Project 667BDRM/Delta IV

SSBN Yekaterinburg Arrived at Zvezdochka Shipyard for Repairs

Nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) Yekaterinburg which suffered severe fire late 2011 has arrived in Severodvinsk for repairs on Friday, June 22, reports Interfax.

SSBN Yekaterinburg will be repaired by Zvezdochka Ship Repair Center. According to representatives of the shipyard, at first experts of Zvezdochka will carry out examination and troubleshooting of the submarine and then will begin technical recovery activities. In particular, it is planned to repair sonar system seriously damaged by fire.

Repair works are expected to finish in 2014. After that, the sub's service life will be prolonged up to 2019.

The fire happened to SSBN Yekaterinburg late in Dec 2011 when the sub was under scheduled overhaul in Murmansk region. Nine persons suffered as a result of the 20-hour long firefighting operation.

Two criminal cases were initiated upon the fire on SSBN Yekaterinburg – excess of service power led to grievous consequences (Article 286/3, RF Criminal Code), and extermination or damage of military property by negligence (Article 347, RF Criminal Code).

http://rusnavy.com/news/navy/index.php?ELEMENT_ID=15420

Two Project 667BDRM submarines - Ekaterinburg and Bryansk - were moved to a dry dock in June 2012. Ekaterinburg arrived in Severodvinsk to begin an overhaul after the December 2011 fire on 22 June 2012. Bryansk was photographed in the PD-50 dry dock at the end of June 2012.

The repairs of the Ekaterinburg submarine are expected to take two years. For Bryansk, the stay in the dry dock will probably be much shorter - it underwent a five-year overhaul in 2002-2007 and returned to service in 2008.

This leaves only two out of six Project 667BDRM submarines fully operational - Tula and Karelia. Verkhoturie is not expected to return to service before the fall of 2012, Novomoskovsk is undergoing sea trials and will not be back in service until much later this year (here are some interesting photos of Novomoskovsk with some kind of a test structure returning from sea on 26 June 2012.

http://russianforces.org/blog/2012/07/ekaterinburg_and_bryansk_subma.shtml

Novomoskovsk submarine returns to service

On July 27, 2012 the Zvezdochka shipyard turned the K-407 Novomoskovsk submarine of the Project 667BDRM class over to the navy. The submarine underwent what's described as a "medium overhaul" and some modernization. In particular, it will carry the most recent version of the R-29RM missile - Sineva. The submarine is expected to stay in service for ten more years.

According to the report, Novomoskovsk arrived to Zvezdochka for overhaul at the end of 2006. However, it wasn't moved to dry dock until 2008. During the overhaul, it left the dry dock in December 2010, but was returned there in May 2011. In June 2012 it went to sea for the last round of sea trials.

http://russianforces.org/blog/2012/07/novomoskovsk_submarine_returns_1.shtml

K-51 Verkhoturie, and K-84 Ekaterinburg - are currently undergoing overhaul

Contract for SSBN Yekaterinburg Repairs to be Signed After Damage Appraisal

According to Russian deputy defense minister Alexander Sukhorukov, contract for repairs of Project 667BDRM Delfin nuclear-powered strategic submarine K-84 Yekaterinburg suffered in fire in Dec 2011 will be signed after appraisal of the sub's defects, reports Lenta.ru referring to ITAR-TASS.

As for Sukhorukov, such contracts are always divided in two phases. At first, a contract acceptor reports on volume of needed works, and then starts repair.

Defense ministry has already appropriated RUR 6 mln to Zvezdochka shipyard for troubleshooting purpose. In its term, the yard submitted technical justification of repair as RUR 1 bln. According to Sukhorukov, this sum includes scheduled interim overhaul and technical recovery of the submarine.

Financing of the sub's repair was earlier reserved in State Defense Order 2012-2014. "So, there are no doubts the contract for repair and recovery will be signed after defect evaluation", explained the deputy defense minister.

According to estimates of defense ministry, repair of SSBN Yekaterinburg must be completed by 2014. As a result, lifetime of the submarine will become five years longer. Representatives of the shipyard earlier promised to add 10 years to service life of SSBN Yekaterinburg.

Fire onboard the submarine in Dec 2011 damaged sonar and rubber coating. To pass repair, SSBN Yekaterinburg arrived in Severodvinsk on June 22, 2012.

Project 667BDRM Delfin submarines are presently the key element of Russia's maritime nuclear shield. In prospect, they will be complemented with Project 955 Borei subs. The first of them, SSBN Yury Dolgoruky armed with R-30 Bulava ballistic missiles is to be commissioned into Russian Navy in the nearest time. Early in 2013, it is planned to put in service the second sub of this type, SSBN Alexander Nevsky.

Northern Fleet Official: SSBN Novomoskovsk to Stay in Navy till 2020

Nuclear-powered strategic submarine SSBN Novomoskovsk (Project 667 BDRM Delfin) after modernization will stay operational in Russian Navy up to 2020, Northern Fleet spokesman Capt 1 Rank Vadim Serga told reporters.

On Monday, the submarine arrived from Severodvinsk at the NF main naval base Severomorsk. Subs of this project constitute the core of Russia's maritime strategic nuclear force. Soon they will be replaced with Project 955 Borei submarines.

"As a result of repairs and upgrading, lifetime of the sub has become 10 years longer", Serga said.

SSBN Novomoskovsk was laid down at Sevmash shipyard in June 1987. The sub was put afloat on Feb 28, 1990 and commissioned into Soviet Navy on Nov 27, 1990.

