Russia will modernize its fleet of the third-generation Project 971 (Akula class) nuclear-powered attack submarines,

Russia will modernize its fleet of the third-generation Project 971 (Akula class) nuclear-powered attack submarines, Vladimir Dorofeyev, head of the Malakhit Design Bureau, said.
“The Defense Ministry has decided to overhaul all third-generation attack submarines,” Dorofeyev said on Tuesday in an interview with RIA Novosti.
“The first Project 971 submarine is already being upgraded at the Zvezdochka shipyard [in northern Russia],” he said without specifying the name of the vessel and the total number of submarines to be overhauled.
According to Dorofeyev, the overhaul of the first Akula class submarine must be completed in two years, and it will rejoin the Russian Navy after sea trials.
The upgraded vessels will feature better “stealth” capabilities and improved electronics, the official said.
Together with Project 885 Yasen (Graney) class nuclear-powered vessels they will constitute the core of the Russian fleet of nuclear attack submarines.
The third-generation Project 971 submarine was developed by the Malakhit Design Bureau in the 1970s-80s as an alternative to costly titanium-hull Sierra class vessels.
A total of 15 submarines were built from 1984 to 2001 at the Amur shipyard in Komsomolsk-on-Amur and at the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk. It is not known how many of them are still in service, but one of the subs, the Nerpa, has been leased to India for 10 years under the name INS Chakra.

Russia delivering a nuclear submarine to the Navy postponed to 2013

The nuclear submarine Severodvinsk Russian attack will be presented to the Russian army in 2013 instead of 2012, announced in Moscow on Friday the head of department at the Russian Ministry of Defense Andrei Vernigora.

"The submarine passes trials factory, it is currently Wed I think it will not be delivered to the army in 2012, but in 2013. Submarine is still undergoing tests approval in the White Sea. contractor The work is behind schedule due to the late delivery of equipment by its partners. This has influenced the date of delivery of the submarine, "said M.Vernigora RIA Novosti.

Sevmach the Russian shipyard in Severodvinsk (north) announced last August that he had put the submarine Severodvinsk (855 Iassen project) to the Navy before the end of 2012.

The submarine Severodvinsk multipurpose attack, the first of eight SNA Iassen Project 855 was docked in 1993. In September 2011, he spent his first sea trials of the submarine is 120 m long and 13 m wide has a light displacement 9700 tons and armed with a laden displacement of over 13,500 tons. It is distinguished by a high speed (33 knots

Delivery of a nuclear submarine in the Russian army postponed

The first nuclear submarine ballistic missile Project 955 Borei class, the Yury Dolgoruky, will be delivered to the Russian Navy in 2013 and not in 2012 as originally planned, said to reporters Monday the Russian Minister of Defense Anatoly Serdyukov .

"We expect that the first nuclear submarine Yury Dolgoruky Borei class is adopted by the army in 2013," said the minister after a meeting of the committee of the State Duma (lower house of parliament Russian) in charge of the defense.

Serdyukov was also hoped that the Alexander Nevski, the second submarine of Borei class, would be deployed in the Pacific in 2014.

Capable of firing ballistic missiles Bulava , submarines Borei class form the basis of strategic Russian Maritime Forces after the disposal of submarine classes Akoula (Typhoon according to NATO code) and Kalmar and Mourena (Delta and Delta-3-4 according to NATO) in 2018.

Russia to auction off huge landing ship

The Russian Navy is preparing to auction off its largest landing craft. The boat will be sold for scrap as the costs of modernizing the vessel would be just too high to make it worth while.

A source in the Russia Navy told a reporter:“Modernization of the landing ship ‘Mitrofan Moskalenko’ has been considered unpractical for economic reasons, also the ship is morally and physically outdated..The cost of its modernization is equal to construction of at least two small artillery ships. Also, [the] ship’s necessity is questionable from a strategic point of view. Russia does not plan to land seaborne troops anywhere."
The line of landing craft were built back in Soviet times with the Moskalenko being built in 1991. They were part of Project 1174 with the ships being in the the northern fleet. The ships could transport and land up to 50 tanks or 80 armoured vehicles or 120 trucks as well as 500 marines. They were also designed to carry four helicopters, air defense missiles and other weapons to support landing operations.
The Soviet Union constructed three of these ships in all. The first was built far back in 1978 and scrapped in 1996. The second the Aleksandr Nikolaev was built four years later in 1982. It is now in conservation as is the Mitrofan Moskalenko which for most of its life simply remained docked!

