Lada-class submarine

Lada–class profile
B-585 Sankt Peterburg
Class overview
NameLada class
BuildersAdmiralty Shipyard, Saint Petersburg
Operators Russian Navy
Preceded byKilo class
Succeeded by
Built1997–present
In service2010–present
Plannedc. 9[1] [2]
Building2
Completed3
Active2
Retired1
General characteristics
TypeAttack submarine
Displacement
  • 2,700 long tons (2,743 t) submerged
  • 1,765 long tons (1,793 t) surfaced
Length72 m (236 ft 3 in); 67 m (219 ft 10 in) on waterline
Beam7.1 m (23 ft 4 in)
Draught6.5 m (21 ft 4 in)
Installed power2,700 hp (2,013 kW)
Propulsion
  • Electric propulsion motor on permanent magnets
  • Storage battery with increased service life
  • 1 shaft
Speed
  • 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph) submerged
  • 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced
Range7,500nm at 3 knots (13,800 km) submerged
Endurance45 days
Test depth300 m (984 ft)
Complement35 officers and men
Sensors &
processing systems		Litiy CICS
Armament

Lada class, Russian designation Project 677 Lada (Russian: Лада, meaning "Lada", NATO reporting name St. Petersburg) is the class of diesel-electric attack submarine designed by the Russian Rubin Design Bureau. A program to develop a "fourth generation" diesel-electric submarine aimed to produce an improved version of the Project 636 with better acoustic signature, new combat systems and possibly air-independent propulsion. However, in 2019, Alexander Buzakov, the head of the Admiralty Shipyard, indicated that there were no plans to equip the Lada class with an air-independent propulsion system.[4][5] In July 2022, it was reported that efforts to produce an electrochemical generator capable of making hydrogen from a combination of diesel fuel and oxygen was resuming as the designers signed a new contract in 2019. This was scheduled to be completed by the mid-2020s.[6] In 2023, the decision was taken to decommission and scrap the lead ship of the class, the Sankt Peterburg due to the very high costs of modernizing the submarine.[7]

History

The lead boat of the class, named Sankt Peterburg, was originally laid down in December 1997 alongside a second boat meant for export (Project 677E, apparently for India) that never got past initial construction and was very similar to the Project 677 boat.[8] The lead boat was launched in October 2004 and began sea trials in November 2005. The submarine was transferred to the Russian Navy in April 2010.[9]

Another two vessels were under construction at the Admiralty Shipyard with plans to launch four to six submarines by 2015. In 2009, the Russian Navy had set out a requirement for a total of eight St. Petersburg-class submarines.[10] Indonesia had indicated its interest in acquiring two St. Petersburg-class submarines, but the deal fell through before 2010 due to financing issues.[11]

In November 2011, the Russian Navy decided that this class of submarines would not be accepted into service, as the lead boat had fallen far short of requirements during tests.[12] The lead boat was retained as a test vessel to experiment with various systems. The construction of the remaining boats of the class was frozen.

On 27 July 2012, the Russian Navy commander-in-chief announced the resumption of the construction of the St. Petersburg-class submarines, having undergone extensive design changes. In 2013 and 2015, two further boats were re-laid and commissioning was expected in 2017 and 2018.

On 20 September 2018, the first serial submarine of the class, B-586 Kronshtadt, was launched at the Admiralty Shipyards in St. Petersburg.[13]

In June 2017, the Russian Navy announced it planned to order two more Lada-class submarines,[14] and the build contract was signed in June 2019, during the International Military-Technical Forum «ARMY-2019».[15] One more sub was ordered in August 2020, during the International Military-Technical Forum «ARMY-2020»,[16][17] with some speculation that all six of the submarines currently on order, or alternatively up to six of the eventual total number of Lada-class boats, might eventually be deployed with the Baltic Fleet.[18]

In July 2025, Russian president Putin stated that at least nine submarines of the class would be built.[19]

Design

The project 677 St. Petersburg is a Russian diesel-electric submarine developed in the late 1990s. The submarine is designed for anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, defense of naval bases, seashore and sea lanes, as well as for conducting reconnaissance. The class marks the first usage of a mono-hull design by the Russian navy for an attack submarine since the 1940s.

