Kolpino, Velikiy Novgorod submarines to conduct drills with Russian ships in Mediterranean
MOSCOW. Sept 1 (Interfax) - Two brand new diesel submarines, Kolpino and Velikiy Novgorod, will conduct an exercise jointly with the ships of the Russian permanent naval task force in the Mediterranean Sea, the Russian Defense Ministry told Interfax on Friday.
The submarines entered the sea at the start of this week. The submarines are making a planned passage from the Baltic to the Black Sea Fleet in an overwater position, accompanied by the SB-921 rescue tug.
"Throughout the first stage of the passage, the submarine crews tested how onboard life-sustaining systems operate in various climatic zones," the ministry said.
"At the second stage of the inter-fleet passage, the submarine crews will practice a range of combat-training tasks with the surface ships in the permanent task force's responsibility zone in the Mediterranean Sea," the ministry said.
The submarine crews will test their at-sea resupply capabilities and take part in a joint drill as planned by the Mediterranean task force commander, the ministry said.
During this drill, the surface ships and submarines will test their anti-submarine and anti-sabotage diver capabilities at sea, communications organization in daylight and at nighttime, as well as search and rescue capabilities.
"Jointly with the Navy permanent task force's group of search and attack ships the submarines will carry out a search for a mock enemy's submarines," the ministry said.
The Kolpino and Velikiy Novgorod are the fifth and sixth submarines in the Project 636.3 series. Their distinctive feature is being armed with Kalibr cruise missiles and upgraded radio electronics.
The six Project 636.3 submarines were built for the Black Sea Fleet by Admiralteyskie Verfi shipyard (part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation). Two of them, Rostov-na-Donu and Krasnodar, for a long time were deployed as part of the task force in the Mediterranean from where they fired Kalibr-PL cruise missiles against ISIL (a terrorist group, banned in Russia).
The Kolpino and Velikiy Novgorod submarines will significantly reinforce Russia's Mediterranean task force and can strike at ISIL in Syria with Kalibr cruise missiles, Admiral Viktor Kravchenko, a former Navy chief of the general staff, told Interfax on Monday.
The Russian task force in the Mediterranean numbers over ten ships and support vessels.
