The Navy Commander-in-Chief, Admiral Nikolai Evmenov, in an interview with the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper, said that the basis for the presence of the Russian Federation in the oceans will be “large displacement ships. According to him, they will have "increased combat capabilities in strike and defensive capabilities."
“To solve problems in the far sea zone, the calculation goes to frigates of the Admiral Gorshkov type, as well as the development of the ships of this project (22350M). Since the beginning of operation, frigates of the Admiral Grigorovich type (project 11356R / M) have proved themselves well. Their capabilities make it possible to solve a wide range of problems anywhere in the World Ocean, ”explained Evmenov.
According to the commander in chief, in the near future the fleet will include a patrol ship of project 22350 Admiral Kasatonov. Today, the Navy has only one frigate of this type — Admiral Gorshkov.
However, Severnaya Verf (St. Petersburg) is building four more ships of project 22350: Admiral Golovko, Admiral Isakov, Admiral Amelko and Admiral Chichagov. It is expected that the "Admirals" will be transferred to the fleet in 2021, 2022, 2024 and 2025.
The arsenal of the project 22350 ship includes the Caliber-NK missile system (16 ammunition), the A-192M Armat 130-mm artillery gun, the 91P2 anti-submarine weapon, and the Package-NK anti-torpedo system. The 3K96-2 anti-aircraft missile system (SAM) of the vertical launch 3K96-2 "Poliment-Redut" is responsible for the far borders of the air defense of the frigate, and the 3M89 Palma (Broadsword) for the nearest ones.
The Russian Defense Ministry intends to continue investing in serial production of frigates. In the future, the shipbuilding industry in Russia will receive an order to create modernized versions. The Northern Design Bureau (SPKB) is currently working on project 22350M.
- Head frigate of project 22350 “Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov”
- © Press Service of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
According to a TASS source in the military-industrial complex, the updated frigate will surpass its predecessor in displacement (7 thousand tons against 5.4 thousand tons) and strike capabilities (48 missiles against 16). The lead ship will be built as part of the current state armament program. In total, the fleet can receive up to 12 ships of project 22350M.
"Calibration" of the fleet
Nikolay Evmenov positively assesses the prospects for the development of the naval forces of Russia. According to him, the Russian Federation will "follow the path of building ships capable of carrying hypersonic and high-precision weapons." At the same time, he emphasized that in such a high-tech field as military shipbuilding, "everything does not happen all at once."
Currently, the Navy is re-equipping mainly with corvettes and small missile ships (RTOs) capable of deploying Caliber cruise missiles that have proven their high efficiency. In the future, almost all Russian warships will be equipped with Zircon hypersonic systems capable of hitting targets at ranges of up to 1 thousand km.
The use of these two missiles provides a universal ship firing complex (UKSK). As Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a December meeting in Sochi on issues of the Navy, by 2023 the number of Caliber carriers will more than double.
According to Evmenov, in the near future, the corps will include the corvette of project 20385 “Thundering” and RTOs of project 21631 “Ingushetia”. Also, by 2026, the fleet should be transferred 18 small missile ships of project 22800 Karakurt. These types of marine equipment are capable of completing combat missions alone and as part of naval groups.
Experts interviewed by RT believe that the mass appearance of small strike platforms in the fleet will increase the combat potential of the Navy, especially in the near sea zone. Thanks to corvettes and RTOs, Russia is able to carry out a wide range of tasks, including off the coast of Syria, without significant financial costs.
Earlier, the actions of the Navy in operations in the SAR were praised by Vladimir Putin. At a meeting in Sochi, he noted the coherence of the units and formations of the fleet, as well as the professionalism of the operation. He said that in the Mediterranean, a group of Russian warships continues to keep watch.
- Start "Caliber" from the frigate "Admiral Essen" on the objects of militants in Syria
- © Frame: video of the Ministry of Defense of Russia
According to the commander-in-chief of the Navy, the involvement of small missile ships in an operation in the SAR "showed their high technical readiness for operations in a real combat situation."
