Russian Shipyard Launches Latest Project 677 Submarine

Admiralty Shipyards, part of Russia’s United Shipbuilding Corporation, launched the third Project 677M (Lada-class) submarine, the "Velikie Luki” at St. Petersburg on Friday.

Velikiye Luki was laid down at Admiralty Shipyards in March 2015. The company is building the vessel in accordance with an adapted project based on the results of the trial operation of the St. Petersburg submarine, the lead boat of the class. Russia’s defense ministry said the technical control systems, the electric propulsion system, and the navigation system were modernized on the first submarine.

“After launching, the Velikiye Luki submarine will go through the completion stage on the water, and then begin testing. The submarine crew is being trained according to special programs at the Navy Training Center," Nikolai Evmenov, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, said the day before.

The company also continues the construction of two more submarines of the project – “Vologda” and “Yaroslavl.” They were laid down in pairs in June 2022. The state contract for their construction was concluded between Admiralty Shipyards and the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation in June 2019 during the Army-2019 forum.