Naval Systems

Victor III-class submarine

The Victor III-class submarine is the NATO reporting name for the Soviet Project 671RTM/RTMK Shchuka nuclear-powered attack submarine. Built for the Soviet Navy by Admiralty and Komsomolsk shipyards, it combined a quieter hull, a hydrodynamic stern-plane pod that housed a towed passive sonar array, and a mixed torpedo-and-missile fit that kept a few boats in Russian service after the Soviet collapse.

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
Armament
Four 533 mm tubes, two 650 mm tubes, torpedoes, RK-55 Granat, 3M51 Alfa, RPK-2 Tsakra, and up to 36 mines

Service And Conflict Use

Service History

In service
The class entered Soviet service in 1978 and remains represented in Russian Navy reporting after post-Soviet retirements and refits.
Used by
Soviet Navy, Russian Navy

Conflict Usage

Side
🏳️Unspecified

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 Various Conflicts holding bucket.

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

Victor III-class submarine Images

Related Weapon Systems

Sources