In an interview with RT, the founder of the Military Russia portal Dmitry Kornev noted that successes in Syria and the restoration of the presence of the Navy in the Mediterranean were made possible primarily due to the radical modernization of the Black Sea Fleet.
“The underwater component of the Black Sea Fleet was almost completely updated due to the supply of six submarines of Project 636.3 Varshavyanka, three new frigates, several modern corvettes, patrol ships and RTOs with Caliber received surface units,” Dmitry Kornev specified.
“Stable and large-scale presence”
In an interview with RT, a doctor of military sciences, a retired 1st rank captain Konstantin Sivkov drew attention to the need for mass construction of large displacement ships. Currently, domestic shipyards are producing nine surface ships of this class. However, the expert called this volume insufficient.
Sivkov believes that in order to ensure the stable presence of the Navy in different regions of the World Ocean, it is necessary to lay new ships of the first rank (with a displacement of over 5 thousand tons).
The tasks of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation include ensuring the constant presence of about 100 ships of the Navy in the far sea zone. In October last year, tasks in the oceans were carried out by about 100 ships of various classes. Such data were given in a congratulatory telegram from Admiral Vladimir Korolyov (he served as commander in chief of the Navy from April 7, 2016 to May 3, 2019. - RT ). However, according to current information from the Navy's commander-in-chief, 70 domestic ships are now demonstrating the Andreevsky flag far from their native shores.
“A stable and large-scale presence in the oceans, of course, requires the commissioning of new frigates, destroyers, cruisers, but more importantly, more important than aircraft carriers that serve as floating airfields. Small sized ships with all their advantages in the ocean zone do not have sufficient combat stability, ”Sivkov explained.
The expert associates the positive changes with the completion of the repair of the heavy aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, as well as the start of construction of a new generation of offshore platforms - universal landing ships (UDK) of the Surf type, new aircraft carriers (project 23000 "Storm", project 11430 "Manatee") , destroyers of the project 23560 "Leader".
“With the advent of these ships as part of the Navy, even in small numbers, we can talk about a significant build-up not only of shock potential. This is a significant increase in reconnaissance, anti-submarine, aviation, transport and landing capabilities, ”Sivkov emphasized.
To date, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation has not announced the exact timing of the start of construction of large-capacity ships of a new generation. However, it is expected that in the coming years, the Navy will include two UDC and one aircraft carrier. The United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) has repeatedly talked about its readiness to launch the production of ships of various classes for the needs of the Navy.
- Model destroyer project 23560 (code "Leader")
- © Wikimedia Commons / Artem Tkachenko
On December 9, USC President Aleksey Rakhmanov announced that shipbuilding enterprises of the Russian Federation could implement a “long series of ships in the far sea zone”, bearing in mind the project of the Leader destroyer. According to him, destroyers will be equipped with a nuclear power plant.
According to Dmitry Kornev, Rakhmanov’s statement indicates that the military-political leadership of the Russian Federation made a fundamental decision on the implementation of project 23560. The construction of the first destroyer destroyers may begin after 2020. This was announced in June last year by Deputy Admiral Viktor Bursuk, deputy commander-in-chief of the Navy for armaments.
The production of destroyers, as Kornev predicts, can be deployed at several shipyards in different parts of the country, including the new Zvezda plant in Bolshoi Kamen (Primorsky Territory). An important advantage of the Leader will be a nuclear installation, which will allow performing tasks in any region of the World Ocean for several months, the source said.
The "leader" is on the shoulder of our industry and, probably, the budget too. The ship alone will be able to carry out a wide range of combat missions. In my opinion, the implementation of project 23560 and the construction of frigates of project 22350M, which Evmenov mentioned, is the most optimal way to preserve and strengthen the presence of the Navy in the World Ocean, ”Kornev summarized.