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The Enduring Power of Russia’s Kilo-Class Submarine: A Silent Threat

Hailing from the 1980s, the Kilo-class submarine is still an asset to the Russian Navy. This type of diesel-electric submarine, even though aged, remains rather relevant in matters of coastal defense and anti-submarine warfare simply because of its cost-effectiveness with good operability.

First coming onto the scene during the Cold War, the Kilo-class submarines have been built and deployed continuously, even being exported to third-party countries because they are much cheaper than their nuclear-driven brethren.

The Kilo-class submarines could be slower and lack the long-range potential of their nuclear counterparts, but they are superior in the major mission sets for which they were designed. Where the Kilo-class submarines may be slower and not as capable of long-distance travel as their nuclear counterparts, they excel in the primary mission sets for which they were designed. These submarines can stay submerged for as long as two weeks before surfacing to recharge their batteries. This small radius is further mitigated because Russia borders several different theaters of interest, and the Kilo-class fleet can operate there without a need for long-range capability.

At sea, speed-wise, the Kilo-class cruises rather modestly at 17 knots on the surface and 20 knots submerged. The operational depths are shallower: a maximum diving depth of 984 feet and a comfortable cruising depth of 787 feet. Yet, despite these limitations, the range of the Kilo-class extends as high as 7,500 miles, making it one of the key parts of coastal defense and anti-submarine warfare for the Russian Navy.

In 2010, special ceramic coatings and rubber insulation were installed on the Kilo-class submarines as part of major upgrades to increase stealth capabilities. These, along with new, improved propulsion systems, make the Kilo-class ultraquiet and almost undetectable by Western forces regularly. It is partly for this reason that the submarine remains relevant today.

Kilo-class are fitted with 21-inch bow torpedo tubes and can fire remote-fired torpedoes, sea mines, and Kalibr missiles. In 2015, for the first time, Russian Kilo-class submarines launched Kalibr missiles against the targets of ISIS, showing their long-range attack capabilities. More recently, during the Russian war in Ukraine, the role of Kilo-class submarines has been similar, launching attacks from the Black Sea.

For the stealth and versatility that it had, the submarine had managed to be an enduring threat even when the surface warships of the Russian Navy were being kept away from Ukrainian territory. The Kilo-class submarines had continued operating near Ukrainian waters, untouched by the unconventional attacks against the Russian naval forces.

Given the price of nuclear submarines, the Kilo-class has been an outstanding investment for Russia. Due to its stealth and multi-mission capability, this class of submarine is very valuable and unlikely to be replaced anytime soon, especially given the shortcomings of its intended replacement, the Lada-class submarine.

As Brandon J. Weichert, a national security analyst, noticed, the Kilo-class submarine represents a kind of “the gift that keeps on giving” for the Russian Navy. Its continued power and robustness keep on testing even the most powerful navies’ concepts.

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