Russia Orders More Submarines, Corvettes

Staff, The Maritime Executive
8 September 2016

The Russian Deputy Defence Minister Yury Borisov has signed 17 public contracts with a value over 130 billion rubles during the International military and technical forum Army-2016.
The contracts include orders for six diesel-electric Varshavyanka submarines and three small Buyan-M missile ships (corvettes). In addition, over 230 pieces of military hardware will be modernized with contracts for deliveries of munitions, repair parts, tools and other equipment as well as research and development projects.
The submarines will be built at St. Petersburg-based Admiralty Shipyard and construction is expected to start in 2018 with two delivered in 2019, 2020 and 2021.
The submarines were developed by the Rubin Central Design Bureau. They are designed for anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface-ship warfare and for general reconnaissance and patrol missions. They are considered to be to be one of the quietest diesel submarines in the world and reputed to be capable of detecting an enemy submarine at a range three to four times greater than it can be detected itself.
There are already four submarines of this type in Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. The first, the Novorossiysk, was delivered to the Russian Navy in August 2014. The second submarine, the Rostov-on-Don, was delivered in December 2014, and in 2015, it launched Kalibr cruise missiles to destroy Islamic State targets from a position in the Mediterranean Sea. 
A further two submarines are already under construction and expected to enter service this year.
The number of missile ships to be delivered under this contract was not specified. Buyan Class is a river-sea type corvette designed by Zelenodolsk Design Bureau. 
The 62-meter (203-foot) vessels have a displacement of about 950 tons and are capable of speeds of up to 25 knots. They are equipped with a Kalibr missile system, a 100mm A-190 gun mount, Gibka launchers for Igla anti-aircraft missiles and an AK-630-2 Duet air defense gun system. They can operate at up to sea state six and can employ weapons at up to sea state four. At present, there are five such ships in service.