Russia’s two new Lada-class (Project 677) conventional submarines will not be equipped with Air Independent Propulsion (AIP), Аlexander Buzakov, the head of the Admiralty Shipyard, which constructs the submarines under a contract with the Defense Ministry, has said in an interview with Russian Sputnik.
An AIP increases a submarine’s stealthiness, removing the need to break surface for charging batteries. The Russian Navy has repeatedly announced possible equipment of the Lada-class submarines with AIP, but this has not happened yet.
The Admiralty Shipyard and the Russian Defense Ministry signed the contract for construction of two fourth-generation Lada-class submarines in June.
The Russian Navy currently has one Project 677 conventional submarine.
