The St. Andrew's flag was raised on the diesel-electric submarine "Velikiye Luki" — the third ship of Project 677 "Lada" — at the Admiralty Shipyards in St. Petersburg. The event marked the official inclusion of the submarine in the Russian Navy.
The "Lada"-class submarine is a combination of advanced technologies and complex technical solutions. With a relatively small displacement, the ship is an important means of armed struggle at sea, possessing great combat capabilities — offensive and defensive, thanks to all the solutions incorporated into the design of this ship.
On the eve of the ceremony, the crew completed a set of factory sea trials and state tests in the waters of the Baltic Sea. All the stated tactical and technical characteristics of the submarine — including noise level, diving depth, and combat capabilities — were confirmed during the tests.
Project 677 was developed by the Rubin Design Bureau (part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation). The "Velikiye Luki" was launched on December 23, 2022. Its length is 66.8 m, width is 7.1 m. The underwater speed reaches 21 knots, the maximum diving depth is about 300 meters. The crew consists of 35 people, and the autonomy of navigation is up to 45 days.
The submarine is equipped with a modern sonar system, acoustic masking systems, and missile-torpedo armament capable of hitting surface, underwater, and coastal targets. In addition, the "Lada" can lay minefields and provide landing for reconnaissance and sabotage groups.
Experts note that Project 677 submarines are considered the most modern non-nuclear submarines in their class — both in terms of combat effectiveness and in terms of the totality of technical characteristics.
Armament of the submarine:
- Mine-torpedo: 6 bow torpedo tubes of 533 mm caliber, 18 torpedoes, mines.
- Missile: RK "Kalibr" (launch from torpedo tubes).
- Air defense: MANPADS "Igla-1M", "Strela-3M", "Verba", 8 SAMs in TPK.
