Russia is gradually disabling the nuclear submarines of project 971 "Pike-B". Yesterday, on January 17, the Izvestia newspaper reported that the Bratsk submarine was declared unfit for repair and will be written off, and the Samara submarine of the same type will still "fight for life."
Bratsk has not actually been used since 2003, while Samara actively served until 2013. In 2014, the submarines Samara and Bratsk were transported from Kamchatka to Severodvinsk to the plant for repairs and have not been at sea since. After several postponements of the delivery dates, it was decided to write off Bratsk, and to carry out a small modernization and repair to Samara. The new deadline for the transfer of Samara to combat service is 2023.
Characteristics of Project 971 submarines
Image source: iz.ru
In 2019, it was reported that Bratsk or Samara could be leased to India. According to unofficial information, a similar submarine "Magadan" is being prepared for these purposes. Last year, India returned the nuclear submarine K-152 "Nerpa" to Russia ahead of schedule, which called into question the future fate of the contract.
In total, 15 nuclear submarines were built according to project 971 in its original and modified versions, some of which have already been decommissioned. Submarines of this series have a length of about 110 m, a maximum speed under water of 61 km / h, a diving depth of up to 600 m. The crew includes 73 people. Such submarines are armed with cruise missiles with PK-55 "Garnet" nuclear warheads.
