"Any aggressor must experience the full power of Russian weapons"
Putin said in Severodvinsk
On the night from Friday to Saturday, a new multi-purpose nuclear submarine "Gepard" was launched in Severodvinsk. Vladimir Putin was present at the launch, promising the shipbuilders that he would not allow “ships and submarines already laid down on the stocks to be cut into scrap metal.”

The last nuclear-powered ship from the slipways of the Severodvinsk Machine-Building Enterprise production association was launched three years ago. Gepard, whose construction began in 1992, was the last Russian nuclear submarine launched in the 20th century.

The multipurpose nuclear submarine "Gepard" (project 09710 "Shchuka-B") belongs to the third generation of Russian nuclear-powered submarines. This is the quietest Russian-built nuclear submarine. With an underwater speed of 6-9 knots, it becomes virtually invulnerable. Capable of striking coastal targets. Displacement - 8140/12770 tons. Maximum speed - 10/35 knots. Immersion depth - 600 m. Navigation autonomy - 100 days. Crew - 63 people (of which 33 are officers). It is armed with 24 nuclear cruise missiles RK-55 "Granat" with a firing range of 3000 km.
Construction of the series began in 1980 in Komsomolsk-on-Amur (it was planned to produce 10 boats, but in 1993 the 9th and 10th hulls were cut into scrap metal on a slipway) and in 1986 in Severodvinsk (8 boats). To date, 14 boats from the series have been built (including the Cheetah). Now “Nerpa” is being built in Komsomolsk-on-Amur (since 1986) and “Cougar” in Severodvinsk (since 1993).

After the descent, Vladimir Putin held a visiting meeting of the government commission on military-industrial issues, at which he set a priority task for the military-industrial complex - the production of weapons to solve strategic problems. Putin said that he will not allow “ships and submarines already laid down on the slipways to be cut for scrap metal. Once they’ve been laid down, they must definitely complete the construction.”
The prime minister also said that in order to revive Russia's industry, it is necessary to focus primarily on “what it can do well.” And he called for building submarines, airplanes and making missiles: “Any aggressor must experience the full power of Russian weapons.”
At the same meeting, Deputy Head of the Government Staff Alexander Piskunov said that for the first time in the 2000 budget, military-technical cooperation and military orders will be included as a separate line, where the quantity and modification of all weapons that the state intends to purchase from the defense industry will be specified in detail. The volume of the defense order will be increased, as will the share of spending on the Navy. The implementation of these decisions may be of utmost importance for Sevmash and the State Nuclear Shipbuilding Center (GRCAS), of which it is a part. Today, Sevmash is experiencing a severe cash deficit: the state owes GRTSAS enterprises more than 1.1 billion rubles for work on defense orders.

IVAN Kommersant-SAFRONOV; VYACHESLAV GUDKOV, Murmansk

Newspaper "Kommersant" No. 171 dated September 21, 1999, p. 2

Authors:

Ivan Safronov