Key Points – Russia’s improved Kilo-class (Project 636.3) diesel-electric submarines are considered “more deadly than ever,” primarily due to their armament with the versatile 3M-54 Kalibr family of cruise missiles.
-These missiles, designed with a modular “matryoshka” concept allowing for different seekers and warheads for anti-ship, anti-submarine, and land-attack roles, have been used extensively against Ukrainian cities.
-The modernized Kilo-class boats themselves, with production ongoing for multiple Russian fleets, feature enhanced quieting and systems.
-This combination of an upgraded conventional submarine platform and long-range precision-strike missiles makes the Project 636.3 Kilo a significant component of Russia’s naval capabilities.
Kilo-Class: Russia’s Deadliest Diesel-Electric Submarine
A year and a half ago, the US Naval Institute Proceedings looked at the new and improved design of the latest Russian Kilo-class submarine.
They conclude that this undersea threat is “more deadly than ever” – a distinction partially earned due to its many strikes against Ukrainian cities by launching Kalibr-class missiles from the Black Sea.
In fact, the submarine has been called the ‘black hole’ by many naval experts due to its quietness below the waves.
Loaded with Missiles
In case the world missed the message of what the Kilo can do when armed with this missile, the defense ministry in Moscow released a video on 2 March 2023 showing a launch of a Kalibr missile towards a coastal target from the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Kilo-class submarine while operating in the Sea of Japan.
The 3M-54 Kalibr missile, produced by the Novator Design Bureau (OKB-8) and the missile enterprise in Ekaterinburg, Russia, is a family of Russian cruise missiles.
The missiles most commonly launched from the Kilo-class platform are the 3M54-1 Kalibr and the 3M14 Biryuza, and first entered service in 1994.
The differing versions of the missile are produced in ship-launched, submarine-launched, and air-launched versions.
Those three versions also have different seeker heads and target sets for anti-ship, anti-submarine, and land attack roles.
Modular Missile Approach
More than a decade ago, a designer from Novator spoke with me during the biennial Moscow Aviation and Space Salon (MAKS) and explained the design concept behind these missiles.
“We call these different designs ‘missile matryoski’,” he said. The second word refers to the Russian name for the old-style and popular souvenir nested dolls that are hand-made from wood. They are sold in sets in which a series of half a dozen or more of these fit one inside the other.
By designing a series of missiles in which different modules can be swapped out and with differing mode seekers, one basic design turns into an entire line of weapon systems – but at a small fraction of the price if each of these missile types had been developed individually.
3M54-1 Kalibr variants
-3M-54E: The 3M-54E is a compact missile, measuring 6.2 meters in length and carrying a 200 kg payload, with a range of 300 km. It is launched from both submarines and surface ships, tailored for precision strikes against maritime targets.
-3M-54E1: The 3M-54E1 features a sea-skimming flight path and a terminal speed of Mach 0.8.
-3M-14E: The 3M-14E, optimized for land targets, has a heavier payload of 450 kg and uses inertial guidance for high accuracy over extended ranges.
-3M-54TE: The 3M-54TE, at 8.9 meters in length, is deployed from surface ships and includes a thrust vectoring booster for enhanced maneuverability.
3M-54TE1: The 3M-54TE1 shares the sea-skimming and Mach 0.8 terminal speed features of the 3M-54E1 while adding thrust vectoring for improved launch flexibility.
-3M-14TE: The 3M-14TE, designed for land-based strikes, integrates a 450 kg payload and inertial guidance while benefiting from the thrust vectoring booster for enhanced launch performance and trajectory control.
Latest Model of the Kilo-Class
The latest redesign of the Kilo-class took place in the 2010s and resulted in the 636.3 model, the first six of which were delivered between 2014 and 2016. A second batch of six boats was ordered for the Russian Pacific Fleet in 2016. Those began to be delivered in 2019 and were to have all been in service by the end of this year.
In June 2022, Russia announced plans to build a third batch of six more Improved Kilo II–class submarines for the Northern Fleet, with the construction scheduled to begin in 2024. To date, all these newer-model submarines have been built by the Admiralty Shipyard in St. Petersburg.
These latest-model Kilo designs are powered by two diesel generators that turn a single seven-bladed fixed-pitch propeller. This propulsion design provides a top speed of 17 knots surfaced or 20 knots submerged. These Kilos have a 45-day endurance and operate with a crew of 52. Their maximum diving depth has been widely reported as 984 feet.
About the Author:
Reuben F. Johnson is a survivor of the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and is an Expert on Foreign Military Affairs with the Fundacja im. Kazimierza Pułaskiego in Warsaw. He has been a consultant to the Pentagon, several NATO governments and the Australian government in the fields of defense technology and weapon systems design. Over the past 30 years he has resided in and reported from Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Brazil, the People’s Republic of China and Australia.
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