"Russian Submarine Launches Multiple Cruise Missiles in East Sea... Part of Training"

Kalibr Cruise Missile Launch
Long-Range Precision Strike Weapon

A Philippine military reconnaissance aircraft is monitoring the Russian Kilo-class submarine 'UFA 490,' which was detected 80 nautical miles from Mindoro Island in the disputed waters of the South China Sea on November 28 last year. This was revealed through a press photo by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). / AFP·Yonhap News Agency

According to the Russian state news agency TASS on the 26th (local time), a Russian submarine conducted a missile launch exercise in the East Sea.

TASS cited a statement from the Russian Ministry of Defense, reporting that "the diesel-electric submarine Ufa of the Pacific Fleet fired Kalibr cruise missiles at sea and coastal targets during a scheduled exercise in the Sea of Japan (East Sea, as designated by the Russian Ministry of Defense)."

The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that this launch was part of a regular training exercise. The missiles had a range of over 1,000 km, and all simulated targets were successfully hit during the exercise.

The Kalibr missile is a long-range precision strike weapon and one of the most militarily significant weapon systems. It can be launched from various platforms including submarines, surface ships, ground mobile launchers, and aircraft. It was first used in combat in 2015 when Russia struck IS targets in Syria from the Caspian Sea during the Syrian civil war. Since then, it has been a main weapon in the Russia-Ukraine war.

TASS previously reported that the Ufa, commissioned for active duty in November 2022, is one of the world's most advanced submarines equipped with state-of-the-art stealth capabilities. The Ufa is a diesel-electric submarine that operates on batteries charged by a diesel engine, with a displacement of about 3,900 tons, a length of approximately 74 meters, and a maximum diving depth of 300 meters.