Naval Systems

Victor III-class submarine

Also known as
  • Victor III
  • Victor III-class
  • Shchuka
  • Project 671RTM
  • Project 671RTMK
  • Project 671RTM Shchuka
  • Project 671RTMK Shchuka
  • Project 671RTM/RTMK Shchuka
  • SSN Victor III
  • NATO: Victor III

The Victor III-class submarine is the NATO reporting name for the Soviet Project 671RTM/RTMK Shchuka nuclear-powered attack submarine. Built at Admiralty and Komsomolsk shipyards, it carried the Project 671 line into a quieter, missile-capable generation with updated combat electronics, a distinctive towed-array sonar pod, 533 mm and 650 mm bow tubes, and a loadout spanning torpedoes, RK-55 Granat cruise missiles, antisubmarine missiles, and mines. A small number of late boats remained tied to Russian Northern Fleet service decades after the Soviet collapse.

Victor III-class submarine, Nuclear-powered attack submarine, Naval Systems
Image source: Victor III class submarine.jpg

Role in Conflicts

2015 Various Conflicts
Side
Unconfirmed conflict context

The class remains in Russian Navy service, but open sources here do not tie it to a single named post-2015 conflict, so it stays in the 2015 Various Conflicts holding bucket.

Design And Service Context

The class is best read as a late-Soviet multipurpose attack-submarine step between earlier Victor boats and newer post-Soviet SSNs. Admiralty Shipyards describes Project 671RTM as a new Project 671 modification with updated electronics and signature-reduction measures, while later reporting shows a small number of late hulls retained in Russian Northern Fleet service.

Fleet role

Admiralty Shipyards says Shchuka boats formed a basis of the Soviet multipurpose nuclear submarine fleet in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Signature work

The shipyard account identifies updated radio-electronic, navigation, combat-information, communications, reconnaissance, and signature-reduction measures.

Stern-plane pod

Open references identify the distinctive stern pod as housing a reelable towed passive sonar array, not a propulsion or weapon pod.

Late service

Admiralty Shipyards' 2023 note said Obninsk and Tambov continued Northern Fleet service, and Barents Observer separately reported Tambov's return after a long repair period.

Available open sources tie the class to Russian service and submarine loadout context, but not to a named post-2015 conflict such as Syria or Ukraine.

Profile / Specs

Specifications

Displacement
About 4,600 tonnes surfaced; 5,890 tonnes submerged
Length
About 107 m
Beam
10.8 m
Draft
7.8 m
Speed
30 knots submerged
Propulsion
Two nuclear pressurized-water reactors
Crew
About 100
Launch tubes
Four 533 mm bow tubes and two 650 mm bow tubes
533 mm weapons
Torpedoes, RK-55 Granat SLCMs, 3M51 Alfa SLCMs, and RPK-2 Tsakra missiles
650 mm weapons
Two 650 mm tubes associated in NTI with Type 86R Vodopad anti-ship cruise missiles
Mine load
Up to 36 mines in lieu of torpedoes
Variants

Project 671RTM was the main Victor III/Shchuka production standard, while Project 671RTMK denotes the Granat-capable missile refit or late-build configuration described in open submarine references.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
Project 671RTM ShchukaMain Victor III production standard

Admiralty Shipyards identifies Project 671RTM Shchuka as a new Project 671 modification that formed a core Soviet multipurpose nuclear submarine type in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Sources: Project 671RTM Shchuka - Admiralty Shipyards

Project 671RTMK ShchukaMissile-capable late or modernized boats

GlobalSecurity describes the 671RTMK group and upgraded 671RTM boats as Granat-capable, while CSIS lists Victor III / Project 671RTM among submarine launch platforms for the RK-55 Granat.

Sources: Victor Class - Project 671, RK-55 Granat (SS-N-21)

B-138 Obninsk and B-448 TambovLate Northern Fleet service examples

Admiralty Shipyards' 2023 Obninsk anniversary note said Obninsk and Tambov continued service with the Northern Fleet, while Barents Observer reported Tambov returning to Ura Guba after a long repair period.

Sources: Admiralty Shipyards marks 35 years since Obninsk laying, Nuclear sub returns to Russian Arctic base after 7 years upgrade

Documented Torpedo Fit

Open submarine references list the class with 533 mm and 650 mm bow tubes. The linked item below is the cataloged torpedo with a direct source-backed Victor III fit.

AmmunitionAmmunition typeFiring evidence
53-65K torpedo, 533 mm wake-homing anti-ship torpedo, Munitions53-65K torpedo533 mm wake-homing torpedo

RussianShips lists Project 671RTM/RTMK Victor III submarines with four 533 mm bow torpedo tubes and includes the 53-65K among the documented 533 mm torpedo load.

Sources: Nuclear-powered submarines - Project 671RTM, 671RTMK

Unlinked weapons in the fit

The same open references also list RK-55 Granat cruise missiles, 3M51 Alfa missiles, RPK-2 Tsakra weapons, 650 mm Vodopad-class weapons, and naval mines. The named missile records are not linked here because the catalog does not yet have exact public entries for those carried weapons.

Sources: Russia Submarine Capabilities, RK-55 Granat (SS-N-21)

Mine Carriage

Open references describe mines as an alternate load in place of torpedoes, so this relationship is carriage context rather than evidence of combat minelaying.

Carried itemItem typeCarriage evidence
Sea mine, Naval mine, MunitionsSea mineNaval mine payload

NTI says Project 671RTM Shchuka / Victor III submarines can carry thirty-six mines in lieu of torpedoes, while RussianShips lists RM-2G Golets mines in the Project 671RTM/RTMK armament fit.

