There are no plans to discontinue the construction of Project 677 Lada-class
diesel-electric submarines (SSK) yet, Deputy Navy Commander-in-Chief
Vice Admiral Alexander Fedotenkov told journalists on Thursday. The
second and third submarines, the Kronstadt and Velikiye
Luki, will be delivered later than scheduled in 2019 but the Russian
Navy says the class is much quiter compared to the Project 636 Kilo-class. |
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"The
Navy will decide on how many Project 677 Lada submarines it needs based
on the outcome of the operational evaluation of the Kronstadt and Velikiye
Luki submarines. The termination of the family’s construction
is not on the agenda now," Vice Admiral Alexander Fedotenkov
said.
The advanced design of the follow-on Kalina fifth-generation diesel-electric
submarine will inherit the best features of Projects 636 and 677. "Preparations
for the designing of the radically advanced Kalina diesel-electric submarine
are under way. The Kalina will embody the best characteristics of Projects
636 and 677," the admiral said.
There have been media reports that the funds will be used to pay for
the Kalina program and the construction of Project 677 diesel-electric
boats will end after the Kronstadt and Velikiye Luki submarines have
been built.
The Project 677 Lada-class fourth-generation diesel-electric submarines
are much quieter than the preceding Project 636 ones, Russian Navy Shipbuilding
Department chief Captain 1st Rank Vladimir Tryapichnikov told the Russian
News Service radio in an interview. "There is the well-designed
Project 677 Lada-class submarine. It is in the operational evaluation
with the Northern Fleet. There are some issues with it, but once they
have been ironed out, the opeval completed and the design documentation
and operating manuals amended, it will be a formidable submarine with
an acoustic signature lower by an order of magnitude than that of the
current Project 636 submarines," Tryapichnikov said referring
to the Project 677 lead ship, the St. Petersburg.
"Both Ladas, the Kronstadt and Velikiye Luki, are expected
to slip behind schedule to 2019," a source in the Russian
Navy Main Staff told TASS, citing an adjustment of the governmental
defense procurement order as the reason.
The source stressed that the second and third submarines in the series
were being made "with due account taken of the shortcomings
revealed during the Northern Fleet’s operation of the Project
677 lead ship, the St. Petersburg." As for the fitting of
the subs with the air-independent propulsion plant (AIP), this will
not be the case. "We have to wait until it [AIP] has passed
its sea trials," the source said. The Russian Navy planned
to have its Project 677 submarines equipped with AIPs to enable them
to remain submerged for a longer time, thus making them less vulnerable.
However, an AIP can be developed in 2020 at the earliest. The Rubin
Design Bureau and Krylov State Research Center are planning to launch
the development of a prototype AIP for diesel-electric submarines and
a floating testbed as well. If the funds are provided from 2016 onward,
the testing of the AIP plant on the floating testbed can start not earlier
than 2018.
The Russian AIP design is unique because hydrogen required for power
generation is obtained by means of diesel fuel reforming onboard the
submarine. Hydrogen is not stored onboard and is produced as much as
needed, which increases the safety of the propulsion plant. Ordinary
diesel fuel, which is standard for all diesel-electric submarines, is
used for generating hydrogen. It needs no extra component and, hence,
extra reservoir for storage. There is also no need for special infrastructure
on shore to generate and store hydrogen. To cap it all, the AIP features
low noise and high efficiency.
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