Russia Floats Out ‘Stealth’ Improved Kilo Submarine for Black Sea Fleet - or maybe export

Russia Floats Out ‘Stealth’ Submarine for Black Sea Fleet | Defense | RIA Novosti

The much-anticipated delivery of these submarines, dubbed by the US Navy as “black holes in the ocean” because they are nearly undetectable when submerged, is a key part of Russia’s naval strategy in the Mediterranean, where Moscow has recently deployed a permanent task force consisting of some 10 surface ships. Construction of the Novorossiisk submarine started at Admiralty Shipyards in August 2010, followed by the Rostov-on-Don sub in November 2011 and the Stary Oskol in August 2012, RIA Novosti reported.

The Varshavyanka-class (Project 636) is an improved version of the Kilo-class submarines and features 

• advanced stealth technology, 
• extended combat range and 
• the ability to strike land, surface and underwater targets. (Club-S SSM)

Kilo-class submarine

 The Kilo class is the NATO reporting name for a naval diesel-electric submarine that is made in Russia. The original version of the vessels were designated Project 877 Paltus (Halibut) in Russia. There is also a more advanced version, designated as Improved Kilo in the west, and Project 636 Varshavyanka in Russia.

Russia Submarine Import and Export Behavior

China has emerged as a critical importer of Russian-made naval equipment. In 1994, Beijing purchased four diesel-electric Varshavyankas from Russia, including two improved Project 636 models. It is believed that these four original vessels will be taken to Russian shipyards in the near future to be retrofitted with the Klub-S (Club-S) anti-ship missile system. Today, however, China's inventory of kilo-class submarines has risen to twelve, with the remaining eight being Project 636 or 636M variants armed with Klub-S missiles. An order for an additional eight submarines was completed in 2002, and by 2007 all of the submarines had been delivered. Five of these submarines were built at the Admiralty Shipyard in St. Petersburg, with the remainder being constructed at the Sevmash Shipyard in Severodvinsk and Krasnoye Sormovo in Nizhniy Novgorod. Some sources also suggest that Russia has continued to assist China in its construction of nuclear-powered submarines.