On the 27 April the Admiralty Shipyards in St Petersburg launched the fourth diesel-electric Varshavyanka-class submarine, the most efficient and quietest submarine in the world, according to the company that built the boat.
The new submarine called Krasnodar (B-265) is the fourth out of six submarines of this class to be built by the Admiralty Shipyards as part of the great modernisation program of the Russian Navy.
The new submarine of the modified Project 636.3 is an improved version of the kilo-class submarines, it displaces submerged 3,125 tons, it has a length of 74 meters and beam 9.9 meters and it can reach maximum operating depth of 300 meters.
The new submarine incorporates: optimal combination of stealth capabilities, low noise profile, cruising surface speed of 11 knots and underwater speed of 20 knots, extended combat range of 640 km, while it can patrol for 45 days, newest navigation system to strike land, surface and underwater targets, modern automated management system and it is armed with powerful high-speed torpedo and missiles.
The Project 636.3 Varshavyanka-class submarine is mainly designed and built for anti-shipping and anti-submarine operations in not so deep waters.
According to defense analysts the Project 636.3 Varshavyanka-class submarine is capable of detecting an enemy submarine at a range three to four times greater than it can be detected itself.
The new submarine consists of six watertight compartments which are separated by transverse bulkheads in a pressurized double-hull. The submarine is equipped with six 533mm forward torpedo tubes carries 18 torpedoes with six in the torpedo tubes and 12 stored.
Alternatively the submarine can carry a combination of torpedoes and Novator Club-S (SS-N-27) cruise missile system, which fires the 3M-54E1 anti-ship missile.
The range of the 3M-54E1 cruise missile is 220km and it carries a 450kg high-explosive warhead.
The last two Varshavyanka-class submarines Veliky Novgorod (B-268) and Kolpino are going to be launched next year.
The six new submarines are going to be based in Crimea and with the old kilo class submarine Alrosa (B-871) that already serves under the flag of the Russian Black Sea fleet will consist a formidable force that can change the balance of power in the region.
The only country in the region that can match the Russian submarines force is Turkey.
Turkish Navy has five Atilay-class (Type 209/1200), four Preveze-class (Type 209T1/1400) and four Gur-class (Type 209T2/1400) submarines, but only the ten of them will be operational by the end of this decade since the Yildiray (S-350) will be withdrawn soon, while Atilay (S-347) and Batiray (S-349) will be used as test beds for the development of the indigenous designed new Turkish submarine of the MILDEN (Milli Denizaltı) program.
Having to cover three large geographical areas, the Black Sea, the Aegean and the Mediterranean, the Turkish Navy cannot maintain a force of more than three submarines in the Black Sea, till the first Type 214TN submarine is delivered from the Golcuk Turkish navy shipyards on 2021-2022.
The other NATO member states in the Black Sea do not have submarines, living Turkey with few boats the only Navy that can confront the Russian modern submarine fleet.