Russia to Develop Naval Missile Defense System

A top defense industry official reportedly says Russia plans to develop its own sea-based missile interceptor program similar to the U.S. Aegis system.
The Aegis radar systems technology is carried by warships with missile interceptors and can destroy missiles mid-flight. It is part of the U.S.-led NATO plan to deploy missile defense elements in Europe that has long irritated Moscow.
The U.S. says Aegis would stave off threats from rogue nations such as Iran. Moscow contends it would undermine Russia's nuclear forces.

Russian Warships Visit Japan

A Russian Navy group has visited Japan’s naval base Maizuru and is on its way to the home port of Vladivostok, a Pacific Fleet spokesman said on Saturday.

The destroyer Admiral Panteleyev, the tanker Boris Butoma and the salvage tug Fotiy Krylov from the Pacific Fleet completed a four-day visit after taking part in the international RIMPAC naval exercise in the United States’ Pearl Harbor.
An official Russian delegation met in Maizuru with the commander of the naval base, the city mayor and other officials, Capt. 1st Rank Roman Martov said.
A group of Japan’s warships will pay a reciprocal visit to Vladivostok starting on September 23 and will participate in a number of joint naval drills with the Russian Navy, he added.

Russia, Norway, U.S.A in Joint Naval Drills

U.S Russian and Norwegian naval forces are holding joint firing exercises in the Norwegian Sea, a Russian Navy official said on Wedensday.
The U.S. Navy's USS Farragut guided missile destroyer, Russia's Admiral Chabanenko Udaloy II class destroyer, and Norway's MS Nordkapp frigate are set to "perform firing exercises at an above-surface target" later on Wednesday, Vadim Serga, a spokesman for Russia's Northern Fleet, told RIA Novosti.

New Ballistic Missile Sub to Join Fleet in September

Russia's newest ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), the Project 955 Borey class boat Yury Dolgoruky, will be handed over to the fleet in September, a source in United Shipbuilding Corporation said on Friday.
"The formal signing of the handover of the Yury Dolgorukyboat to the Defense Ministry will take place in September," the source said.

Previously, the navy had said the boat would enter service in July, and then August.
The boat has completed a range of sea trials including a firing of a Bulava ballistic missile in December 2011.
Its sister ship, the Alexander Nevsky, will carry out a further Bulava test launch in November "as part of its state trials," he said.

Russian Nuclear Sub Sailed off U.S. Coast Undetected for Weeks

A Russian nuclear attack submarine sailed undetected in the Gulf of Mexico for weeks, a report said Tuesday, its travel in strategic U.S. waters discovered only after it left.
The Washington Free Beacon, citing unnamed sources, said the voyage was only the second time since 2009 that a Russian attack sub has ventured so close to U.S. shores.
"The stealth underwater incursion in the Gulf took place at the same time Russian strategic bombers made incursions into restricted U.S. airspace near Alaska and California in June and July, and highlights a growing military assertiveness by Moscow," the publication reported on its Web site.
The Russian patrol managed to expose deficiencies in U.S. anti-submarine warfare capabilities, American officials said, according to the report. Some of those forces responsible for anti-submarine warfare and detection are targeted for cuts over the Obama administration's plan to slice nearly $500 billion from the Pentagon's budget over the next 10 years.

New Yasen-class submarine faces further delays

he Severodvinsk nuclear Yasen-class multipurpose attack submarine will go into service no earlier than 2013, Interfax reported on Monday, citing a source in the military-industrial complex.

The delay is already the second occasion when the launch of the cutting-edge submarine has been postponed, Gazeta.ru reported.

