Russian submarine Belgorod (K-329)

History
Russian Navy
NameK-329 Belgorod
Namesake Belgorod (City)
BuilderSevmash
Laid down24 July 1992
Launched23 April 2019
Commissioned8 July 2022[1]
Statusin service
General characteristics [2]
Class and typeOscar II-class submarine
TypeUnmanned underwater vehicle submarine mothership, Status-6 Oceanic Multipurpose System platform[5]
Displacement
  • 14,700/17,000 tonnes surfaced
  • 24,000/30,000 tonnes submerged
Length184 m (603 ft 8 in)[4]
Beam15 m (49 ft 3 in)
Propulsion2 pressurized water reactor OK-650M.02 nuclear reactors,[3] 2 × steam turbines delivering 190 MW (250,000 shp) to two shafts
Speed32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph) surfaced
RangeUnlimited
Endurance120 days
Test depth500 to 520 m (1,640 to 1,710 ft) by various estimates
Complement110 submariners
NotesHome port: Severodvinsk, Russia

K-329 Belgorod (Russian: БС-329 «Белгород») is a modified design of the Oscar II class (NATO designation) Russian nuclear submarine. It was laid down in July 1992 as a Project 949A cruise missile submarine, NATO designation Oscar II class. It was redesigned and the partly built hull was reconfigured as a special operations vessel, able to operate unmanned underwater vehicles. The vessel was relaid in December 2012. Due to chronic underfunding, its construction was suspended, then resumed at a low rate of progress before the ship was redesigned to become a unique vessel — the first Russian fifth-generation submarine, according to the Ministry of Defence.[6]

The K-329 Belgorod, along with the Status-6 Oceanic Multipurpose System, was one of the last weapons systems presented by Russian President Vladimir Putin during his annual speech in March 2018.[7] It tested at sea in 1H2022 and was commissioned by the Russian Navy in July 2022.[8][9][10][11] The submarine was delivered to the Russian Navy on 8 July 2022.[1]

In light of the decommissioning of the last Typhoon-class submarine in 2023, the Belgorod is the world's largest operational submarine.[citation needed]

The Belgorod will reportedly be the first submarine to utilize the Status-6 Oceanic Multipurpose System.[5][12]

  1. ^ a b "Shipbuilders deliver special-purpose sub with nuclear-powered drones to Russian Navy". tass.com. 8 July 2022.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference sutton was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Lobner, Peter (2018-07-01). "Russia Marine Nuclear Power 1939 to 2018" (PDF). www.lynceans.org. Retrieved 2021-09-28.
  4. ^ Mozgovoi, Alexander (2019-06-18). "The MT "Rubin" Central Design Bureau radically redesigned the project as part of the "Remontirovka" R&D". www.oborona.ru. Retrieved 2022-07-23.
  5. ^ a b Trakimavičius, Lukas (2021-10-15). "The Future Role of Nuclear Propulsion in the Military" (PDF). www.enseccoe.org/en. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
  6. ^ Unknown (2020-03-18). "The Ministry of Defense is working on submarines of the fifth generation". www.morvesti.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  7. ^ Hodge, Nathan (2018-03-02). "Putin is brandishing his new arsenal - but what does Russia have?". www.edition.cnn.com. Retrieved 2021-07-07.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference barents was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "Russian Navy to receive special-purpose sub with nuclear-armed drones in summer". www.tass.com. 2022-01-26. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
  10. ^ "Russia launches the world's longest nuclear submarine". www.bellona.org (published 2019-05-19). 2019-05-02. Retrieved 2021-04-16.
  11. ^ "Eight surface combatants and two submarines were delivered to Russian Navy in 2020". www.navalnews.com. TASS Russian news agency. 2021-01-11. Retrieved 2021-04-16.
  12. ^ Paton Walsh, Nick (2021-04-05). "Satellite images show huge Russian military buildup in the Arctic". www.edition.cnn.com. Retrieved 2021-04-16.