Russian Navy to Receive More Submarines in 2020 Than in Any Year Since 1992

Four nuclear-powered ones and two diesel-electric

In 2020, the Russian Navy is to receive six new submarines, which is more than any year since 1992, according to an unnamed source in the defense industry cited by TASS.

This includes 4 nuclear-powered submarines and 2 diesel-electric ones.

“Under the contracts, the Sevmash [Shipyard] is due to deliver the first Project 955A serial-produced submarine Knyaz Oleg [Prince Oleg] and the first Project 885M serial-produced sub Novosibirsk to the Navy in 2020. Also, the Sevmash will deliver the Project 885M lead submarine Kazan and the Project 09852 special-purpose nuclear-powered submarine Belgorod to the Navy,” the source said.

The report indicates that the Russian Navy appears to be gaining quite the pace, since the last time it received 6 submarines in the same year was in 1992. Until 1997 Russian shipbuilders delivered 2-3 subs annually, while between 1997-2012 only one or no subs were delivered per year.

Since 2013, new submarines have been regularly delivered.

The submarine Belgorod will enter service with the Defense Ministry’s Deep-Water Research Department without Poseidon underwater drones since their trials are still underway, the source specified.

The Admiralty Shipyard in St. Petersburg in northwest Russia will deliver two diesel-electric submarines to the Navy: the Project 636.3 submarine Volkhov and the first Project 677 serial-produced sub Kronshtadt. They would both have a standard rather than an air-independent propulsion power plant, as per the source.

Russia’s United Shipbuilding Corporation noted that “the corporation delivers all the vessels to the state customer in compliance with the agreed schedules,” answering a TASS request for comment.

For the remainder of 2019, Russian shipbuilders are planned to deliver two new submarines.

The Project 955A (Borei-A) lead submarine Prince Vladimir was undergoing the second stage of shipbuilders’ sea trials in late June 2019. As the Sevmash CEO Mikhail Budnichenko the submarine is expected to be delivered to the Navy in December 2019.

In March this year, Admiralty Shipyard Head Alexander Buzakov said that the shipbuilders would deliver the first Project 636.3 submarine Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to the Pacific Fleet this year. Five more of these would be delivered by 2025.

Separately, on August 24th, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that it had successfully tested two nuclear-capable ballistic missiles from two submarines in the Circumpolar region.

The Sineva, a liquid-fueled intercontinental missile, was fired from the Tula submarine, while a Bulava, Russia’s newest solid-fueled missile, was launched from the Yury Dolgoruky submarine, the ministry said.

They hit targets at training grounds in the northern Arkhangelsk region and on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia’s Far East, the ministry said.

“During the launches the specified technical characteristics of submarine ballistic missiles and the efficiency of all systems of ship missile systems were confirmed,” it said.

The Yuri Dolgoruky submarine successfully launched a salvo of 4 Bulava missiles back in May 2018.

The missile launches’ timing is no accident, as it came 6 days after on August 18th, the US test-launched a modified Tomahawk missile from a MK-41 Launcher which is featured on the Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense systems, deployed in Romania and Poland.

On August 23rd, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the Russian Armed Forces to work on a symmetric response to the US missile tests.

“Considering the newly emerging circumstances, I instruct the Defense Ministry, the Foreign Ministry and other specialized agencies to analyze the level of the threat, which the above-mentioned US moves are creating for our country, and take comprehensive measures for preparing a symmetric response,” he said.

Putin emphasized that Russia was still open for dialogue, despite the tests.

“Russia is still open for an equitable and constructive dialogue with the United States of America for restoring trust and strengthening international security.”

On August 26th, the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that the Russian Ministry of Defense had started fulfilling Putin’s instructions.

“There are no doubts that it [the response] will follow and all measures will be taken to ensure our country’s security,” Peskov said.

Responding to a question about whether various military drills launched in Russia over the past few days were linked with the preparation of such a response, the Kremlin spokesman noted that the maneuvers “are the Russian army’s usual work.”

“In general, there has been quite intensive activity lately both for military development and for our troops’ maintenance in the proper state,” Peskov stressed.

 

Source: South Front

1 Comment
  1. thomas malthaus says

    https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/08/30/making-a-killing-from-killing/

    The specter of war must be articulated to justify spending vast sums on hardware for which politicians hope will never be used.

    Or put succinctly, war spending keeps economies afloat.

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