Lada class sub brief - Old style design submarine
Aaron Amick
We did a lot of research on this one because there's not a lot of public information on this lesser-known Russian submarine
Our Story begins really in 1987. The cold war is really at its peak. This is right before the five-year or so decline to the end of the Soviet Union and they're just going all out with their spending coming up with new ideas. A lot of the money at the end of the Soviet Union was really put into rocket technology and missiles and things like that, but they also put a lot of money into the Navy and one of the new ideas was to get away from nuclear propulsion for our submarines because conventional is cheaper for one and we can get a lot of performance out of these diesel conventionally powered submarines and that spurred on this idea part of which was from the kilo.
The kilo class conventionally powered submarine was a major success for the Soviet navy. They built a ton of those boats and they improved to modernize them over and over again to where they were going to be very well. The kilo is absolutely famous for being an outstanding sub and this submarine the lot of submarine that nobody knows about is the replacement for the kilo
This is the new kilo. This is the new super stealth sub that is entering Russian Service as of this year and nobody knows about it, so that's what we're going to fix today. We're going to tell you about this new sub and what a hunk of junk it is. The reason why it's so secret is they're embarrassed to tell anybody about it. This is a complete train wreck from design to construction to sea trials that nearly killed people on board. It's a mess This submarine was designed by the very respected Ruben Central Design Bureau. Now they have a ton of successes under their belt. They've built every major nuclear submarine for the Russian Navy and a couple submarines that were not nuclear, as well designed them including the kilo class so they can design Subs. But something went terribly wrong with this one.
Designed around a unique implementation of air-independent propulsion (AIP) technology, the new Project 677 Lada
submarines were meant to provide the Russian navy with a modernized,
cost-efficient complement to nuclear-powered submarines. But the Lada
project stalled amid technical difficulties, leading the manufacturer to
abandon AIP propulsion altogether in favor of a traditional
diesel-electric system. Project 677’s place on the looser list is a reflection
of the fact that the Russian shipbuilding industry has failed to
implement the submarines’ core defining feature, dooming what was a
potentially innovative class to long-term technical irrelevance.
Russia's AIP-powered Lada-class submarines: A significant advancement in non-nuclear underwater warfare
Russia's Lada-class submarines, also known as Project 677, utilize air-independent propulsion (AIP) technology, setting them apart as the first class of AIP-powered submarines in the Russian Navy. This technological leap allows for underwater operations without the need for atmospheric oxygen, enhancing their stealth capabilities and effectiveness in anti-submarine warfare.
Improvements over the Kilo-class submarines include better acoustic signatures, advanced combat systems, a mono-hull design, increased speed, and reduced surface displacement for maneuverability. Lada-class submarines are equipped with modern sonar systems, automated combat control, and countermeasure electronic support.
Despite initial plans to replace older Kilo-class submarines, construction of additional Improved Kilo-class boats has been ordered due to setbacks with the Lada-class program. Overall, the development and implementation of the Lada-class submarines represent a significant advancement in non-nuclear underwater warfare technologies.
Developer: Stealth Capabilities of 677 Lada Subs Outshine Its Predecessors
The 677 Lada-class diesel-electric submarines are designed for reconnaissance, surveillance, anti-submarine warfare, anti-shipping, and mine-laying missions. The subs are equipped with advanced technology, including improved stealth capabilities, enhanced communication systems, and advanced torpedoes.
The first serial-produced Project 677 Lada submarine, the Kronstadt, built at the Admiralty shipyards in St. Petersburg, is being readied for delivery to the Russian Navy.
Russia’s New Lada-Class Submarine Fails to Meet Expectations
Here’s What You Need to Remember: The second Lada submarine—Kronstadt, the one being referenced by TASS’ source—is now reportedly on the cusp of entering service, following a tortured construction process involving several sweeping revisions. But Kronstadt, too, is a standard diesel-electric submarine.
Russia’s first Lada-class submarine will finally be handed over to the Navy in 2022, according to recent reports.
“The first serial Project 677 Lada submarine is planned to be received in 2022,” a defense industry insider told Russia’s TASS state news. The TASS report noted that this information has not been publicly corroborated by Russian officials.
As first conceived, the Lada-class was designed around a unique air-independent propulsion (AIP) system. This technology comes in different variants, but the core concept is the same: AIP is a propulsion technique that allows a submarine to function without direct access to outside air. Depending on its exact implementation, AIP technology can bring a wide range of performance benefits: notably, reductions in displacement and crew size, significantly reduced noise generation when compared to standard diesel-electric systems, and greater endurance. These enhancements can make AIP submarines an attractive choice for littoral, local, or low-intensity missions that don’t require the virtually unlimited endurance, range, and sustained speeds of nuclear-powered submarines. The Lada boats’ arsenal will include six 533-millimeter torpedo tubes for a total capacity of eighteen torpedoes, as well ten Kalibr cruise missiles.
Several other navies are dabbling in AIP technology—some, with seemingly greater success than Russia. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) Type 039A Yuan-class submarines are powered by the proven, widely-established Stirling AIP method—as many as fifteen such submarines are currently in service, with several more under construction. But Russia’s shipbuilding industry has struggled to integrate the fuel cell AIP systems intended for the Lada boats. The first Lada model, Sankt Peterburg, was laid down in 2004 and commissioned six years later with a standard diesel-electric propulsion system; that submarine has since been repurposed into a testbed vessel. The second Lada submarine—Kronstadt, the one being referenced by TASS’ source—is now reportedly on the cusp of entering service, following a tortured construction process involving several sweeping revisions. But Kronstadt, too, is a standard diesel-electric submarine.