Sources: Russia Submarine Capabilities, Nuclear-powered submarines - Project 671RTM, 671RTMK

Armament Fit

The Victor III fit combined heavy submarine torpedo tubes with missile and mine options, giving the class anti-submarine, anti-surface, land-attack, and area-denial paths depending on loadout.

Loadout pathDocumented detail
533 mm tubesNTI lists four 533 mm tubes with torpedoes, RK-55 Granat SLCMs, 3M51 Alfa SLCMs, and RPK-2 Tsakra missiles.
650 mm tubesNTI lists two 650 mm tubes with Type 86R Vodopad anti-ship cruise missiles.
Granat fitGlobalSecurity describes the 671RTMK configuration and upgraded 671RTM boats as fitted for Granat strategic cruise missiles, and CSIS lists Victor III / Project 671RTM among RK-55 submarine carriers.
Mine carriageNTI says the class could carry thirty-six mines in lieu of torpedoes.
Timeline

Victor III-class submarine Key Events

  1. First Victor III completes

    USNI says Admiralty completed the first Victor III in 1978, beginning the class's production run.

    Sources: The Soviet Navy

  2. U.S. Navy aircraft photographs a Victor III at sea

    A U.S. Navy P-3C Orion photographed a Victor III submarine in the Atlantic after it was detected on the surface, illustrating how visible the class still was to NATO ASW patrols in the early 1980s.

    Sources: P-3C VP-23 over Victor III sub over the Atlantic 1983.JPEG

  3. NTI still counts the class in Russian service

    NTI's 2024 Russia submarine capabilities review says the Russian Navy still possesses four Project 671RTM 'Shchuka' (Victor III) SSNs.

    Sources: Russia Submarine Capabilities

  4. CSIS updates RK-55 carrier context

    CSIS Missile Threat lists Victor 3 / Project 671RTM among Russian submarine launch platforms for the RK-55 Granat and describes the submarine variant as operational.

    Sources: RK-55 Granat (SS-N-21)

Media

Victor III-class submarine Images

Victor III-class submarine, Nuclear-powered attack submarine, Naval Systems - view 1
Source: Victor III class SSN.svg
Victor III-class submarine, Nuclear-powered attack submarine, Naval Systems - view 2
Source: P-3C VP-23 over Victor III sub over the Atlantic 1983.JPEG
Victor III-class submarine, Nuclear-powered attack submarine, Naval Systems - view 3
Source: USS Peterson (DD-969) with Victor class sub.jpg
Victor III-class submarine, Nuclear-powered attack submarine, Naval Systems - view 4
Source: P-3C VP-8 over Victor class sub off Hammamet 1985.jpg
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Sources

Russia Submarine CapabilitiesPublisher: Nuclear Threat Initiative | Note: Supports the Victor III / Project 671RTM Russian service context, current fleet count, length, speed, armament, and other background/specification details. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Victor Class - Project 671Publisher: GlobalSecurity.org | Note: Supports Project 671RTMK Granat cruise-missile fit context, the upgraded Project 671RTM/RTMK distinction, the towed-array pod description, and post-Cold War service-count caveats. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Victor III-class: Submarine Specs & History (2026)Publisher: GlobalMilitary.net | Note: Supports the Project 671RTM/RTMK Shchuka designation, Soviet Navy development context, production window, active Russian remnant, and the stern-plane pod description. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Nuclear-powered submarines - Project 671RTM, 671RTMKPublisher: RussianShips.info | Note: Supports the Victor III class displacement, beam, draft, hull-dimension profile, 533 mm and 650 mm tube fit, torpedo/missile armament lists, mine carriage, and MGK-500 Skat sonar context. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Project 671RTM Shchuka - Admiralty ShipyardsPublisher: Admiralty Shipyards | Note: Supports official shipyard context for Project 671RTM Shchuka, including its role in the Soviet multipurpose nuclear submarine fleet, updated onboard systems, signature-reduction measures, and Admiralty-built hull list. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Admiralty Shipyards marks 35 years since Obninsk layingPublisher: Admiralty Shipyards | Note: Supports late-service context for Obninsk and Tambov and shipyard background on Project 671RTM equipment and Northern Fleet service. | Accessed: 2026-07-04RK-55 Granat (SS-N-21)Publisher: Center for Strategic and International Studies Missile Threat | Note: Supports the RK-55 Granat / SS-N-21 submarine-launched cruise missile context and lists Victor III / Project 671RTM among submarine carriers. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Nuclear sub returns to Russian Arctic base after 7 years upgradePublisher: The Barents Observer | Note: Supports Tambov's return to Ura Guba after repair and upgrade, the 671RTM(K) Shchuka / Victor III identification, and late Russian Northern Fleet service context. | Accessed: 2026-07-04The Soviet NavyPublisher: U.S. Naval Institute | Note: Supports the first Victor III completion in 1978 and production at Admiralty and Komsomol'sk through 1990. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Victor III class submarine.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports the primary image provenance and public-domain status for the Victor III-class submarine photograph. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Victor III class SSN.svgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports the silhouette gallery image provenance and Creative Commons licensing context. | Accessed: 2026-07-04P-3C VP-23 over Victor III sub over the Atlantic 1983.JPEGPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports the third gallery image provenance and public-domain status for the Victor III submarine detected by a U.S. Navy P-3C. | Accessed: 2026-07-04USS Peterson (DD-969) with Victor class sub.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports public-domain U.S. Navy image provenance for the disabled Victor III/K-324 with USS Peterson and a Soviet Moma-class survey ship. | Accessed: 2026-07-04P-3C VP-8 over Victor class sub off Hammamet 1985.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports public-domain U.S. Navy image provenance for a VP-8 P-3C flying over a Soviet Victor III-class submarine leaving Hammamet, Tunisia, in 1985. | Accessed: 2026-07-04