Tests ongoing

“During trials, the Severodvinsk revealed that its nuclear power plant does not produce the planned power levels. And the boat does not meet the required noise levels. With suchserious shortcomings the ship can not be accepted into the military fleet,” Interfax quoted the military source as saying.

Special version of Ka-52K Helicopter with advanced radar and antiship missiles for Russian Mistrals

Russian Navy Mistral-class landing ships could see their power projection capabilities greatly improved thanks to a special version of the Kamov Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopter. The Russian Navy is designing a special version called "Ka-52K" to equip the four Mistral-class amphibious assault ships ordered from France.

The Ka-52K is a navalised version of the ground-based Ka-52 Alligator combat helicopter operated by the Russian Air Force. 

Russia Plans ICBM Test Launch From New Submarine

Russian First Deputy Defense Minister Aleksandr Sukhorukov has said one of the country's new submarines will test launch one of Russia's newest intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM).

Sukhorukov said on August 8 that the launch would come from the "Aleksandr Nevsky" but not from the "Yuri Dolgoruky," the first two of the new Borei class submarine, capable of carrying 16 Bulava ICBMs.

The "Yuri Dolgoruky" is the lead vessel but Sukhorukov said "some defects were uncovered during trials" and launches from that submarine were postponed until repairs and modifications were made and new trials were conducted.

Russia to Set Up Naval Infrastructure in Arctic

Russia will create several infrastructure hubs along the Northern Sea Route in the Arctic to be used as temporary stations for Russian warships and border guard vessels, Security Council chief Nikolai Patrushev said on Monday.

The authorities have drafted a list of “key double-purpose sites in remote areas of the Arctic seas along the Northern Sea Route” to enable “temporary stationing of Russian Navy warships and vessels operated by the Federal Security Service’s Border Guard Department,” Patrushev said during a meeting with officials in Siberia. The Northern Sea Route stretches along Russia’s Arctic coast from Murmansk on the Barents Sea to the Bering Strait in the Far East.

The plans are in line with Russia’s Arctic doctrine, approved in 2008, which outlines state policies aimed at maintaining Russia’s role as a “major Arctic nation” and strengthening security and stability in the region. Russia is planning to deploy a combined-arms force by 2020 to guard its political and economic interests in the Arctic.

Patrushev noted on Monday that work on issues related to the creation of the Arctic stations was being delayed.

Russia to Develop Naval Equivalent of U.S. Aegis Defense System

Russia is set to develop a sea-based missile defense program similar to the U.S. Aegis system, a senior defense industry official said on Friday.
Aegis, designed to intercept ballistic missiles at the post-boost phase and prior to reentry, is part of the U.S. national missile defense strategy.
“This task has been assigned to [the defense] industry,” said Anatoly Shlemov, head of the state defense contracts department at the United Shipbuilding Corporation.

Bulava Missile to overcome any missile defence system

The Russian Navy will shortly put in service the Bulava intercontinental ballistic missiles, Navy Commander-in-Chief Victor Chirkov said

 

As a result, Russia’s marine strategic nuclear force will be significantly strengthened. The Bulava missiles will be put in service on board the strategic nuclear submarine Yuri Dolgoruky, implemented under the Project 955 Borei class, says editor-in-chief of the daily “Nezavisimoe Voennoe Obozrenie” Victor Litovkin.

“Yuri Dolgoruky” will be followed by cruisers “Alexander Nevsky” and then “Vladimir Monomakh”. Each cruiser will be equipped with 16 Bulava missiles each having 6 warheads,” Victor Litovkin said.

The range of the fourth-generation Bulava missile is 8,000 kilometers. The missile should be the basis of Russia’s advanced nuclear deterrent force up to 2040-2045. According to Victor Litovkin, in many aspects, this is a unique missile.

“This is a solid fuel missile and is launched from under water with a higher speed than the liquid-fuel ones. It’s impossible to intercept when launching it and air defence systems cannot target it. Moreover, its warheads fly along unpredictable trajectories at hypersonic speed. In view of this, it’s quite difficult to intercept the warheads. In addition, Bulava missile overcomes air defence systems with the assistance of falsified targets. In short, the warheads disperse falsified targets and fly in a cloud of these targets. In these circumstances, an air defence radar cannot identify real targets, and missile-interceptors cannot launch real attacks. In fact, Americans have not learned to do this yet,” Victor Litovkin added.

