The small missile ship "Cyclone" of project 22800 (code "Karakurt"), built for the Black Sea Fleet at the Kerch shipyard named after Butoma, is completing factory sea trials, the press service of the Southern Military District reported.
“The full-time crew of the Cyclone, together with the factory commissioning team, tested the ship’s life support systems, energy and survivability, autonomous operation of communications, ventilation and air conditioning, indicators of speed, maneuverability and stability of the ship,” the press release says.
In addition, radar and electronic weapons were successfully tested on a small rocket ship (RTO).
Artillery and anti-aircraft weapons were also tested, for which live firing was carried out at the fleet's sea range both in normal mode and at maximum turning and climbing angles against simulators of sea, coastal and air targets, the ministry said in a statement.
“The ship is undergoing an audit of ship systems, devices and mechanisms, RTOs are being prepared for the final stage of state tests, which begin next week,” the Defense Ministry added.
"The best option"
Project 22800 "Karakurt" is a series of multi-purpose missile and artillery ships of the near sea zone, developed by specialists from the St. Petersburg Central Marine Design Bureau "Almaz".
Already three ships of the series (Mytishchi, Sovetsk and Odintsovo) are serving in the Baltic Fleet.
According to open sources, a total of 18 Project 22800 ships will be built, which will be distributed among the Pacific, Baltic and Black Sea fleets.
Ship "Sovetsk" project 22800
globallookpress.com
© MOD Russia
Small missile ships "Karakurt" are vessels 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 Project 22800 ships is to destroy critical facilities in the coastal zone and destroy enemy surface forces, the developers note.
Such tasks "Karakurt" can perform both alone and as part of the strike groups of the Russian Navy.
The displacement of the ship is about 800 tons, length is 67 m, width is 11 m, maximum speed is 30 knots (55.5 km / h), autonomy is 15 days, cruising range is 2500-2800 nautical miles (4023-4506 km) , crew - 39 people.
The main armament of Karakurt is Caliber-NK cruise missiles with a warhead weighing 500 kg.
They can hit targets at ranges from 1.4 thousand to 2.6 thousand km.
In 2015, these munitions were successfully used for sea strikes against terrorist positions in Syria.
The UKSK 3S14 installation on ships of this project can also launch Onyx supersonic anti-ship missiles.
In addition, in 2019, the newspaper Izvestia, citing the High Command of the Navy, reported that in the future, the arsenal of Project 22800 ships would be replenished with a miniature modification of the 3M22 Zircon hypersonic missile.
The role of auxiliary weapons on ships 22800 is performed by the AK-176MA universal artillery mount of 76 mm caliber.
The Karakurt equipment includes the Orlan-10 tactical reconnaissance drone.
Starting with the third ship of the series (Odintsovo), all Karakurts are also equipped with the Pantsir-M anti-aircraft missile system.
This is a naval version of the eponymous anti-aircraft missile and gun system (ZRPK), capable of hitting all types of air targets at a distance of up to 20 km and at an altitude of up to 15 km.
The Pantsir-M complex includes eight anti-aircraft installations and two 30-mm six-barreled automatic guns GSh-6-30.
The complex is designed to defend ships from massive raids of high-precision weapons (anti-ship missiles, remotely piloted aircraft), attacks from aircraft and helicopters.
In a RT commentary, the editor of the Nezavisimoe Voennoye Obozreniye newspaper, Dmitry Litovkin, noted that the construction of the Karakurt helps to provide the Navy with strike warships in a short time.
“The optimal intermediate option was found, when it is possible to build combat units for relatively little money that can operate in coastal waters and protect the state.
They belong to a number of projects of those ships that can be built quickly and efficiently enough, ”Litovkin explained.
Striking power
The latest Russian small missile ships drew attention in the West.
Thus, the American military-political portal The National Interest in November 2021 published an article under the heading “The Russian Navy is preparing to adopt three advanced small missile ships of the Karakurt project.”
The publication emphasized that the adoption of such ships into service demonstrates the modernization of the Russian Navy.
“The ships of the Karakurt project were developed as a supplement, and not a replacement for the RTOs of the modernized Buyan-M series.
The ships "Karakurt" and "Buyan" have a displacement of approximately 850 and 950 tons, respectively, and are a reflection of the strategy for the modernization of the Russian fleet, increasingly focused on transforming it into an effective force of local operational response, ”writes The National Interest.
One of the main advantages of the Project 22800 ships is their maneuverability and speed.
© The National Interest
Viktor Murakhovsky, editor-in-chief of Arsenal of the Fatherland magazine, in a conversation with RT, emphasized that with a small displacement, these ships, thanks to their weapons, can also strike at strategic depth.
“The capabilities of these ships are very wide, despite their small displacement.
In fact, their displacement is less than 1 thousand tons, but at the same time they can hit targets at strategic ranges when using Caliber complexes.
These cruise missiles have already been successfully used to strike terrorist ground targets in Syria,” Murakhovsky said.
Despite the fact that the main task of the Karakurt ships is to protect the near sea zone, equipping them with high-precision cruise missiles, and in the future with hypersonic weapons, makes it possible to use them as a strategic deterrent, the analyst believes.
“Their capabilities are significantly expanding through the use of the Caliber, Onyx and Zircon complexes.
They can also enhance the potential for strategic non-nuclear deterrence through the use of the most modern hypersonic and cruise missiles, ”added Murakhovsky.
In turn, the editor-in-chief of the National Defense magazine, Igor Korotchenko, in a commentary on RT, also highly appreciated the combat capabilities of these ships.
“Their main weapon is a strike missile weapon system, the firepower of which is very high for a relatively small displacement.
Therefore, it is an essential element for the stability of the fleet and the projection of capabilities in modern naval combat.
New developments in terms of configuration and control systems, navigation, information display and missile weapons - this ship has a very serious potential that the Russian combat fleet needs today, ”the expert concluded.