Russia has formally laid down the Maloyaroslavets, the latest Project 677 Lada-class diesel-electric submarine, at Admiralty Shipyards in St. Petersburg.

This marks the sixth hull of the class and demonstrates Moscow’s continued investment in modernising its conventional submarine fleet despite past delays and technical challenges.

Russia’s United Shipbuilding Corporation held the keel-laying ceremony on 27 August 2026 at Admiralty Shipyards.

The event was attended by senior officials including Nikolay Patrushev, Admiral Alexander Moiseyev, USC Director General Andrey Puchkov, and Rubin Design Bureau Director General Vladimir Dorofeyev.

The ceremony highlighted the importance of submarine modernisation under Russia’s Navy Development Strategy through 2050, which President Vladimir Putin approved in 2025.

Maloyaroslavets is the sixth Project 677 submarine but the fifth serial-production boat, following the prototype Sankt-Peterburg. The updated series began with Kronstadt, delivered in January 2024, and Velikiye Luki, commissioned in December 2025. Two other submarines, Vologda and Yaroslavl, remain under construction.

The new design incorporates lessons learned from the troubled Sankt-Peterburg, which faced propulsion issues and was eventually decommissioned in 2024.

The Lada-class was conceived as the successor to the Soviet-era Project 877 Kilo-class, once dubbed the “black hole” for its stealth. Project 677 features a single-hull configuration, diesel-electric propulsion, greater automation, improved sonar, and reduced acoustic signatures. Russian designers claim the class is quieter and harder to detect than its predecessors, though independent verification is lacking.

Specifications of the Lada-class include a length of about 66.8 metres, a beam of 7.1 metres, a submerged displacement of around 2,700 tons, a maximum submerged speed of 21 knots, a diving depth of 300 metres, and endurance of up to 45 days.

Each submarine carries a crew of 35 sailors. Armaments include torpedoes and Kalibr cruise missiles, enabling both anti-ship and land-attack missions. Russian officials emphasise the versatility of the class, capable of anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, reconnaissance, minelaying, and precision strikes.

The first boat, Sankt-Peterburg, was laid down in 1997 and launched in 2004 but only entered service in 2010 after delays caused by propulsion complications. Despite these setbacks, Russia persisted with the program, seeing the Lada-class as a foundation for its future submarine force. Contracts have been signed for at least two more submarines, with Putin previously stating his intention to build nine in total.

A key question remains whether the Lada-class will incorporate an air-independent propulsion (AIP) system. European navies pioneered AIP, allowing conventional submarines to remain submerged longer without surfacing to recharge batteries.

Such systems have proven highly effective, even enabling European submarines to “sink” US aircraft carriers in exercises. Russia has long claimed to be developing its own AIP system, but it is unclear if it has been successfully integrated into the Lada-class.

The Maloyaroslavets is being built under a modernised Project 677 design, refined through operational experience. Russian sources highlight advanced acoustic protection, innovative sonar coatings that absorb signals rather than reflect them, and high levels of automation. These features are intended to give the submarine a significant edge over foreign counterparts.

Despite nearly three decades of delays, Russia is now turning Project 677 from an experimental design into a production submarine.

The continued investment underscores the importance of conventional submarines in Russia’s naval doctrine, particularly for operations in littoral waters and contested regions.

US analysts caution against dismissing the Lada-class, noting that Russia’s persistence and incremental improvements could yield a capable and stealthy platform in future iterations.

Agencies