According to publicly available sources, those subs are 167-meter long, 12-meter wide, and displace about 12,000 tons. Test depth is 400 meters, cruise submerged speed is up to 24 knots, crew is 140 men. Project 667BDRM submarines are armed with 16 ballistic missiles R-29RMU2 (RSM-54) launched by D9RM system. The project was developed by Rubin Design Bureau (St. Petersburg).

SSBN Novomoskovsk has carried out 7 deployments, 15 patrols, and 14 missile firing drills. Throughout her service, the submarine has covered over 100,000 nautical miles.

During repair and modernization of SSBN Novomoskovsk, about 100 innovations were introduced in order to improve the sub's performance characteristics. Noisiness was reduced while underwater detection capability was significantly improved, as well as survivability and nuclear safety.

http://rusnavy.com/news/navy/index.php?ELEMENT_ID=15634

Not much fuss about this:

http://rt.com/usa/news/uss-miami-submarine-fire-064/

Didn't even see it on NZ news... double standard?

SSBN Tula Celebrates 25-th Anniversary

On Nov 6, crew of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) Tula celebrated 25-th anniversary since hoisting of the national naval ensign.

According to Western Military District Press Service, crew of the submarine many times won the Navy Commander's Prize. The sub has covered hundreds of nautical miles (in total, 5 times around the world), carried out dozens of practice missile launches and deployments to key regions worldwide.

Experts of JSC Zvezdochka Ship Repair Center performed modernization works on the submarine, mounted new up-to-date sonar, navigation, and radio technical systems. Today, SSBN Tula meets all present-day requirements imposed upon nuclear submarines and yields to none of analogous foreign subs.

SSBN Tula was laid down on Feb 22, 1984 at Sevmash shipyard (Severodvinsk) and launched on the same day of 1987. After successful completion of state acceptance trials, Soviet naval ensign was hoisted on the submarine on Nov 6, 1987 and SSBN Tula was commissioned into Soviet Navy. On Nov 29, 1987 the sub moved to her permanent basing site at Northern Fleet.

http://rusnavy.com/news/navy/index.php?ELEMENT_ID=16370

SSBN Svyatoi Georgy Pobedonosets Returned to Vilyuchinsk

Crew of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) Svyatoi Georgy Pobedonosets was triumphantly met on Nov 9 in Vilyuchinsk submarine station, Kamchatka. After completion of deployment, the crew took part in the meeting ceremony attended by Pacific Fleet (PF) command and families of the submariners.

Representatives of the PF command, PF submarine force department, Kamchatka Eparchy, Vilyuchinsk local administration, relatives of the submariners met the crewmen in the homebase to accompaniment of naval band. Central Navy Portal was the first reporting on the submarine's return on Nov 7.

After mooring and report of the submarine's commanding officer Capt 1 Rank Sergei Nemoguschiy on the successful completion of combat training tasks, PF Deputy Commander RADM Andrei Ryabukhin and other top-ranking officers congratulated the crew.

The sub's commanding officer took over the traditional roasted piglet. Submariners distinguished in the mission were awarded valuable gifts and commendations.

After brief rest of the crew, SSBN Svyatoi Georgy Pobedonosets will be ready to take the sea again to accomplish assigned missions.

In Oct 2012, the submarine carried out underwater test launch of a ballistic missile in the Sea of Okhotsk. The missile reached the target at the Chizha Range in the White Sea. According to PF command, that firing test was nominated for the Navy Commander's Prize.

http://rusnavy.com/news/navy/index.php?ELEMENT_ID=16414

SSBN Verkhoturye Puts Off for Trials in White Sea

Zvezdochka Ship Repair Center started shipyard's sea trial program of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) Verkhoturye. On Thursday, Nov 22, the sub took the White Sea after technical recovery period.

The sea trial program will be accomplished within the next 15 days.

Upon completion of trials and elimination of all found defects, the nuclear submarine will be recommissioned into Russian Navy and head for her permanent basing site.

Works on the submarine's technical recovery and 5-year service life extension started in the fall of 2010. The shipyard has repaired the sub's hull, outboard fittings, ballast tanks, mechanisms of propeller-rudder system and other onboard systems. The submarine was withdrawn from covered slipway in March 2012.

K-51 Verkhoturye nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine was laid down in Feb 1981 at Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk, put afloat in Jan 1984, and commissioned in Dec 1984. That was the first submarine in her class deployed in the Arctic with nuclear-headed ballistic missiles onboard in 1987.

She is a second-generation Project 667BDRM Delfin nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, lead sub in her class. Six submarines of this project still make the core of Russia's maritime nuclear deterrence force.

http://rusnavy.com/news/navy/index.php?ELEMENT_ID=16526

SSBN K-51 Verkhoturye recommissioned into the Northern Fleet. The Project 667 class submarine (NATO Delta 4) arrived at the main nuclear submarine base in Gadzhiyevo, Murmansk Region, after refit at the Zvezdochka shipyard at Severodvinsk.

K-84 Ekaterinburg

TR1 wrote:There are 6 BDRMs that will remain in service.
There are 3 BDRs left over, but they will not last the decade. Probably gone within next few years, or when the new subs finally arrive.
There are 2, soon to be 3 commission 955s. But they do not have their weapons yet.
There is 1 Akula, but it is a test boat, and not an active SLBM carrier.

I don't see how you guys got 14, EVEN adding up boats that really are not part of the deterrent force.

yes i agree, Delta III will be phased out as new Borei submarines will enter service. I think the number in total will be no more 10-11