Displacement is 25% lower than that of its predecessor, the Kilo-class submarine, but its capabilities are greatly enhanced.[20] Top submerged speed is 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph), up from 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph)s for the Kilo class. The class is designed for an endurance of 45 days with a complement of 35.

The submarine is equipped with automated combat control system Litiy (meaning "Lithium").

A variant designated as the project 1650 Amur-class submarine is offered as an export model.

Units

# Name Builders Laid down Launched Commissioned Decommissioned Fleet Status Notes
B-585 Sankt Peterburg Admiralty Shipyards 26 December 1997 28 October 2004 8 May 2010 5 February 2024[21] Northern[note 1] Decommissioned, to be scrapped[22][23][7] Prototype. Subsequent boats are heavily redesigned.
B-586 Kronshtadt 28 July 2005 20 September 2018[13] 31 January 2024[24] Northern[note 1][25][26] Active[27][28][29] Construction stopped due to multiple issues with B-585 Sankt Peterburg, resumed on 9 July 2013.
B-587 Velikiye Luki 19 March 2015[30] 23 December 2022[31] 16 December 2025[32] Baltic[33][34][35] Active Laid down on 10 November 2006, re-laid in 2015 due to a redesign.
Vologda 12 June 2022[36] 2026[37] Northern[35] Under construction
Yaroslavl 12 June 2022[36] 2026[38] Northern[35] Under construction
TBA Northern Ordered[18] Pending as of 2025[37]

See also

Equivalent submarines of the same era

Notes

  1. ^ a b A report in 2020 suggested that deployment might shift to the Baltic Fleet.[18]

