Lada-class submarine

Lada class, Russian designation Project 677 Lada (Лада, meaning "Lada", NATO reporting name St. Petersburg) is the new advanced class of diesel-electric attack submarine designed by the Russian Rubin Design Bureau. A program to develop a "fourth generation" diesel-electric submarine, it aimed to produce a highly improved version of the Project 636 with better acoustic signature, new combat systems and possibly air-independent propulsion. However, in 2019, Alexander Buzakov, the head of the Admiralty Shipyard, indicated that there were no plans to equip the Lada class with an air-independent propulsion system. In July 2022 it was reported that work on an electrochemical generator to produce hydrogen from diesel fuel and oxygen was continuing and that the Rubin Central Design Bureau signed a new contract in 2019 to continue work. This was scheduled to be completed by the mid-2020s. In 2023, the decision was taken to decommission and scrap the lead ship of the class, the RUSSIAN SUBMARINE Sankt Peterburg due to the very high costs of modernising the submarine.

History
The lead boat of the class, named RUSSIAN SUBMARINE Sankt Peterburg, was launched in October 2004 and began sea trials in November 2005. The submarine was transferred to the Russian Navy in April 2010.

Another two vessels were under construction at the Admiralty Shipyard with plans to launch four to six submarines by 2015. In 2009, the Russian Navy had set out a requirement for a total of eight St. Petersburg-class submarines.

However, in November 2011 the Russian Navy decided that this class of submarines would not be accepted into service, as the lead boat had fallen far short of requirements during tests. The lead boat was retained as a test vessel to experiment with various systems. The construction of the remaining boats of the class was frozen.

On 27 July 2012, the Russian Navy commander-in-chief announced the resumption of the construction of the St. Petersburg-class submarines, having undergone extensive design changes. In 2013 and 2015, two further boats were re-laid and commissioning was expected in 2017 and 2018.

On 20 September 2018, the first serial submarine of the class, B-858 Kronshtadt, was launched at the Admiralty Shipyards in St. Petersburg.

Indonesia had once indicated its interest in acquiring two St. Petersburg-class submarines, but the deal fell through before 2010 due to financing issues.

In June 2017, the Russian Navy announced it planned to order two more Lada-class submarines, and the build contract was signed in June 2019, during the International Military-Technical Forum «ARMY-2019». One more sub was ordered in August 2020, during the International Military-Technical Forum «ARMY-2020», with some speculation that all six of the submarines currently on order, or alternatively up to six of the eventual total number of Lada-class boats, might eventually be deployed with the Baltic Fleet.

Design
The project 677 St. Petersburg is a Russian diesel-electric submarine developed in the late 1990s. The submarine is designed for anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, defense of naval bases, seashore and sea lanes, as well as for conducting reconnaissance. The class marks the first usage of a mono-hull design by the Russian navy for an attack submarine since the 1940s.

Displacement is 25% lower than that of its predecessor, the Kilo-class submarine, but its capabilities are greatly enhanced. Top submerged speed is 21 kn, up from 19 kns for the Kilo class. The class is designed for an endurance of 45 days with a complement of 35.

The submarine is equipped with automated combat control system Litiy (meaning "Lithium").

A variant designated as the project 1650 Amur-class submarine is offered as an export model.