Russian
Submarine Patrols Match Cold War-era Intensity
The Canadian Press | 1 Apr 2017
MOSCOW -- Russian submarines have increased combat patrols
to the level last seen during the Cold War, the navy chief said Friday.
Adm. Vladimir Korolyov said that Russian submarine crews
spent more than 3,000 days on patrol last year, matching the Soviet-era
operational tempo.
"It's an excellent level," he said in remarks
carried by state RIA Novosti news agency.
The Russian military had fallen on hard times after the 1991
Soviet collapse when it was forced to scrap many relatively new ships and keep
most others at harbor for lack of funds. The military has revived its strength
thanks to a sweeping arms modernization program amid tensions with the West
over Ukraine.
Korolyov spoke after attending the launch of a new
Yasen-class nuclear-powered attack submarine called the Kazan. He hailed the
new ship as the most modern in the world, emphasizing its low noise level
making it hard to track it.
"It represents the cutting edge of nuclear submarine
design," Korolyov said in televised remarks.
The navy plans to commission seven Yasen-class submarines
that are armed with torpedoes and long-range Kalibr cruise missiles, which for
the first time have been tested in combat during the Russian campaign in Syria.
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