Earlier this month, the Russian Navy’s Kilo-II submarine demonstrated its ability to launch one of the Kremlin’s most advanced cruise missiles.

The Russian Navy’s Varshavyanka-class diesel-electric submarines (NATO reporting name: Improved Kilo-II) have been described by the United States Navy as “Black Holes” for their ability to quietly operate in shallower coastal waters, where they can be employed in anti-surface warfare (ASuW) and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) missions. 

This class of submarines is equipped with advanced acoustic, radar, and sonar systems that can make it difficult to track or detect them.

This month, the ability of the submarines to further serve as a platform to launch one of the Kremlin’s most advanced cruise missiles was further demonstrated.

Ufa, the fourth of six planned Project 636.3 boats for the Pacific Fleet, tested the Kalibr cruise missile. Rockets were fired at surface targets in the Syurkum training range near Khabarovsk in the Russian Far East. The second of the two was reported to hit a target at approximately 1,000 kilometers.

“During a scheduled exercise, the Ufa diesel-electric submarine of the Pacific Fleet fired Kalibr cruise missiles at maritime and coastal targets from the Sea of Japan. Before the drills, the submarine covertly approached the designated area,” the Russian Ministry of Defense told state media outlet Tass.

Similar tests of the Kalibr were carried out two years ago with the Project 667BDR Kalmar-class (NATO reporting name: Delta III) Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky while it conducting combat training during a deployment in the Sea of Japan.

About the Ufa and the Kilo-II Class Submarines

The Kremlin had requested that six Project 636.3 diesel-electric submarines be delivered to the Pacific Fleet in September 2016. 

The lead submarine of the class, the aforementioned Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, was delivered to the Russian Navy on November 25, 2019, while the second Volkhov was subsequently handed over to the Fleet on October 24, 2020. A third boat, Magadan, was delivered to the Russian Navy in November 2021 and joined the Pacific Fleet after transiting the Northern Sea Route in late 2022.

Ufa was laid down in 2019 at the Admiralty Shipbuilding Corporation in St. Petersburg. Though construction was delayed due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the boat was launched in November 2022 and completed sea trials in late 2023. 

In October 2024, the ship traveled via “the Southern Sea Route” to the Pacific Fleet headquarters at Fokino, Primorsky Krai, formerly Vladivostok.

A fifth boat of the class, Mozhaisk, was launched last November and recently deployed in the Baltic Sea. The sixth sub, Yakutsk, was launched on October 11, 2024. The final boat will be delivered to the Russian Navy by the end of next year.

As previously reported, the Kilo-II submarines have acoustic stealth, a target detection range, the latest inertial navigator, an advanced automated information and control system, more powerful high-speed torpedoes, and improved missile armament. 

Each of the Project 636.3 submarines is seventy-four meters long and displaces more than 3,900 tons. Due to their strong hulls, the submarines have an operational depth of 240 meters and can dive to a maximum depth of 300 meters. Each also has modern radar, communications systems, and advanced sonars.

The engine plant is placed away from the hull, eliminating significant noise. As a result, diesel-electric submarines have been described as among the world’s quietest underwater cruisers. However, they are extremely dangerous due to the difficulty of tracking them. 

The boats can travel up to twenty knots, have a sea endurance of forty-five days, and have an operational range of up to 7,500 miles.

Russia’s Forgotten Fleet of Kilo-II  Submarines

The Kilo-II boats will enhance the capabilities of the Russian Navy’s Pacific Fleet. Often described as the “Forgotten Fleet,” despite being first established in 1731 as a branch of the Imperial Russian Navy, this highlights Moscow’s increased focus on the Indo-Pacific and Arctic regions.

As the U.S. Naval Institute explained, until “Moscow’s proclaimed pivot to Asia,” the Kremlin neglected the Pacific Fleet. That has certainly changed, and it isn’t just China’s naval build-up that should be seen as a concern for the United States and its regional partners, but Russia’s increased naval capabilities, notably the Pacific Fleet’s growing fleet of silent and deadly submarines.

About the Author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites, with over 3,200 published pieces and over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author at Editor@nationalinterest.org.

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