References

  1. ^ "The Russian Navy is expected to order the construction of three additional Lada-class conventional attack submarines". Zona Militar. 29 July 2025. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  2. ^ "Для ВМФ России планируется постройка 12 подводных лодок проекта 677" [It is planned to build 12 Project 677 submarines for the Russian Navy]. bmpd.livejournal.com (in Russian). 27 November 2018. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
  3. ^ "Photographic image of brochure" (JPG). Pp.userapi.com. Archived from the original on 31 August 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  4. ^ Archus, Dorian (17 December 2019). "No Plans To Equip Russian Lada-Class Submarines With AIP-Constructor". Naval Post. Archived from the original on 23 September 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  5. ^ "Analysis 1/2: Lada-class diesel-electric submarine of project 677 for Russian Navy". 10 October 2021. Archived from the original on 11 October 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  6. ^ "Project 677 Kronstadt Assigned to Northern Fleet – SeaWaves Magazine". Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Russian Navy Lada-class submarine Sankt Peterburg to be decommissioned early". 19 April 2023.
  8. ^ Polnar, Norman; Moore, K.J. (2004). Cold War Submarines: The Design and Construction of U.S. and Soviet Submarines, 1945–2001. Dulles, Virginia: Potomac Books Inc. pp. 217–218. ISBN 1-57488-594-4.
  9. ^ Завершены государственные испытания подводной лодки 4-го поколения "Санкт-Петербург" для ВМФ России [State tests of the 4th generation submarine "Sankt Peterburg" for the Russian Navy have been completed]. ARMS-TASS (in Russian). 22 April 2010. Archived from the original on 3 October 2011. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  10. ^ "Russia's Lada sub trials to be completed in 2009". Rusnavy.com. 6 November 2009. Archived from the original on 13 January 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  11. ^ Bitzinger, Richard A. (April 2010). "A New Arms Race? Explaining Recent Southeast Asian Military Acquisitions". Contemporary Southeast Asia. 32 (1). Institute of Southeast Asian Studies: 53. JSTOR 41288803. S2CID 154744246.
  12. ^ "ВМФ отказался от новейших подлодок проекта "Лада"" [The navy abandoned the latest submarines of the "Lada" project]. Izvestia (in Russian). 23 November 2011. Archived from the original on 27 March 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  13. ^ a b "Russia's second Lada-class submarine launched 13 years after construction start". NavalToday.com. 20 September 2018. Archived from the original on 20 September 2018. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  14. ^ "Russian Navy to Order Two More Project 677 Lada-class Submarines". Navy Recognition. 29 June 2017. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
  15. ^ "АО "Адмиралтейские Верфи" подписало контракт на строительство двух подводных лодок Проекта 677 "Лада"" [JSC Admiralty Shipyards signed a contract for the construction of two submarines of Project 677 "Lada"]. Admiralty Shipyard (Press release) (in Russian). 28 June 2019. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
  16. ^ "Russian Navy signs contract during Army 2020 forum for two more diesel submarines". Navy Recognition. 25 August 2020.
  17. ^ "Минфин и "Роскосмос" вступили в публичные препирательства о сокращении расходов" [The Ministry of Finance and "Roscosmos" entered into a public altercation about cutting costs]. Vedomosti (in Russian). 25 August 2020.
  18. ^ a b c "Analysis: latest Russian Navy contracts offer development conclusions". Navy Recognition. 16 September 2020. Archived from the original on 20 November 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  19. ^ "The Russian Navy is expected to order the construction of three additional Lada-class conventional attack submarines". Zona Militar. 29 July 2025. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  20. ^ "В ходе испытаний ДЭПЛ "Санкт-Петербург" показала характеристики на порядок выше, чем у проекта 636" [During tests, diesel-electric submarines "Sankt-Peterburg" showed characteristics an order of magnitude higher than those of Project 636]. Armstrade.org (in Russian). 17 December 2018. Archived from the original on 18 December 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  21. ^ "Головную подлодку проекта "Лада" "Санкт-Петербург" вывели из состава ВМФ". TASS (in Russian). 5 February 2024.
  22. ^ "'Saint Petersburg' submarine launches cruise missile in Barents Sea". TASS. 17 November 2016. Archived from the original on 15 August 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  23. ^ "Project 677 lead submarine St. Petersburg passed all Russian Navy tests". Navy Recognition. 14 August 2017. Archived from the original on 15 August 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  24. ^ Staalesen, Atle (31 January 2024). "Russia says its new submarine is ultra-silent". The Barents Observer. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
  25. ^ "What They May Get, 2020". Russian Defense Policy. 19 January 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  26. ^ "Источник: Северный флот получит не менее четырех дизельных подлодок" [Source: Northern Fleet will receive at least four diesel submarines]. RIA Novosti (in Russian). 14 April 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
  27. ^ "Russian Project 677 submarine Kronstadt starts sea trials". 20 December 2021.
  28. ^ "Analysis: St. Petersburg submarine expects upgrade for new arms trials - take 1". Navy Recognition. 23 April 2020. Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  29. ^ "Испытания первой серийной "Лады" близки к завершению". ФлотПром (in Russian). 22 December 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  30. ^ Источник: третью подлодку типа "Лада" перезаложат в Петербурге 19 марта [Source: the third submarine of the "Lada" type will be re-laid in St. Petersburg on March 19]. TASS (in Russian). 27 February 2015. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  31. ^ "В Петербурге состоялся торжественный спуск на воду подлодки "Великие Луки"". TASS (in Russian). 23 December 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  32. ^ "New diesel-electric submarine delivered to Russian Navy". english.news.cn. 16 December 2025. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
  33. ^ Xavier, Will (18 December 2025). "Russian Navy's third Lada-class submarine commissioned into service". Baird Maritime. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
  34. ^ "The Russian Navy has finally commissioned into service the third of its new Lada-class attack submarines". Zona Militar. 16 December 2025. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
  35. ^ a b c "ВМФ получил дизель-электрическую подлодку проекта "Кронштадт"". RIA (in Russian). 31 January 2024.
  36. ^ a b "АО "Адмиралтейские Верфи" Заложило Две подводные лодки проекта 677 "Лада"" [JSC Admiralty Shipyards laid down two submarines of Project 677 Lada]. Admiralty Shipyard (in Russian). 12 June 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  37. ^ a b Ciślak, Jarosław (3 February 2025). "Warshavianka Dance. Russian Conventional Submarine Maneuvers". Defence24.com (in Polish). Retrieved 31 July 2025.
  38. ^ "Строительство боевых кораблей основных классов для ВМФ России на 01.01.2022". navy-korabel (in Russian). 1 January 2022.
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