Recently, new plans were announced to upgrade the submarine forces of the Navy. According to the latest data, after the completion of the current construction of new submarines for the Black Sea Fleet, a similar project will start, as a result of which the Pacific Fleet will receive new submarines. In addition, some information has been published that directly or indirectly relates to this project.
On January 16, the head of the naval shipbuilding department, Captain 1st Rank Vladimir Tryapichnikov, announced the plans to build new submarines on the air of the Russian News Service radio station. The officer said that it is planned to continue the development of the fleet, including through the construction of new submarines. According to current plans, six Project 636 Varshavyanka diesel-electric submarines should be built in the foreseeable future. The new submarines will be transferred to the Pacific Fleet. The timing of the construction of the boats has not yet been specified, but it is argued that they will be transferred to the navy in the near future.
According to V. Tryapichnikov, before the start of construction, the original project will undergo some modifications related to the operation of equipment in the Pacific Ocean. The details of such improvements, however, have not yet been disclosed.
The head of the naval shipbuilding department spoke only about plans to build new submarines, but did not touch on the reasons for their appearance. A little later, detailed information on this subject was published by Lenta.ru. With reference to an unnamed source in the Ministry of Defense, it is reported that the purpose of the construction of six new "Varshavyanka" is to overcome the lag of the Russian submarine forces from the Japanese, which developed after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
According to an unnamed source, the Pacific Fleet currently needs about 10-12 diesel-electric submarines. This number of diesel-electric submarines, in combination with the existing nuclear submarines, will ensure superiority over the Japanese fleet, as well as establish parity with the US naval forces. Recall that at the moment the Pacific Fleet has eight diesel-electric submarines of project 877 "Halibut", most of which were built several decades ago and can be decommissioned in the foreseeable future. Thus, to maintain or increase the combat capabilities of the fleet, the construction of new submarines is required.
The project to build a series of six Varshavyanka submarines for the Pacific Fleet can be considered a direct continuation of a previous similar order. In 2010 and 2011, the Ministry of Defense ordered six diesel-electric submarines of project 636.3, which were intended for the Black Sea Fleet. To date, four boats of this series have been built, tested and handed over to the fleet. From September 2014 to November 2015, the fleet included boats B-261 Novorossiysk, B-237 Rostov-on-Don, B-262 Stary Oskol and B-265 Krasnodar. Two other submarines of the series, B-268 Veliky Novgorod and B-271 Kolpino, are due to be commissioned at the end of this year.
It should also be noted that the submarine "Rostov-on-Don" not only began service in the navy, but also managed to take part in hostilities. In early December, this submarine, while in the Mediterranean Sea, launched a missile attack on terrorist positions in Syria. To destroy these targets, the Caliber missile system was used. Other boats of the Varshavyanka project are also armed with similar systems.
According to the latest plans of the military department, in the foreseeable future, diesel-electric submarines of project 636.3 should replenish the composition of the Pacific Fleet, and, as in the case of the Black Sea fleet, it will be about the construction of six submarines. The exact dates of their laying and the enterprise, which is to carry out the construction, have not yet been specified. It can be assumed that the construction of the new Varshavyankas will be carried out at the Admiralty Shipyards in St. Petersburg, which built most of the diesel-electric submarines of Project 636. Thus, the construction of a new series can start after the sixth boat for the Black Sea Fleet has been launched.
Of great interest are the words of an unnamed source of "Lenta.ru". According to him, the goal of building new diesel-electric submarines is the need to reduce the lag behind the fleets of other countries in the Far East. Thus, the appearance of new domestic submarines should increase the combat capability of the Pacific Fleet and thereby eliminate the lag behind Japan, as well as ensure parity with the United States.
It must be admitted that the available information about the Project 636.3 submarines and their weapons may indicate their high potential. The new submarines are among the quietest in their class and also carry long-range cruise missiles demonstrated during last year's launches. Thus, the new Varshavyanka are capable not only of adjusting the balance of forces in the North Pacific, but also of noticeably changing the military-political situation in the region. The main factor of influence in this case is the high range and accuracy of the missiles.
According to reports, the submarines Veliky Novgorod and Kolpino (the last in the series for the Black Sea Fleet) should be launched in the first half of 2016. After that, "Admiralty Shipyards" will be able to begin preparations for the construction of new submarines. Thus, the laying of the head Varshavyanka for the Pacific Fleet may take place by the end of this year, and the construction of the entire series will take about 5-7 years. As a result, by the end of this decade, the Pacific Fleet will receive several newest submarines.
