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| Photo courtesy of Russian Defense Ministry |
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The Russian Navy will accept its advanced diesel submarine into service a month ahead of schedule after extensive overhauls, a Navy spokesman said Tuesday.
Dygalo said the Vladikavkaz, a Kilo-class diesel submarine first commissioned by the Russian Navy in 1990, will return to service on Wednesday having had its military and performance characteristics significantly improved.
He cited Navy Deputy Commander Rear Adm. Viktor Bursuk as saying the overhaul included hull, equipment and other system repairs, as well as upgrades to communications, navigation, traffic control, naval combat data, propulsion control and other systems.
Vladikavkaz passed all the speed, handling, noise and many other parameters designated by the Navy during tests in early August 2015, the Navy spokesman added.
The ceremony marking the signing of the submarine’s handover is slated to take place at the Zvezdochka shipyard in north Russia in the presence of the Main Command of the Navy.
Kilo-class submarines, sometimes dubbed "Black Holes" for their ability to "disappear," are thought to be one of the quietest diesel-electric submarine classes in the world.