In the near future, the Baltic Fleet will receive a series of six small missile ships of the project 22800 Karakurt class corvette, armed with Caliber cruise missiles. Four ships from this series will also be equipped with the Pantsir-M naval anti-aircraft missile systems. This was announced by the commander in chief of the Russian Navy, Admiral Nikolai Evmenov.
“In the near term, the surface component of the Baltic Fleet will be replenished with a series of six small missile ships of Project 22800. Four of them will carry on board the marine version of the Pantsir complex. The first such ship will be the Odintsovo small missile ship, which will test the Pantsir complex in the near future, ”says Nikolai Evmenov’s congratulatory telegram sent to the sailors on the occasion of the 317th anniversary of the creation of the Baltic Fleet.
The construction of the first small rocket ship of project 22800 Odintsovo was completed at the end of November 2019. He became the first corvette in the series, equipped with a marine version of the Pantsir-M anti-aircraft missile-cannon complex (ZRPK). This air defense system is capable of hitting all types of air targets at ranges of up to 20 km and at an altitude of up to 15 km. The developer of this ZRPK is the Instrument Design Bureau.
The Pantsir-M armament includes eight anti-aircraft guns and two 30-mm six-barreled automatic guns GSh-6-30. The manufacturer’s website indicates that the complex is designed for self-defense of ships of various displacement from "massive attacks of high-precision weapons" (including anti-ship missiles and remotely piloted aircraft), attacks of aircraft and helicopters, as well as to combat surface and coastal targets.
According to military analyst Viktor Litovkin, the decision to transfer a series of six ships to the Baltic Fleet is correct, as the Baltic Fleet is the most light-armed.
“The Baltic Fleet is surrounded on all sides by countries that are part of NATO’s aggressive bloc. Of course, these ships are a good help for the Baltic Fleet to become more combat-ready, reliable, and more efficiently protect the western borders of our country, ”the expert said in an interview with RT.
Today, there are two ships of the project 22800 in service - Mytishchi and Sovetsk. In total, by 2026 it is planned to build 18 ships of this project for the Russian Navy.
Rocket corvettes
Small missile ships "Karakurt" are ships of the "river-sea" class, which are capable of performing combat missions both in the open sea and in inland waterways. The main combat mission of the ships of project 22800 is the defeat of critical objects in the coastal zone and the destruction of surface forces of the enemy, the developers say. Such tasks "Karakurt" can perform both alone and as part of the shock groups of the Russian Navy.
Viktor Litovkin noted that the ability to navigate rivers allows ships of this class to perform a variety of combat missions both off the coast of the Russian Federation and beyond the Baltic Sea.
- Small rocket ship of project 22800 Sovetsk
- RIA News
- © Alexey Danichev
“For example, these ships can be transferred to the Azov, Black and Mediterranean Seas through the inland waters of Russia,” the expert emphasized.
The developer of these ships is the St. Petersburg Central Marine Design Bureau Almaz. The ship's displacement is about 800 tons, length - 67 m, width - 11 m, maximum speed - 30 knots (55.5 km / h), autonomy - 15 days, cruising range - 2500-2800 nautical miles (4023-4506 km) , crew - 39 people.
As noted in the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, “Karakurt” is equipped with modern means of control, communications, navigation, electronic warfare, radio-technical and anti-sabotage weapons. The crew of the project 28000 carries out environmental monitoring thanks to the Mineral-M multifunctional complex, which includes active and passive over-the-horizon radars.
The main armament of Karakurt is the Caliber-NK cruise missiles. These missiles with a warhead weighing 500 kg can hit targets at ranges up to 2.6 thousand km.
The role of auxiliary weapons on ships 22800 is performed by the 76-mm universal artillery mount K-176MA. Also, the equipment of the "Karakurt" includes the tactical reconnaissance UAV "Orlan-10".
Armament with high-precision cruise missiles will significantly increase the operational range of the Baltic Fleet, Viktor Litovkin said in an interview with RT.
“Thanks to the installed Caliber cruise missiles, which fly at a range of up to 2.5 thousand kilometers, the arm of the Baltic Fleet will now be able to reach the farthest NATO borders. Range, accuracy, reliability, efficiency - these advantages will be provided to ships of this class equipped with Caliber cruise missiles, and thanks to the reliable Pantsir-M missile systems they will be protected from above from an air attack, ”the expert emphasized.
Miniature hypersound
In addition to the Caliber cruise missiles, the Russian Ministry of Defense plans to equip Karakurt ships with other promising types of precision weapons in the future. So, in January 2019, the Izvestia newspaper, citing the High Command of the Navy, announced that in the future the arsenal of Project 22800 ships would be replenished with a “miniature” modification of the 3M22 Zircon hypersonic missile. The promising ammunition is capable of accelerating to 9 Machs and destroying objects at a range of 1 thousand km.
Military expert Yuri Knutov in an interview with RT emphasized that such ships are necessary for the Russian fleet to protect the country's sea borders.
- Launch of the Caliber cruise missile
- RIA News
- © Andrey Stanavov
“Earlier, Russia with the help of similar ships successfully attacked militants in Syria, now it is developing this program. The small rocket ships of Karakurt are unique in their design, not a single country in the world creates such a thing. This ship is not so easy to spot on radars because of its small size, ”the expert noted.
Yuri Knutov reminded that Karakurt ships are noticeably superior to their predecessors - missile-artillery ships of the near sea zone of project 21631 Buyan-M - in terms of seaworthiness and quality of onboard weapons.
“Karakurt has an effective means of self-defense,“ Shell-M, ”which is capable of fighting various types of missiles at medium range, intercepting high-speed targets. In addition, he has a formidable weapon - Caliber missiles, which are capable of hitting both sea targets and ground targets, ”the expert emphasized.
Yuri Knutov emphasized that the water area of the Baltic Sea is small, but saturated with ships of other states.
“Large ships in such a sea are a good target for the enemy and it’s not easy for them to act there due to the fact that maritime communications limit their capabilities. The gift that the state made to the Baltic Fleet is really valuable, since such ships will strengthen the capabilities of the Russian fleet, ”the expert concluded.