Russia to Lay Down Fourth Borei Class Sub July 30

Russia's fourth Borei class (Project 955A) ballistic missile submarine will be officially laid down at a ceremony on July 30, Russian Navy Commander Vice-Admiral Viktor Chirkov said on Thursday.
The Borei class is set to become the mainstay of the Russian Navy's strategic nuclear deterrent fleet, replacing the ageing Project 941 (NATO Typhoon class) and Project 667 class (Delta-3 and Delta-4) boats.
"The official ceremony for laying down the Borei-class boat, named Knyaz Vladimir, will be held on Monday July 30," Chirkov said.

Russian Arms Ship Loads up with New Secret Cargo

The Russian arms ship at the center of a diplomatic row between Russia and the West is loading up with a new unknown cargo at the St. Petersburg port, according to a bulletin posted on the port’s website on Tuesday.
The Alaed docked at St. Petersburg on Friday after offloading Mi-25 helicopters in the Russian port of Baltiysk in the Kaliningrad region
There has been no word from the ship’s owner, Femco, about the nature of the new cargo.
Femco previously said the documentation accompanying the cargo did not contain any data linking it to Syria.
The Alaed originally set sail from Baltiysk in June, reportedly carrying three Mi-25s and some air defense systems. The ship turned back to Russia later that month, after its insurance cover was suspended by its British insurer, Standard Club. It later turned back and entered the port of Murmansk, and was later re-flagged as a Russian registered vessel.

Russia likely to induct BrahMos in navy

The BrahMos Missiles developed jointly by India and Russia are likely to be inducted in the Russian navy, said CEO of BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited, A Sivathanu Pillai. He was addressing the press on the sidelines of the seventh international congress of the Association of Minimal Access Surgeons of India (AMASI) in the city on Saturday.
Pillai said Dmitry Rogozin, Russian deputy prime minister, had visited the BrahMos complex in New Delhi a few days ago and had hailed BrahMos as a model of collaboration not only in technology but in politics as well. Pillai said the BrahMos missiles, which have been hailed for its accuracy and capability, may be adapted by the Russian navy in the near future. This was not the case earlier since the defence priorities of India and Russia were different, Pillai said. However, BrahMos, which has production plants in both the countries, are not planning to export the missiles, he said. There is also a plan to develop a new version of the missile, which can be deployed in submarines. These will be tested underwater in the coming months.

Russian Navy in First Ever RIMPAC Exercise

Russian naval forces have taken part this week in the international RIMPAC naval exercise for the first time, successfully completing an anti-piracy exercise in the Pacific alongside U.S. forces, a Russian fleet spokesman said on Thursday.

“The Russian Navy and U.S. Navy received orders to air-land their combat groups on board their ships during the drills," Capt. 1st Rank Roman Martov said. "The exercises started when the U.S. commandos landed from the helicopter on the Russian Fotiy Krylov rescue ship. Russian marines then carried out a landing on the U.S. warship Port Royal. Both operations were successful,” he added.

After the exchange helicopter landing, the Russian Navy carried out naval gunfire support firing at land targets, Martov said.

Russia has three ships taking part in RIMPAC-2012, the destroyer Admiral Panteleyev, the tanker Boris Butoma and the salvage tug Fotiy Krylov.

Last Cold War Russian Nuclear Sub Scrap Contract

Russia contracts with Italy for decommissioning the last remaining Northern Fleet nuclear submarine no longer in operation
But 'Barents Observer' notes there are still more than 70 reactor compartments to be taken safely onshore from storage in Saida Bay, west of Murmansk near the border with Norway.
Rosatom, Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation has for years been looking for a funder to cover the costs of scrapping the last of the 120 retired nuclear powered submarines that sailed in the Northern fleet during the Cold War. Now, Italy agrees to pay €7 million to cut out the reactor-compartment from the submarine, currently laid up at Nerpa naval yard on the Kola Peninsula, according to 'AtomInfo'.