It was later revealed that the third Lada boat, Velikiye Luki, will likewise be launched with a traditional diesel-electric propulsion system. Аlexander Buzakov, head of the Admiralty Shipyard in Saint Petersburg, said in late 2019 that there are no plans to equip Project 677 submarines with AIP systems. It is not fully clear if Buzakov was referring only to the next two Lada submarines, or to the entire range. The news puts the future of the Lada-class, which was mainly distinguished from its Kilo-class predecessor by its innovative AIP system, into doubt. At least two more Lada submarines are slated to be laid down in 2022 and commissioned as part of Russia’s 2027 state armament cycle.
Mark Episkopos is a national security reporter for The National Interest.
For decades, the Soviet Union has been one of the world’s leading producers of cutting-edge submarine technology. The Russian Federation has since picked up its predecessor’s mantle, challenging its NATO rivals with two formidable new submarine classes. But submarine design and construction is a notoriously tricky business—these projects often don’t pan out for a wide range of technical, logistical, and even political reasons. Here are the five worst Russian and Soviet submarines.
November
The November-class was the USSR’s first line of nuclear-powered attack submarines, inaugurated in 1958. The class suffered from serious safety and reliability issues stemming from its experimental reactor implementation, resulting in a series of catastrophic accidents that earned the November boats the reputation of bonafide underwater coffins among the Soviet sailors unfortunate enough to be assigned to them. The 1970 sinking of the K-8 November-class submarine during Naval exercises is remembered as one of history’s greatest submarine disasters, costing the lives of fifty-two servicemen.
Victor II
The Victor I-class nuclear-powered attack submarines brought a revolutionary leap in postwar Soviet submarine design, but the Victor II revision did little to build on these advancements. The Victor II update sought to reduce the class’ noise generation, but the changes were too little, too late. The Soviets soon discovered, in part through information collected by the Walker spy ring, that the Victor II vessels still lagged far behind their American counterparts in acoustics. Seven Victor II submarines were built from 1972 through 1978—the line was then cut short and replaced by the markedly more successful Victor III-class.
Lada
Designed around a unique implementation of air-independent propulsion (AIP) technology, the new Project 677 Lada submarines were meant to provide the Russian navy with a modernized, cost-efficient complement to nuclear-powered submarines. But the Lada project stalled amid technical difficulties, leading the manufacturer to abandon AIP propulsion altogether in favor of a traditional diesel-electric system. Project 677’s place on this list is a reflection of the fact that the Russian shipbuilding industry has failed to implement the submarines’ core defining feature, dooming what was a potentially innovative class to long-term technical irrelevance.
Project-685 Plavnik
The only submarine of her class, the K-278 Komsomolets was intended as a testbed for new naval technologies. A fire broke out aboard the Komsomolets in 1989, setting off a series of events that caused the submarine to sink and led to the deaths of forty-two crew members. The damage wrought by Komsomolets has managed to outlive the submarine itself: further investigations discovered plutonium leakage from the wrecked, sunken submarine’s nuclear torpedoes, prompting ongoing concerns of environmental contamination.
Pravda
Introduced in 1935, the three Pravda-class submarines were used by the USSR during the Second World War as transport boats. But the Soviet military quickly realized that the Pravda class was woefully underpowered for its role. The Pravda-class was crippled by its poor maneuverability, unacceptably long diving time, and small crush depth, making it one of the least successful submarine lines ever to serve in the Soviet navy.
Mark Episkopos is a national security reporter for the National Interest.
Image: Wikimedia Commons
Russian Navy commissions Project 677 Lada class submarine Kronshtadt
According to information published by Tass on January 31, 2024, the
Russian Navy has officially commissioned the Project 677 Lada
diesel-electric submarine Kronshtadt.
Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link
Commissioning ceremony of the Project 677 Lada submarine Kronshtadt. (Picture source: Tvspb)
The induction ceremony, marked by the hoisting of the naval flag, took place at the Admiralty Shipyards in St. Petersburg, a key facility within the United Shipbuilding Corporation.
During the event, Admiral Nikolay Yevmenov, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, announced the integration of the "Kronstadt" into the fleet, assigning it to the Kola Flotilla within the Northern Fleet.
It possesses a surface speed of 10 knots and an underwater speed of 21 knots. The submarine operates at a working depth of 250 meters, with a maximum submersion depth of 300 meters. With an autonomy of 45 days at sea, it accommodates a crew of 35.
Regarding dimensions, the submarine has a surface displacement of 1,765 tons and a submerged displacement of 2,650 tons. It measures 66.8 meters in length overall, with a maximum hull width of 7.1 meters and an average draft of 6.6 meters.
The submarine's power plant features a diesel-electric engine with full electric motion, including two diesel generators each producing 1250 kW, an all-mode electric motor of 4050 - 5500 horsepower, two backup electric motors of 102 horsepower each, a single low-noise propeller, and two battery banks each containing 120 elements.
Its armament comprises a mine-torpedo system with six bow torpedo tubes of 533 mm, capable of holding 18 torpedoes or mines. The submarine is also equipped with the "Kalibr" missile system. For air defense, it carries "Igla-1M", "Strela-3M", and "Verba" anti-aircraft missile systems, with 8 missiles in transport and launch containers.
About the class
They are designed for anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, mine-laying missions, as well as reconnaissance and surveillance. This versatility makes them suitable for protecting naval bases, seashores, and sea lanes.
Their advanced capabilities enable them to operate in various environments, from the Arctic to more temperate climates, extending Russia's strategic reach and influence. The Lada-class submarines are well-suited for A2/AD strategies, where the goal is to deny an adversary access to certain critical regions.
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