Key Points and Summary on Lada-Class Submarine – Russia’s Lada-class (Project 677) diesel-electric attack submarines, designed as the advanced successor to the venerable Kilo-class, have been plagued by a disastrously troubled development.
-The lead boat, Sankt Peterburg, launched in 2004, suffered from so many technical failures—including an inability to integrate its planned Air-Independent Propulsion (AIP) system—that it was decommissioned after years of trials.
-Only one other boat, the Kronshtadt, is currently operational, with a third undergoing sea trials.
-The program’s persistent delays and technical shortcomings have forced Russia to continue relying on its older, but more reliable, Kilo-class submarines.
The Lada-Class Submarine Fiasco
In Slavic mythology, Lada is the goddess of beauty, spring, and rebirth, the counterpart to the Scandinavian goddess Freyja and the Greek goddess Aphrodite.
In the present-day military context, the name “Lada” signifies something far deadlier than its benevolent ancient namesake. Say “Privyet (Hello)” to Russia’s Lada-class diesel-electric attack submarines.
Lada-Class Initial History and Specifications
Designed by the Rubin Central Design Bureau and built by the Admiralty Shipyards (one of the oldest and largest shipyards in Russia, dating back to 1704; previously known as Soviet Shipyard No. 194 during the Cold War), the story of the Ladas began on December 26 1997 with the keel-laying of the first ship of the class, the B-585 Sankt Peterburg, which was essentially considered a prototype.
B-585 was launched on October 28, 2004, and entered trial service on May 8, 2010. Since then, two other ships of the class have been completed, namely the B-586 Kronshtadt and B-587 Velikiye Luki (originally named Sevastopol).
(NOTE: Both the Rubin headquarters and the Admiralty Shipyards are located in St. Petersburg, thus rendering the Lada-class subs’ NATO moniker highly apropos)
The Ladas were intended to be the “fourth generation” successor to the Type 636 (NATO reporting name: Improved Kilo-class) diesel-electric boats.
They reportedly have the following tech specs and vital stats:
Displacement: 1,765 tons surfaced; 2,650 tons submerged
Hull Length: 66.8 meters (219 feet 2 inches)
Draft: 6.5 m (21 ft 4 in)
Beam Width: 7.1 meters (23 feet 4 inches)
Test Depth (aka Safe Operating Depth): 300 meters (980 feet)
Operational Range: 7,500 nautical miles at 3 knots
Endurance: 45 days
Crew Complement: 35 commissioned officers and 44 enlisted sailors (matrosiy)
Armament:
6 x 533mm (21-inch) forward torpedo tubes, with a capacity for
16 x torpedoes or surface-to-surface missiles (SSMs); OR
44 x mines; OR
10 x Kalibr land-attack cruise missiles
In addition, Army Recognition reports that there is a distinct possibility that the Ladas could carry aerial and underwater drones.
The powerplant consists of an electric propulsion motor with permanent magnets, driving a single 2,700 hp (2,013 kW) shaft that propels the subs at a reported maximum speed of 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph) submerged and 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced.
Other impressive features (at least on paper) include a pressure hull made of the new AB-2 strength steel, a new Molniya hull anechoic covering (for improved stealth), a new SED-1 synchronous electric motor with permanent magnetic excitation, the Lira sonar system (the first time a Russian bow sonar had a conformal antenna), the Litiy automated combat management system, the Parus-98 optronic mast, the Distantsiya integrated communications system.
The Lada is also the first Russian submarine class to employ a single-hull design.
Operational History in (Very) Brief
Not much to report here; to paraphrase William Shakespeare, “Much ado about very little.”
That much-ballyhooed Sankt-Peterburg was, in the words of Eric Wertheim of the US Naval Institute publication Proceedings, “suffered delays and failed to live up to expectations.” Among the problems she encountered was the failed attempt at integrating an Air-Independent Propulsion (AIP) system.
Consequently, the B-585 didn’t enter official operational status until September 2021, a whopping 17 years after her sea trials. Indeed, she has already been decommissioned and consigned to the scrapyard.
In the meantime, as a stopgap measure, the Type 636 Kilos have been further upgraded to the 636.3 version. Indeed, to that effect, on or about June 12, 2025, the final ship of the 636.3-class. The Yakutsk was officially accepted by the Russian Navy and designated for the Pacific fleet.
Ergo, the only Lada boat currently operational is the Kronshtadt, which was finally commissioned on January 31, 2024. As for Velikiye Luki, she was launched in December 2023 and finally began her sea trials in the Gulf of Finland in October 2024.
Speaking of Velikiye Luki, to provide our readers with additional perspective on the delays hindering the growth of the Lada program, consider this: The vehicle was initially laid down on November 10, 2006, but had to be relaid in 2015 due to the need for a redesign.
The Future of the Lada-Class
Two more Lada boats, the Volgoda and the Yaroslavl, are currently under construction, with projected commissioning dates in 2026 and 2027, respectively. (Presumably and logically, they’ll have the respective serial numbers of B-588 and B-589, but this has not been officially verified yet.) Meanwhile, an as-yet-unnamed sixth ship of the class has been ordered, with a projected commissioning date sometime in 2027.
In any event, the Ladas’ days appear to be numbered, as there are already proposals to replace them with the “fifth generation” Project Kalina and Amur-class diesel-electric submarines.
About the Author: Christian D. Orr, Defense Expert
Christian D. Orr is a Senior Defense Editor. He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Studies (concentration in Terrorism Studies) from American Military University (AMU).
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