By the end of 2023, the Russian Navy will receive 12 more ships, including the frigate Admiral Golovko and two nuclear submarines, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said at a meeting at the headquarters of the Pacific Fleet.
"This year, two ships have already been commissioned, and 12 more will arrive by the end of the year. Among them are the frigate Admiral Golovko, the strategic missile submarine Emperor Alexander III, and the nuclear submarine Krasnoyarsk," the minister said.
Recall that in May and September 2023, it was reported about the transfer of project 20380 "Mercury" and "Sharp" corvettes to the fleet. In total, according to Shoigu, over the past ten years, the Russian Navy has been replenished with more than 50 ships.
"The improvement of the Navy allows us to defend the geopolitical interests of the country, to respond appropriately to new challenges and threats," the head of the Ministry of Defense said.
He stressed that the Navy today protects the national interests of Russia, as well as supports the security of sea routes and conducts operations in different parts of the world. To accomplish these tasks, the Ministry of Defense "is consistently taking steps to modernize and increase the combat readiness of the Russian Navy," the head of the department emphasized.
In particular, Shoigu added, the Ministry of Defense is actively working on projects of multipurpose nuclear submarines, robotic systems and unmanned underwater vehicles.
- Sergei Shoigu held a meeting at the headquarters of the Pacific Fleet on improving the Navy
"In any zone of the World Ocean"
The frigate "Admiral Golovko" refers to the 22350 project, which was developed by specialists from the Northern Design Bureau (St. Petersburg). According to the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC), the ships of this series are designed to perform a wide range of tasks, including the destruction of surface ships, the search and destruction of submarines and ground targets, anti-aircraft, anti-submarine and missile defense of ships and vessels, joint operations with amphibious assault or patrol service, protection of state borders, ensuring the protection of civilian ships and production facilities in crisis and dangerous conditions for navigation areas of the World Ocean.
The Russian Navy is already armed with two frigates of this type - "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov" and "Admiral of the Fleet Kasatonov". It is worth noting that the Admiral Gorshkov became the first carrier of the latest Russian Zircon hypersonic missiles. According to media reports, the Admiral Golovko can also be equipped with Zircons.
From the USC materials, it follows that the ships of the 22350 project can reach speeds of up to 29 knots (53,7 km / h), their displacement is 4,5 thousand tons, length - 135 m, autonomy - 30 days, and cruising range - up to 4,5 thousand miles. The ship is controlled by a crew of 170 people.
The frigate is armed with the 130-mm A-192 artillery mount, the Poliment-Redut anti-aircraft missile system, launchers for 16 Onyx or Caliber anti-ship missiles, as well as the Package anti-submarine system. In addition, the Ka-27 anti-submarine helicopter is based in its own hangar.
In March 2023, the Admiral Golovko arrived at the main base of the Northern Fleet to conduct factory sea trials and state tests. In mid-August, the head of Severnaya Verf, Igor Orlov, told TASS that the frigate was at the final stage of testing, after which it would be handed over to the customer. At the same time, according to Orlov, in 2024 it is planned to launch another ship of this series - the Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Isakov.
Military expert, captain of the 1st rank of the reserve, Vasily Dandykin, in a conversation with RT, drew attention to the wide range of weapons of the frigate.
"Admiral Golovko" will be equipped with universal mines that are suitable for launching both Zircon hypersonic missiles and Onyx and Caliber missiles. This is a frigate of the far sea ocean zone. Most likely, it will become part of the Northern Fleet, which during the Great Patriotic War was commanded by Admiral Arseny Golovko. This ship will undoubtedly strengthen the Arctic grouping. And not only it, because the frigate will be able to be in any zone of the World Ocean, as the lead ship of the Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov project has recently demonstrated, "the analyst noted.
Submarine cruisers
The fourth-generation nuclear submarine "Emperor Alexander III" was made according to the project 955A ("Borey-A"), developed by specialists of the Central Design Bureau of Marine Engineering "Rubin" (St. Petersburg). This cruiser is armed with solid-propellant Bulava intercontinental ballistic missiles, which can carry nuclear warheads.
- Nuclear submarine "Generalissimo Suvorov"
- RIA Novosti
- © Pavel Lvov
According to the plans of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the Borei should become the basis of Russia's naval strategic nuclear forces. "Emperor Alexander III" will be the seventh cruiser of this series in the Navy and the fourth - in the framework of the modernized project. Earlier, the submarines "Yuri Dolgoruky", "Alexander Nevsky", "Vladimir Monomakh", "Prince Vladimir", "Prince Oleg" and "Generalissimo Suvorov" took up combat duty.
According to Vasily Dandykin, the ships of the 955 and 955A projects are an important part of the Russian nuclear triad.
"Such submarines are armed with about 16 Bulava missiles with separable warheads, as well as torpedo weapons. This will be a worthy replenishment for the Russian Navy, "the specialist emphasized.
The nuclear submarine "Krasnoyarsk" of project 885M ("Ash-M") was developed at the Malachite design bureau (St. Petersburg). As Mikhail Budnichenko, General Director of the Northern Machine-Building Enterprise (Sevmash, part of USC), said in June 2023, the work is being carried out "in accordance with the deadlines."
These cruisers are designed to combat submarines and ship groups, as well as to strike at enemy ground targets. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation has already received three nuclear submarines of this type: Severodvinsk, Kazan and Novosibirsk. The submarines Arkhangelsk, Perm, Ulyanovsk, Voronezh and Vladivostok are at various stages of construction.
- Solemn ceremony of launching the 4th generation nuclear missile cruiser "Krasnoyarsk"
- RIA Novosti
- © Pavel Lvov
In total, each nuclear submarine of the 885M series is capable of carrying up to 40 missiles. Now they use Kalibr cruise missiles as missile weapons. However, as Mikhail Budnichenko reported in 2020, in the future they may be equipped with hypersonic weapons.
This information was confirmed in August 2023 by the then general director of USC, Alexei Rakhmanov. According to him, the submarines of the Yasen-M project will be regularly armed with the Zircon missile system. "Work in this direction is already underway," Rakhmanov said in an interview with RIA Novosti.
Vasily Dandykin called the Yasen-M submarines an important component of ensuring the safety of the Russian surface fleet.
"This is a thunderstorm of enemy aircraft carriers. The cruisers of the 885M project are armed with a sufficient number of missiles. Moreover, on the cruiser of the same class, Severodvinsk, tests of the Zircons have already begun, "the analyst said.
As retired military observer Viktor Litovkin explained in a commentary to RT, the Zircon is a formidable weapon that can cause significant damage to enemy ships, including aircraft carriers. "The Zircons have such a high speed that this missile is capable of penetrating the side of any ship and causing serious damage to it," the analyst said.
According to him, the admission to the fleet of the frigate "Admiral Golovko", the nuclear submarine "Emperor Alexander III" and "Krasnoyarsk" will increase the combat capability of the Russian Navy.
"The power of our fleet will increase by three ultra-modern ships that will protect the national interests of our country and deter the aggression of a potential enemy," the analyst concluded.