Shipbuilders start dockside trials of diesel-electric submarine for Russia’s Pacific Fleet.

The Admiralty Shipyard in St. Petersburg in Russia’s northwest has started the dockside trials of the Project 636.3 diesel-electric submarine Volkhov, the Shipyard’s press office reported on March 2 2020.

Volkhov submarine (Picture source: Alexander Demianchuk/TASS)

"The trials will take about three months. Over this period, specialists will check all the ship’s systems, assemblies and mechanisms. They include the navigation system, communications, the general shipborne systems, the control equipment, the torpedo and missile armament, the sonar and other items," the press office said in a statement.

After the dockside trials are over, the submarine will enter shipbuilders’ sea and state trials, it informed.

The Volkhov is the second in the series of six submarines, which the Admiralty Shipyard is building for Russia’s Pacific Fleet. The sub was laid down in July 2017 and put afloat in December 2019. The first ship of this series, the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, was delivered to the Navy in December 2019.

The Admiralty Shipyard is currently assembling two more submarines of this series, the Magadan and the Ufa. Their construction is proceeding under the schedule and is due to be completed in 2022 as is stipulated in the relevant contract.

Project 636.3 ‘Varshavyanka’ submarines (NATO reporting name: Improved Kilo-II) are referred to the third generation of large diesel-electric submarines and are considered among the world’s most noiseless underwater cruisers.

These subs are 74 meters long and displace more than 3,900 tonnes. Due to its strong hull, the submarine has an operational depth of 240 meters and can dive to a maximum depth of 300 meters. The submarines of this Project have an operational range of up to 7,500 miles. They are armed with Kalibr-PL cruise missiles that are launched from torpedo tubes from the sub’s submerged position.

© Copyright 2020 TASS. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.