The Russian Navy will get new submarines and surface ships in 2019 within its re-equipment program, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said during a teleconference hosted by the National Centre for State Defence Control in Moscow on March 5.
According to the Defense Minister, two nuclear and one diesel submarines will enter the Navy in 2019. At thesame time, the surface fleet will be receive frigate Admiral Kasatonov, corvette Gremyashchiy, large amphibious ship Peter Morgunov, small missile ships Mercury and Ingushetia, patrol ship Dmitry Rogachev, minesweeper Vladimir Yemelyanov, five combat boats and 20 support vessels.
Admiral Gorshkov-class frigate Admiral Kasatonov started sea trials in December 2018. She is the second warship of this class. Admiral Gorshkov-class frigates displace about 5,000 tonnes and can develop a speed of 29 knots. They are armed with Oniks and Kalibr missiles and the Poliment-Redut air defense missile system.
Admiral Gorshkov-class frigate Admiral Kasatonov. IMAGE: oko-planet.su
Large amphibious ship Peter Morgunov is the second Ivan Gren-class ship, which the Russian Navy will receive. The warship was laid down at the Yantar Shipyard on the Baltic coast on June 11, 2015 and floated out on May 25, 2018. Ivan Gren-class large amphibious ships displace about 6,000 tonnes and are the largest surface combatants built to date. The previous Project 1171 ‘Tapir’ large amphibious assault ship of the Russian Navy displaces 4,300 tonnes.
Peter Morgunov has a crew of 100 personnel and has an airstrip and a hangar for the helicopter on board. She can carry 13 tanks or 36 armored vehicles or 300 men. The warship is armed with one AK-630M-2 “Duet” close-in weapon system, two AK-630M slose-in weapon systems, two MTPU 14.5-mm machine guns and the Igla anti-aircraft missile system.
Ivan Gren-class large amphibious ship Peter Morgunov. IMAGE: hybridtechcar.com
Gremyashchiy is the first corvette of the class. In fact, this class is an advanced development of the Steregushchiy-class corvette. Gremyashchiy-class ships are large multipurpose corvettes, designed to complement Steregushchiy-class corvettes in service with the Russian Navy. They have a notable habitability for higher endurance missions and are capable of launching cruise missiles. They displace 2,500 tonnes, develop speeds up to 27 knots and have an operating range of 4,000 nautical miles at 14 knots.
Gremyashchiy-class corvette
Small missile ships Mercury and Ingushetia, mentioned by the Russian Defense Minister, are two new guided missile Buyan-M-class corvettes. They both can carry Kalibr cruise and Onix supersonic antiship missiles. An important fact is that the small size and displacement of Buyan-M-class corvettes enable them to operate within inland river systems, including traversing the Moscow Canal which allows them to deploy to various seas around western Russia.
ILLUSTRATIVE IMAGE: Buyan-M-class corvette
Dmitry Rogachev is a large Project 22160 patrol ship, which is currently passing sea trials. Ships of this class are primarily intended for duties such as patrol, monitoring and protection in open and closed seas. Their armament includes the Kalibr cruise missile and a 76,2 mm dual-purpose gun.
Project 22160 patrol ship Dmitry Rogachev
Vladimir Yemelyanov is an Alexandrit-class mine sweeper. Ships of this class can use the most advanced sonars installed both on the ship and remotely-operated and autonomous submersibles and feature an automated counter-mine operation control system. They are also capable of using traditional sweep armament. They have the world’s largest monolith fiberglass hull manufactured by the vacuum infusion method. Vladimir Yemelyanov is the third in the series and the fourth that has been laid down.
ILLUSTRATIVE IMAGE: Alexandrit-class mine sweeper
Regarding the submarines, which the Russian Navy is set to receive in 2019, they are likely Borei II-class nuclear ballistic missile submarine Knyaz Vladimir, Yasen-M class nuclear attack submarine Kazan and one Improved Varshavyanka-class [Project 636.3] diesel-electric attack submarine. According to earlier reports, Improved Kilo-class submarines Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and Volkhov are set to enter service with the Russian Navy in 2020. It’s possible that one of them may enter service earlier.
The Borei II-class can carry up to 20 Bulava SLBMs. Bulava SLBMs are each armed with six to 10 nuclear multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle warheads yielding 100 to 150 kilotons apiece, as well as 10 to 40 decoys.
Borei II-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine Knyaz Vladimir
Yasen-M-class multipurpose nuclear-powered attack/cruise missile submarines are reportedly quieter than the lead Yasen-class boat. They are built with low magnetic steel to reduce its magnetic signature. The Kazan is fitted with eight vertical СМ-346 complex (3Р-14В) silos for submarine-launched cruise missiles as well as ten torpedo tubes for firing Kalibr supersonic cruise missiles, P-800 Onik over-the-horizon supersonic anti-ship missiles, and an improved variant of 533-millimeter Fizik-1 homing torpedos.
Yasen-M class nuclear-powered attack submarine Kazan
The Project 636.3 is an improved version of Kilo-class [Project 636] submarines that features elements of advanced stealth technology, extended combat range and the ability to strike land, surface and underwater targets. Submarines of this class are mainly intended for anti-shipping and anti-submarine operations in relatively shallow waters. They are armed with 533 mm torpedoes Kalibr/Club land-attack cruise missile, anti-ship missiles, mines and surface-to-air missiles.
ILLUSTRATIVE IMAGE: Varshavyanka-class [Project 636.3] submarine
