Kalibr-Equipped Russian Nuclear Submarine to Enter Service in July

The Russian Navy’s Vepr (K-157) Project 971 nuclear-powered submarine, newly armed with Kalibr-PL missiles, is scheduled to enter service in July after repairs and modernization.

"The Vepr has fully completed the program of trials. It returned to the Nerpa ship-repair plant for minor fixes. This work will continue for about a month. After a short period in the dry dock, it will be handed over to the fleet in early July," a source from the defense industry was quoted as saying by TASS on Tuesday.

Most Project 971 submarines went on combat duty in late 1980s — early 1990s. Project 971 was armed with universal UGST deepwater homing torpedoes, electric USET-80 homing torpedoes and underwater Shkval missiles. It initially had S-10 Granat complex with long-range cruise missiles. They can be fired from 553mm torpedo launchers at adversary targets with known coordinates.

The Vepr that joined the Navy in 1995 is the first upgraded SSN with new weapons. The Vepr K-157 began the overhaul in 2012 as it exhausted the nuclear fuel.