The Ministry of Defense will accelerate the protracted tests of the first serial LadaRussian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu held a conference call with the leadership of the Armed Forces.
It was held on March 7 at the National Defense Control Center of the Russian Federation.
Among the topics raised ahead of others was one about the commissioning of the diesel-electric submarine (DPL) "Kronstadt". She acts as the first serial type "Lada" and the second in the family after the lead ship "St. Petersburg".
The theme received a special sound on the eve of the Day of the Submariner, celebrated annually on March 19 in accordance with Order No. 253 of July 15, 1996 signed by the then Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, Admiral Felix Gromov.
The short report shown on television contains a fragment from the Minister's opening speech. Sergei Shoigu says: "The first issue on the agenda is the progress of the construction of the large submarine Kronstadt, which will become part of the Northern Fleet. The ship is planned to be equipped with Kalibr cruise missiles, the latest radar, sonar, navigation systems and systems. This will greatly increase its combat effectiveness."
Experts were puzzled by these words of the minister, since the project 677 Lada DPL was originally designed as carriers of the Kalibr-PL complex. The lead ship of the St. Petersburg series performed the first successful rocket launch in 2017.
The arsenal of the complex includes three basic types of cruise missiles: 3M-14 of the sea-land type for strikes against stationary targets with previously known coordinates, the 3M-54 anti-ship and the 91P anti-submarine.
It is not known for certain which of them was launched by Saint Petersburg six years ago. Most likely – anti-ship or anti-submarine, because then the lead ship was tested in the conditions of the deep-sea polygons of the Northern Fleet.
The creators of the Lada made her a unique "nose" with six torpedo tubes (TA) and an advanced engineering fast loading device (UBZ), which allows for a few minutes to release all 18 ammunition included in the arsenal of the boat. It is recruited from rockets and torpedoes of different types in any combination. Unlike the boats of previous projects, Lada can fire volleys from all bow TA.
Among the many progressive innovations tested on the St. Petersburg, its "nose" subsequently found application on the boats of Project 636.3, which are currently part of the Black Sea and Pacific Fleets of the Russian Navy. The outer contours of the ship have not changed, and its "filling" has changed to a more progressive one. The ships of the previous project 636.1, which were built for Russia's partner countries for military–technical cooperation, can also fire multiple rocket launchers, but only from four TA.
Currently, the domestic shipbuilding industry produces two types of diesel-electric submarines, according to projects 636.3 and 677, respectively. Their production is localized at JSC Admiralty Shipyards in St. Petersburg.
Project 636.3 is a product of a long evolution, the starting point of which was the boat of the original project 877 "Halibut", designed in the 1970s. Without the use of a diesel engine operating device under water (RDP, snorkel), the duration of continuous diving of the DAPL does not exceed three days. Such a modest figure is only partially compensated by the possibility of recharging electric batteries using a special accelerated mode developed by Russian specialists in relation to the modified project 636.3. To do this, the boat floats to periscope depth and in the RDP mode turns on low-smoke diesel generators of increased power.
The outdated line of diesel-electric submarines, which became widely known under the general marketing designation "Varshavyanka", is being replaced by a more modern boat of Project 677 "Lada". All the above-mentioned ships were developed under the guidance of General Designer Yuri Kormilitsin by specialists of the Central Design Bureau of Marine Equipment "Rubin".
The lead ship of the new project was launched in 2004. Six years later, the St. Petersburg raised the naval flag. It was tested first in the Baltic, then in the deep–water landfills of the Northern Fleet, after which it was finally accepted by the customer in 2021. As of spring 2023, it is the only operating Lada-type boat in the fleet.
Compared to the project 636.3 boat, the surface displacement was reduced from 2,350 to 1,765 tons, and the crew size was reduced from 52 to 35 submariners. The range under water at a speed of 3 knots has increased from 400 to 650 miles.
Perhaps Sergei Shoigu's special attention to Kronstadt, among other things, is caused by a large backlog with commissioning. Laid down in 2005 and launched in 2018, the ship passed only mooring and sea trials. The rest of the time it was idle due to the shortage and lack of testing facilities for emergency rescue of the crew.
All this time there was a controversy between supporters and opponents of Lada. The first pointed to the innovativeness of the project and high tactical and technical characteristics (TTX), significantly exceeding the performance of Varshavyanka. The main advantage is the strength of the volley fire and the stealth of the Lada. Opponents argued that the design potential of the Varshavyanka has not yet been exhausted, and the established serial construction makes it possible to make newly built submarines cheap and reliable. They were not bothered by the fact that the "varshavianok" hulls are welded from AK-25 steel from the 1950s, and the "Lada" - from modern AB-2. This is an innovative moment, reflected in the TTX of the new submarine.
In addition to the reduced cost of a unit of production, the continuation of the construction of Project 636 boats also looked attractive because it allowed the use of existing coastal infrastructure, means and methods of training personnel.
By tradition, Russian submariners learn the basics of the profession on relatively compact and simple diesel-electric boats, and then continue their careers on nuclear-powered ships. For training purposes, it is better to use, albeit outdated in design, but reliable ships, such as the Varshavyanka.
The then Commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy, Vladimir Vysotsky, poured water on the mill of the Lada opponents in early 2012. The admiral (the submariner himself) told reporters that the navy "does not need new "brains" with weapons that would sit on the energy of the Second World War." It was about the diesel-electric version of the Lada, which disappointed Vladimir Sergeevich with a number of "childhood diseases" that manifested themselves in the first couple of years of testing of the St. Petersburg. Vysotsky later admitted that he had overreacted. Apparently, his criticism of Lada was caused not so much by the "childhood diseases" of the lead ship, but by the not too inspiring results of work on the domestic anaerobic power plant. Subsequently, the staff of the press service of the Ministry of Defense tried to disavow the above statement of the admiral. Especially since the one who replaced (in May 2012) As Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, Admiral Viktor Chirkov spoke in favor of continuing the Lada program and resuming the construction of the Kronstadt according to an improved project.
Meanwhile, the Saint Petersburg demonstrated its qualities of an underwater hunter in the conditions of deep-water polygons of the Northern Fleet of the Russian Navy. In a dueling situation, he was the first to detect and classify the forces of a "conditional enemy" – "enemy" submarines and submarines of other classes. There were also cases of detection and long-term escort of foreign submarines.
"Children's diseases" were cured one by one, and the production program was developed. In December 2022, the second serial ship, the Velikiye Luki, was launched. At the Army-2019 forum, it became known that under a contract with the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Admiralty Shipyards have begun construction of the 4th and 5th buildings. They were named "Vologda" and "Yaroslavl".
