Russian Navy : Discussions and Updates

Powerful Russian Oscar-II submarine sails north outside Norway
The 155-meters long submarine crossed Skagerrak on Saturday after sailing through Danish waters, passing under the Storebelt Bridge.

Orel (K-266) will likely use some 4 to 5 days en route north to her home base in Zapadnaya Litsa on the Russian Barents Sea coast northwest of Murmansk.

The 28-years old submarine, which is one of three remaining Oscar-II class submarines with the Northern Fleet, sails in surface position and is followed by at least one other Northern Fleet warship.

It is not clear why Orel sails on the surface, but submarines in similar transit voyages between St. Petersburg and the Northern Fleet’s bases have previously also sailed without diving. One reason could be that vessels in transit have a smaller crew than when on patrol missions.

This is the second time Orel has participated in the Main Naval Parade in St. Petersburg. The last time was in 2018. Last year, the Northern Fleet’s Oscar-II class submarine Smolensk took part, while in 2017, the giant Typhoon submarine Dmitry Donskoy sailed into Skagerrak and the Baltic Sea.

In late March, the crew on Orel had to quarantine after a civilian, who had met a man infected by COVID-19, embarked on board.

Next week marks the 20-years anniversary for the Kursk disaster. The Oscar-II class submarine Kursk sank in the Barents Sea on August 12, 2000 after a torpedo exploded during an exercise. The explosion triggered the other torpedoes on board to explode and the entire front part of the sub was blown up. The entire crew of 118 died in the accident.
 
Old nuclear sub gets new life at Nerpa shipyard
The Russian Northern Fleet will in the course of the next few years receive several new Yasen- and Borei class, 4th generation submarines. More in the shadow of attention is the on-going modernization of older vessels, like the Tambov.

Tambov (B-448) was the last nuclear-powered submarine to be laid-down at the Baltisky Yard in what those days was named Leningrad. Commissioned in 1993, she entered service in a post-Soviet period when the Northern Fleet’s ships mostly stayed in port.

From 1993 till 1997 Tambov was only sailing four patrols, according to rusnavy.com, a portal keeping historical tracks of individual Russian navy vessels.

In 2015, the submarine was transferred from active duty to the Nerpa shipyard north of Murmansk on the Kola Peninsula. The shipyard is part of Zvezdockha in Severodvinsk, and has for the last 20 years mainly been known for its work on decommissioning nuclear vessels, both from the navy and the civilian icebreaker fleet.

A few submarines, though, have been repaired at the yard. Like the Akula class sub Vepr which was in for modernization in the period from 2014 to May this year.

Tambov was scheduled for the first sea trials this autumn, but now the site korable.ru informs about a delay until 2021.

The submarine is one of three remaining Victor-II class submarines in the Northern Fleet. The two others are Obninsk and Daniil Moskovskiy.
 

Shtil VL air defense system intercepting 3M44 Progress anti-ship missile
We are looking at atleast 16 ships operating this SAM system. We should look to replace the seeker in the missile to a active one. And remove the needs and limitations of a illumination sensor.