The latest corvette of project 20380 “Hero of the Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov” was delivered to Vladivostok for sea trials. This was reported by the press service of the Pacific Fleet of the Russian Federation.

“Today in Vladivostok from Komsomolsk-on-Amur the transport and launch dock“ Zeya ”arrived with the corvette“ Hero of the Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov ”. This is the third serial corvette of project 20380, built at the Amur Shipbuilding Plant (NPS) specifically for the Pacific Fleet, ”the Russian Defense Ministry said.

As noted in the department, "in the near future, the warship will be withdrawn from the Zeya and put at the pier of the delivery base of the NEA in Vladivostok."

It is also reported that the factory sea and state trials of the new ship will be held in the waters of the Sea of ​​Japan. Acceptance of the corvette in the Pacific Fleet is expected at the end of this year.

In late May, the United Shipbuilding Corporation reported that the ship’s crew had already begun to check in.

  • Corvette “Hero of the Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov” is installed in the transport and launch dock “Zeya”
  • © Amur Shipyard

The corvette was named after the sailor of the Pacific Fleet of Russia Aldar Tsydenzhapov. During a fire in 2010 at the Bystry destroyer, he managed to eliminate a fuel leak, which prevented an explosion on the ship, which could lead to the death of a ship with 300 people on board.

During the incident, 19-year-old Tsydenzhapov received severe burns, from which he later died. In the autumn of that year, by decree of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation posthumously.

“It is very important that the ship is named after the hero of Russia, a modern warrior who died in the performance of military duty. This is a very significant moment, because the ships were usually called by the names of the heroes of the past, and this is the hero of the present, ”military expert, retired colonel Viktor Litovkin said in an interview with RT.

With Uranus and Caliber

Multipurpose corvettes of the project 20380 are used in the near sea zone. Their tasks include fighting surface ships and enemy submarines, patrolling and artillery support for naval assault.

The project was developed at the St. Petersburg Central Marine Design Bureau Almaz. Two enterprises are engaged in the production of ships: Amur Shipbuilding Plant (Komsomolsk-on-Amur) and PAO Shipbuilding Plant Severnaya Verf (St. Petersburg). Since the corvette “Hero of the Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov” is intended for the Pacific Fleet, the Amur plant was engaged in its construction.

The displacement of this type of vessel is 2200 tons, length - 104.5 m, width - 13 m, draft - up to 7.95 m, maximum speed - 27 knots (50 km / h). Cruising range at 14 knots (25.9 km / h) reaches about 4000 miles (7408 km). The crew of the ship is 99 people.

The corvette drives a power plant consisting of four 16D49 diesel engines created at the Kolomensky Zavod. Their total power is 23,320 hp.

According to the developers, the stealth technology is used in the construction of Project 20380 ships, which makes the ship inconspicuous for enemy radar systems. This is achieved due to the special geometric shape of the body and the use of composite materials and special coatings. Their creation is engaged in the St. Petersburg Central Research Institute of CM "Prometheus" - the largest inter-industry material science center in the country.

  • Corvette “Hero of the Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov” leaves the water area of ​​the Amur Shipyard
  • © Amur Shipyard

According to experts, an important feature of ships of this type is the modular principle introduced in them, which simplifies the installation of new combat complexes on ships. In turn, the Ministry of Defense says that the project 20380 is characterized by multifunctionality, compactness and a high level of automation of on-board systems.

The arsenal of ships of the project 20380, as a rule, includes the torpedo complex Package-NK, anti-ship missiles X-35 Uran with a range of up to 260 km, anti-aircraft complex Redut, 30-mm artillery mounts AK-630M-06, anti-sabotage grenade launchers DP-64 "Nepryadva" and a 100-mm gun A-190.

At the stern of the corvettes is a platform for landing and deploying the Ka-27PL anti-submarine helicopter.

The situation around the ship is tracked using the Pal-N, Furke-2 and Monument-A radar stations, as well as the Zarya-2 and Minotaur-M sonar systems. The crew can conduct electronic warfare using the TK-25 jamming stations and PK-10 electronic suppression shells.

To date, six ships of Project 20380 have already been transferred to the fleet: “Stereguschiy”, “Clever”, “Brisk”, “Resistant”, “Perfect” and “Loud”.

In March of this year, the Retive was launched. He is currently preparing for mooring trials. Also, the corridors “Strict” and “Sharp” are being completed.  

There is a modification of the project 20380, which was called 20385. The functionality of these ships has been expanded: instead of the anti-ship missiles X-35 "Uranus" they are placed more long-range and versatile systems "Caliber-NK", and the air defense system "Redut" increased the number of launch cells.

The lead ship of the Thundering series was laid down in 2012. According to the Director General of Severnaya Verf, Igor Ponomarev, it is planned to transfer it to the fleet in August 2020. The vessel is currently undergoing testing. The construction of the second ship of the series - “Agile” is nearing completion.

  • Corvette "Thundering"
  • © Ministry of Defense of Russia

“The differences between the two projects relate primarily to the filling of the ships. These are information management systems, radar systems, and equipment for deploying weapons. Each of these projects was created for specific combat missions: the configuration may include anti-ship systems Uranus or Caliber. In the future, hypersonic Zircons may appear on them, ”said military expert Alexei Leonkov in an interview with RT.

This series was further developed in the form of project 20386. Within its framework, the Mercury corvette was laid in 2016. In this generation of ships, the modular principle of armament and the ability to base drones will be implemented. The power plants and the layout of the helipad will also undergo modernization: rotorcraft are planned to be placed in a lowered hangar under the upper deck, which the developers call a solution that has no analogues in the world.

Fleet and maneuverable

According to experts, the project 20380 is a unique development, created specifically for the requirements of the Russian Navy.

“The NATO countries have some similar projects that can be attributed to the same class, but they differ greatly in the number of weapons and functional tasks. Project 20380 was created for our tasks. From the point of view of technology, the ships of this series are not inferior to their analogues, but in some ways even surpass them, ”Leonkov said.

According to him, such vessels are necessary primarily for defensive actions.

“Such ships are designed to deter ship-strike or carrier strike groups of a potential enemy at distant lines. They have an appropriate arsenal for this, ”the analyst explained.

In general, the experts interviewed by RT praised the project 20380 and its subsequent versions.

“We get universal ships capable of performing combat work both off the coast of Russia and as part of naval strike groups performing combat missions in the near sea zone,” Leonkov said.

A similar point of view is shared by Viktor Litovkin.

“Within the framework of projects 20380 and 20385 wonderful corvettes are being created, armed with Caliber cruise missiles ... These are, as they say,“ seafaring ”corvettes. In addition, they are maneuverable, with good artillery anti-submarine defense systems, modern communication control systems, including space communications, ”the expert concluded.

Analysts also noted that the 20380 series of ships worked well in the Navy. According to them, this suggests that this project will continue to develop.