Project 971 Shuka-B Bars-class
Akula class
Attack Submarine (Nuclear Powered)

There is some non-trivial disagreement between authoritative sources as to launch and commission dates for all units, as well as which units are 'Improved Akula' vs. 'Akuka-II'. Initially the boats of project 971 bore only tactical numbers. However, on 10 October, 1990, left the order of the VMF Commander-in-Chief V.N. Vhernavina about the awarding to the boat K-317 of name "Panther". Subsequently names were obtained by other nuclear-powered ships of this project.

Thinking about the "active duty" inventory of these boats is also a bit tricky, as they seem to have a very un-American maintenance cycle. In the US Navy, ships are either under construction / Pre-Commissioning Units, or in commission, or in reserve / inactive / stricken. Ships that are in commission are typically moving through a maintenance cycle of 12 months on duty and six months in maintenance. The number of ships available for service at any given moment is at least one third and upwards of two-thirds of the number in commission, the exact number being a function of crew training and readiness.

At least with the boats of this class, by some time before 2015 the Russian Navy appears to have decided to maintain four boats in active service, with another seven boats undergoing prolonged multi-year modernization of at least five years, if not upwards of a decade. By this means, the service life of the type has been extended well into the middle of the 21st Century.

The RT Documentary Combat Approved covered the submarines of the Northern Fleet ‘Beast Division’ for a closer look at these mighty Shchuka-B class boats. These attack submarines form the backbone of the unit and have equally bellicose names: Panther, Cheetah, Tiger, Wolf, Wild Boar, and Leopard. Despite being third generation submarines, the underwater ‘predators’ have proved reliable carrying out missions, and as of 2019 it was reported by Combat Approved that the boats had another 25 or 30 years of service life. The newest nuclear attack sub in the Russian Fleet was 20 years old, and several were 30 years old.

The service life of nuclear submarines of projects 971 and 949 will be almost doubled due to a timely and rational approach to repair, Admiral Nikolai Evmenov, commander of the Navy , said in an interview with Red Star on 18 March 2020. “We will continue to repair and modernize various volumes of nuclear submarines. Work will be carried out on projects 667 BDRM, 971, 949. I note that as a result of such a rational and logical approach to underwater ship repair, the service life of 971 and 949 nuclear submarines will be almost doubled, "said the commander in chief.