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The Kilo Class (Project 877) submarine was
designed for anti-submarine and anti-ship warfare
in the protection of naval bases, coastal installations
and sea lanes, and also for general reconnaissance
and patrol missions. The Kilo is considered
to be to be one of the quietest diesel submarines
in the world. The submarine consists of six
watertight compartments separated by transverse
bulkheads in a pressurised double-hull. This
design and the submarine's good reserve buoyancy
lead to increased survivability if the submarine
is holed, even with one compartment and two
adjacent ballast tanks flooded. The foreplanes
are positioned on the upper hull in front of
the fin or sail. The command and control systems
and fire control systems are located in the
main control room which is sealed off from the
other compartments.
The Russian fleet operates three variants of
the Kilo 877: the basic 877; the 877K that has
an improved fire-control system; and the 877M
that has wire-guided torpedoes from two tubes.
Export models, designated with an 'E' suffix,
are generally similar though with some reduced
features. A total of at least 26 and perhaps
as many as 30 were built for the Russian navy,
one of which was subequently exported to Iran.
All the 30 Kilo-class submarines built for service
with the Russian Navy are designated Project
877, although 15 of these are the earlier-developed
877EKM and 15 the later 636 versions.
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