Russia Navy's Improved Kilo class submarine Mozhaisk starts factory trials.

According to information published by BMPD on August 23, 2023, the Project 636.3 diesel-electric submarine Mozhaisk, constructed at the Admiralty Shipyards in St. Petersburg for the Russian Navy, set sail for its first factory sea trials in the Baltic Sea. This vessel is the fifth in a series of six submarines designed for the Pacific Fleet.
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Russian Project 636.3 submarine Mozhaisk. (Picture source: BMPD)

The contract to build these six submarines for the Pacific Fleet was signed between the Russian Ministry of Defense and the Admiralty Shipyards on September 7, 2016, during the "Army-2016" International Military-Technical Forum. The agreement stipulated that the first submarine would be delivered by November 25, 2019, with the entire series completed by 2022.

Previously, between 2014 and 2016, the Admiralty Shipyards had delivered six submarines of the same project to the Black Sea Fleet. This project, developed by the Rubin Central Design Bureau in St. Petersburg, modernizes the designs of projects 877 and 636.

The first two submarines of this series for the Pacific Fleet, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and Volkhov, were laid down at the Admiralty Shipyards on July 28, 2017. The former was launched in March 2019, underwent trials in August, and was delivered on schedule in November 2019.

The Volhov was launched in December 2019, began trials in July 2020, and was delivered to the fleet by October 2020. By November 2021, both submarines, escorted by the new corvette Gremyashchiy, had transitioned from the Baltic Sea, through the Mediterranean, the Suez Canal, and the Indian Ocean, finally reaching their Pacific Fleet base in Vladivostok.

The third and fourth submarines, Magadan and Ufa, were laid down in November 2019. Magadan was launched in March 2021, began its trials in June, and was commissioned in October 2021.

After setting sail from the Baltic in August 2022, it reached its Vladivostok base in October, becoming the third submarine of this project to join the Pacific Fleet. The Ufa was launched in March 2022, underwent trials in June, and was commissioned in November 2022.

The laying ceremony for the fifth and sixth submarines, Mozhaisk and Yakutsk, took place on August 23, 2021. Mozhaisk was launched in April 2023 and is currently undergoing its trials.

In August 2020, the Russian Ministry of Defense commissioned another submarine of this project, tentatively named Petrozavodsk, and in August 2022, three more submarines were commissioned.

Reports in 2023 indicated plans to construct a series of these submarines for the Northern Fleet. While the decision has been made, the contract remains unsigned, with construction expected to commence no earlier than 2024. The leading submarine for the Northern Fleet is likely to be named Mariupol.