Feb. 23 (UPI) -- Russia's Admirality Shipyards will lay down two new diesel-electric submarines in 2017, according to state media reports.
The vessels will be the the first of six planned Project 636.3 submarines to be acquired for the country's Pacific Fleet. Project 636.3 is an effort to develop improved Varshavyanka-class subs, which go by the NATO reporting name Kilo. The last of six Varshavyanka-class submarines built for the Black Sea Fleet was launched in 2015.