Newsletter navale

Six new (Project 636.3) Kilo-class diesel submarines are being built for the Russian Navy at Admiralty Shipyards in St. Petersburg. All six, which are destined for the Black Sea Fleet, will be armed with the Kalibr-family of missiles: the SS-N-27A Sizzler anti-ship cruise missile, the SS-N-30A Sagaris land-attack cruise missile, and the 91R ASW missile. But will happen with the older Kilos?
Two 25-year-old Northern Fleet Kilos have undergone overhauls at Zvezdochka Ship Repair Center in Severodvinsk, but the overhauls apparently do not include backfitting them with the Kalibr system.
"Kaluga" arrived at the shipyard in 2002 for repairs, but without a decision on whether to repair or scrap the submarine, it remained idle for about six years. In 2008, Onega Scientific Research Technological Design Bureau drafted documentation for "medium repairs" (i.e., overhaul, which gives the submarine another 10 years of service) of the submarine, but only in 2010 was "Kaluga" finally moved into a repair hall. The submarine was rolled back out in May 2012. In 2013, the shipyard made it clear that "Kaluga" was not backfitted with the Kalibr system.
"Kaluga" was inactive so long that the crew it had in 2002 had been nearly disbanded, reduced to just a few crew members. As such, the crew of another Kilo, "Yaroslavl" (commanded by Captain 2nd Rank Oleg Mikholap), manned "Kaluga" throughout its post-overhaul sea trials (2012-2013) and transfer back to Polyarnyy (July 2013). In 2013, Mikholap was replaced by his executive officer, Captain 3rd Rank Yuriy Gusarov, as the "Yaroslavl" commanding officer; however, as "Yaroslavl" was non-operational, Gusarov's crew remained on "Kaluga". In October-November 2013, just three months after returning from the shipyard, "Kaluga" (under Gusarov's command) conducted a month-long deployment (area unknown). Gusarov and his crew remained on "Kaluga" as late as June 2014 and could still be on board.
The second Kilo to be overhauled at Zvezdochka Ship Repair Center, "Vladikavkaz", was transferred to Severodvinsk in 2008. Due to a similar "indecision-making" process, a contract for the submarine's "medium repairs" was not signed until 2011. The submarine was rolled into the repair hall in late 2011 for a nearly two-year overhaul period. The submarine rolled out of the repair hall on September 19 of this year and will be returned to the Russian Navy in late 2015.
Although neither Kilo was backfitted with the Kalibr missile system, they did receive the MGK-400V.1 sonar system, which provides improved sonar capabilities. Other upgrades were made to navigation and weapons-related components.
Next up: either "Magnitogorsk" or "Yaroslavl". "Magnitogorsk" has been performing duties in the Baltic Fleet since late 2013 (it did a similar Baltic Fleet deployment in 2012). Its return to the Northern Fleet may have been delayed until one of the Baltic Fleet's own Kilos, "Vyborg", returns to service following lengthy repairs. "Yaroslavl" has been inactive for at least two years. As with "Kaluga" and "Vladikavkaz", none of these old Kilos are expected to receive Kalibr upgrades.

BEIJING - China has honoured a submarine captain for averting an underwater "emergency" after his crew reportedly saved the vessel from sinking into waters thousands of metres deep, in a rare disclosure of a near-disaster.

Beijing has been increasing its naval might and reach in recent years, and it is an unusual admission for China's military, which President Xi Jinping regularly urges to strengthen its ability to "win battles".

Wang Hongli, commander of submarine 372, was praised by the Central Military Commission for "successfully dealing with a major sudden dangerous situation" during an underwater mission, the military's official People's Liberation Army Daily reported.

The crew "overcame various difficulties... and created a miracle in China's and the world's submarine history", said the report posted on the defence ministry website Wednesday, without specifying any details.

Submarine 372 is reportedly a diesel-electric Kilo-class vessel that went into service in 2006 after Beijing bought it from Moscow.

In April the PLA Daily reported that the submarine had been hit by a sudden change in water density while patrolling in an area of the sea "thousands of metres deep".

Pipes in the main engine room were damaged by the increased water pressure and the vessel began sinking rapidly after losing power, it said.

Wang and his crew reacted quickly, according to the report, shutting down nearly 100 valves and switches and operating dozens of controls -- all within three minutes -- before steering the submarine out of danger.

The crew risked their lives to "prove their loyalty", Wu Shengli, commander of the PLA Navy, was quoted as saying.

Military accidents and equipment malfunctions are rarely reported in China, where news about the armed forces is tightly controlled.