthetics of Russian submarine violence, it is on par with the Type 636 submarine in terms of weapon systems, and can launch 3M-54 "Caliber" cruise missiles, etc., with a range of more than 1,000 kilometers. The most critical improvement of the "Lada" class submarine is to abandon the traditional double-hull in favor of single-hull submarines, and for the first time the AIP power system was purchased from Russian submarines, and the tonnage of Type 636 submarines dropped from 3,900 tons to 2,650 tons.
According to the Russian version, the stealth performance of the "Lada" class submarines far exceeds that of the Type 636 submarines, using the most modern protective measures, laying sound-absorbing tiles on the outside, making the submarine difficult to detect, and the most significant feature is the ultra-low noise level. The diesel-electric submarine "Kronstadt" joined the Russian Northern Fleet, and its service journey was quite tortuous, built in 2005, after ten years of construction, and finally launched smoothly in 2018, during which Russia stopped the construction of the "Kronstadt".
At Russia's insistence, the conventional submarine was commissioned after a 13-year construction period and six years of testing, setting a record speed for the world. The reason why the "Lada" class submarine is difficult to produce is that Russia has adopted a large number of unprecedented new technologies, and more than 180 technological innovations are destined to be ill-fated, but Russia insists on getting rewards, using new coatings, replacing low-noise propellers, improving the shape of drainage holes, etc., and the silent effect is close to the background noise of the ocean.
With the addition of the "Kronstadt" submarine, the "Lada" class submarine is on the right track, the No. 3 ship "Velikiya Luki" is being tested, and the No. 4 boat "Vologda" and the No. 5 boat "Yaroslavl" are under construction, which will become an important link in the comprehensive modernization of the Russian Navy's conventional submarine construction.
By 2025, the Russian Navy will retire 18 Type 877 submarines, which will be replaced by 12 Type 636 submarines and 4 Type 677 submarines. Russia is selling "Lada" class submarines to China, and 4 submarines will be sold in the form of "2+2", of which 2 will be built in Russia and the other 2 in China, which has long been disdainful of the Chinese Navy.