Dubbed the "Black Hole" by NATO for its high acoustic stealth, the Russian diesel-electric submarine (DES) "Novorossiysk" of Project 636.3 has reappeared near the English Channel off the coast of France. This was reported by the NATO operational command.
This time, the submarine's safety on the surface was ensured by the sea tug "Yakov Grebelsky" of Project 714. Under NATO's observation, the crew of the "Novorossiysk" set course for the Mediterranean Sea as part of a long-range mission.
A few days ago, the French Navy also reported the appearance of the "Novorossiysk" off its coast, but without escort.
"Novorossiysk" is the first in a series of six Russian cruisers of Project 636.3 built at the "Admiralty Shipyards" of the United Shipbuilding Corporation for the Black Sea Fleet. All submarines of the project are armed with "Caliber-PL" cruise missiles.
It should be noted that DES pr. 636.3 are still not able to operate in underwater mode for more than 1.5 days without recharging the batteries on the surface.
Earlier www1.ru reported that Russia unveiled a new UAV "Axis-25-R": two engines and a range of up to 300 km.