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| Russian submarine B-603 Volkhov |
Militarymedia.net - The underwater stealth universe in the Pacific adds a new family, with the official operation of the Russian Navy's newest Vashavyanka Class submarine, the B-603 Volkhov, through a ceremony in Saint Petersburg. The Vashavyanka Class is better known as the “Kilo Class Next Generation,” because the diesel-electric submarine's design is a refinement of the Kilo Class.
The B-603 Volkhov has become a force in Russia's Pacific Fleet, and it is planned that by 2024, the Russian Navy will receive six of these improved Project 636.3 Kilo Class units and strengthen its presence for the Pacific Fleet by 2025.
The B-603 Volkhov was built by the Admiralty shipyard (United Shipbuilding Corporation), where the submarine began construction in July 2017 and was launched in December 2019. Previously, Admiralty had launched its first unit, namely Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky which was launched in March 2019 and has been handed over to the Navy. Russia on November 25, 2019.
The Vashavyanka Class weighs 4,000 tonnes and is capable of traveling at speeds of 20 knots while diving. With the ability to dive to a depth of 300 meters, the Vashavyanka Class can sail continuously (without re-supplies) for 45 days and sail for 12,000 km.
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| Russian submarine B-603 Volkhov |
Manned by 52 personnel, apart from heavy torpedoes, the Kilo Class Next Generation's arsenal includes Kalibr anti-ship missiles (3M-54 and 3M-541) to attack surface targets, then there are 3M-14 cruise missiles for attacking land.
The Vashavyanka Class is designed to be quieter than the Kilo Class, one of which is by adopting a special anechoic coating that is applied to the outer hull surface to reduce noise coming from the interior. The submarine's main generator is also isolated using rubber to prevent vibrations. The shipyards even dare to boast that this is the submarine with the best silence level in the world.
With all its advantages, the Vashavyanka Class does not adopt Air-Independent Propulsion (AIP) technology, which Russia says can actually reduce the stealth capability of a submarine.
Currently, there are Vashavyanka Class units that are under construction at the Admiralty shipyard, namely Magadan and Ufa, where the two submarines have now passed the hydraulic test phase. The Russian Navy said the Vashavyanka Class construction project so far was progressing on schedule and on contract.
