The Black Sea Fleet (Black Sea Fleet) is at the stage of active equipment and development. This was stated by the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, Admiral Nikolai Evmenov, congratulating the Black Sea sailors and veterans on the anniversary of the creation of this operational-strategic association. According to him, the modernization of the Black Sea Fleet is dictated by the need to curb threats to the south of Russia.

“The process of equipping the Black Sea Fleet with the latest ships and weapons systems will be carried out in accordance with the importance of tasks to ensure the security of the state in the south,” said Evmenov.

In the near future, as the commander-in-chief of the Navy told, the Black Sea Fleet will be replenished with six patrol ships of project 22160, a series of small missile ships of project 22800 Karakurt and three latest corvettes capable of performing tasks in the far sea zone.

“Certainly, the most important segment of coastal infrastructure, ship repair and shipbuilding will continue to develop. The Black Sea Fleet will be balanced and self-sufficient in the composition of forces and means, ”Evmenov added.

According to the RF Ministry of Defense, the Black Sea Fleet uses submarines, surface ships for operations in the ocean and near sea zones, missile-carrying, anti-submarine and fighter aircraft, and parts of coastal troops to fulfill its tasks. 

Serious gain

RIA Novosti news agency, citing the command of the Black Sea Fleet, reported that this year the Black Sea Fleet will receive 16 new ships and support vessels. In particular, by the end of 2020, the operational-strategic association will be replenished with a patrol ship of project 22160 “Pavel Derzhavin”. Earlier the Black Sea Fleet included similar corvettes “Vasily Bykov” and “Dmitry Rogachev”.

The ship of project 22160 was created within the walls of JSC Northern PKB (St. Petersburg). Its main feature is the modular type of design, allowing you to change weapons depending on the tasks. For example, if the ship is tasked with launching a missile strike, containers for launching the Caliber can be installed on it.

  • Project 22160 patrol ship "Vasily Bykov"
  • RIA News
  • © Alexander Halperin

In the basic patrol version, the project 22160 ship is equipped with the AK-176MA-01 artillery mount, the Igla portable anti-aircraft missile system, remote-controlled DP-65 grenade launchers, and Kord machine guns of 12.7 mm caliber.

Corvette displacement is about 1700 tons, length - 91 m, width - 14 m, draft - 3.4 m, full speed - 30 knots, sailing autonomy - 60 days, cruising range - 6.7 thousand miles (12.4 thousand km). At the stern of the ship of project 22160 there is a platform for receiving and parking one helicopter.

In an interview with reporters in April 2019, the commander of Vasily Bykov, third-rank captain Igor Dubovik praised the ship for seaworthiness, automation of the control process and an increased level of comfort for the crew.

"Vasily Bykov" is the lead ship of project 22160. Its advantages include new avionics, autonomy, habitability, cruising range. The crew lives in double and quadruple cabins. Each has a bathroom, a work area and a relaxation area, ”said Dubovik.

Currently, for the needs of the Black Sea Fleet, Russian enterprises are building three more ships of project 22160: “Sergey Kotov”, “Victor the Great” and “Nikolai Sipyagin”. All of them will be part of the 184th brigade of ships guarding the water area of ​​the Black Sea Fleet with a base in Novorossiysk.

According to experts, the surface component of the Black Sea Fleet should be seriously strengthened with the advent of the latest ships of the 22800 Karakurt project. Now, in the interests of the Black Sea Fleet, six RTOs are being built: Kozelsk, Okhotsk, Whirlwind, Cyclone, Askold, Amur.

Thanks to the Caliber complex, these ships are capable of hitting key enemy ground targets and delivering strikes against enemy ships. In the future, the arsenal of the ship can be replenished with a miniature version of the Zircon hypersonic missile.

According to the developer - TsMKB Almaz (St. Petersburg), the displacement of Karakurt is 860-900 tons, length - 67 m, width - 11 m, maximum speed - 30-35 knots (55.5-64.8 km / h), autonomy - 15 days, cruising range - 2500-2800 miles (4023-4506 km), crew - 39 people.

In addition to the Caliber, the Karakurt’s armament includes the K-176MA universal artillery mount and the Pantsir-M anti-aircraft missile system, capable of hitting air targets at ranges of up to 20 km and at an altitude of up to 15 km.

  • The crew of the submarine B-237 "Rostov-on-Don" project 636.3
  • RIA News
  • © Vasily Batanov

In previous years, the underwater component of the Black Sea Fleet was radically updated. The Black Sea Fleet received six diesel-electric submarines of Project 636.3 Varshavyanka, also armed with Caliber. They are included in the 4th Separate Submarine Brigade, which is deployed at the Novorossiysk Naval Base (Navy).

The length of the Varshavyanka is 74 m, the displacement is about 3 thousand tons, the depth of immersion is 300 m, the autonomy is 45 days, the maximum speed is 18 knots (33.3 km / h), the crew is 52 people. The submarine is completely silent at its operating speed of 2-3 knots (3.7-5.7 km / h).

Project 636.3 submarines made several successful missile launches off the coast of Syria, destroying militant infrastructure. In December 2015, the Rostov-on-Don submarine hit the terrorists. In 2017, “Krasnodar”, “Kolpino” and “Veliky Novgorod” received baptism of fire.

According to Dmitry Drozdenko, a columnist for Arsenal of the Fatherland magazine, in an interview with RT, the Black Sea Fleet performs a wide range of tasks to protect the southern borders of our country.

“The primary task of the Black Sea residents is to protect the south of Russia, suppress provocations and unfriendly actions of foreign ships. However, it is extremely important for our country to cover the Syrian flank, confidently demonstrate the flag and combat capabilities in the Mediterranean Sea. Judging by the irritating reaction of the Americans to the actions of Russian ships and submarines, the Black Sea Fleet succeeds, ”said Drozdenko.

“A solid foundation for development”

According to experts, the reunification of Crimea with Russia in March 2014 played a huge positive role for the development of the Black Sea Fleet. Sevastopol Bay is the most convenient base for deployment and deployment of forces and assets of the Black Sea Fleet in the Black Sea and Mediterranean basins.

“The Black Sea Fleet has finally found a solid foundation for the development and buildup of combat capabilities. Now Russia controls the entire Black Sea and ensures the normal service of ships and submarines in the Mediterranean Sea, ”Drozdenko.

A similar point of view is held by military expert Yuri Knutov. In an interview with RT, he said that Russia had the opportunity to implement long-term development plans for the Black Sea Fleet. At the same time, he drew attention to the fact that the Novorossiysk naval base retains an important role for the rear support of the Black Sea Fleet and the deployment of submarine forces. 

Among the achievements of the Black Sea Fleet in recent years, the expert attributed a significant strengthening of air defense and anti-ship defense of southern Russia. According to him, the fleet is armed with modern air defense systems, fighter jets, coastal missile systems of various ranges.

“The events held since 2014 on the Black Sea Fleet have significantly increased its operational and combat capabilities. Today, our country is able to successfully prevent provocations and all kinds of threats from Ukraine, NATO and the USA, which regularly send their destroyers to the Black Sea, ”Knutov emphasized.