Russian Built Kilo Submarines Exported to China - Propulsion

Russia has built and exported a total of 12 Kilo submarines to China since the early 1990s, including:

-  2 original Kilos designated by Russia as Project 877EKM, and

-  10 Improved Kilos designated Project 636 (including 2 x 636.1s and 8 x 636Ms).

In the 1990s andd early 2000s these Kilos were quite standard to advanced submarines. So it is assumed China looked at these exports as a technology transfer, reverse-engineering opportunity. It is assumed the Chinese Song and Yuan class submarines owe much to the Kilo design. For example the Songs and Yuans retain the Kilos tear drop shaped double hull with (vertical-horizontal edge) "square" sail/fin.

It is not known the extent China reverse engineered the Kilo diesels to drive the Songs and Yuans. This is because MAN as well as Rolls Royce and MTU may have made superior marine diesels for submarine available to China.

  

Kilo Project 877EKM Propulsion

The Russian wikipedia entry on the original export Kilo 877EKM (or ECM) provides details on the “Powerplant”: Kilo 877 submarines have a single-shaft power plant with 2 x 4-2DL42M diesels, each of 1000 kW at 700 rpm. These diesels work with PG-142 generators.

[But then the Russian to English translation gets confusing with: "The row motor [?] of the PG-101 model has a power of 4 MW at 500 rpm and is duplicated by an electric motor of the economic stroke type PG-140 (139 kW at 150 rpm).”^[3] Two reserve propellers of the "screw in tube" type are located in the semi-ring tunnels in the aft part inside the light hull of the boat ^[4] and are driven into rotation by the reserve electric motors PG-168 (2 x 75 kW at 650 rpm)." ^[3]

[but fortunately translation becomes clearer with] "The battery type 446 consists of two groups of 120 elements each, and is located on the lower decks of the 1st and 3rd compartments. Its energy capacity is enough for 400 miles of underwater speed at a speed of 3 knots. The reserve under the RDP is 6000 miles on 7 knots."

Tables A and B below have been modified from English Wikipedia

TABLE A Russian 877 Kilos Exported to China

Operator	Pennant #	Name	Project	Laid down	Commis sioned	Status
China	364	Yuan Zheng 64 Hao	877EKM	???	Nov 1994	active 2007
China	365	Yuan Zheng 65 Hao	877EKM	???	Aug 1995	active 2007

Kilo Project 636 (636.1 and 636M) Propulsion 

As with the earlier Kilo 877EKMs, Kilo 636s (636.1 and 636M) use 2 x Two 4-2DL42M diesels. Anonymous indicates they are L6 type diesels with 300mm of bore and 380mm of stroke. Using PG-142 generators they generate 1000kW of electrical output at 700 rpm. 

TABLE B Russian 636 "Improved" Kilos Exported to China

Operator	Pennant #	Name	Project	Laid down	Commis sioned	Status
China	366	Yuan Zheng 66 Hao	636.1	Jul 1996	Aug 1997	active 2006
China	367	Yuan Zheng 67 Hao	636.1	Aug 1997	Oct 1998	active 2006
China	368	Yuan Zheng 68 Hao	636M	Oct 2002	Oct 2004	active 2006
China	369	Yuan Zheng 69 Hao	636M	Oct 2002	2005	active 2006
China	370	Yuan Zheng 70 Hao	636M	2004	2005	active 2006
China	371	Yuan Zheng 71 Hao	636M	2004	2005	active 2006
China	372	Yuan Zheng 72 Hao	636M	2005	2006	active 2006
China	373	Yuan Zheng 73 Hao	636M	Jul 1992	Aug 2005	active 2007
China	374	Yuan Zheng 74 Hao	636M	May 2003	Dec 2005	active 2006
China	375	Yuan Zheng 75 Hao	636M	May 2003	Dec 2005	active 2006

More research will be done on the Russian Navy's Kilo 636.3s for which Anonymous has provided the details: 2 x 7-2D42M diesels are used for the Kilo 636.3s, They are L6 type diesels with 300mm of bore and 380mm of stroke. Using PG-167 generators they generate 1500kW of electrical output at 750 rpm. 

Six 636.3s are active in Russia's Black Sea Fleet and two to six 636.3s may be supplied to the Russian Pacific Fleet by the early 2020s. Russia may have eight Kilo 877s (some active, some laid up) in the Pacific Fleet.

Pete and Anonymous