The Bal, the Bastion and the Kalibr missile systems will ensure safety of the north-west region of Russia.
Photo: TASS
A division of the Buyan-M small missile ships, equipped with the Kalibr cruise missiles, as well as a guided missile brigade of coastal defense, armed with the Bastion and the Bal missile systems, will join the Baltic fleet in the nearest time, the Izvestiya newspaper reported, citing an informed source in the Russian Defense Ministry. According to experts, such weapon systems would strengthen protection of Kaliningrad and become a worthy response to the build-up of military presence of the NATO countries in the Baltic countries.
According to the newspaper, the first two small missile ships, the Zelenyy Dol and the Serpukhov, are already moving from the Black Sea to the Baltic Sea, and will become a part of the newly formed division in the nearest time. Other three ships for the new unit will be built and handed over to the fleet until the end of 2020.
“Forming of the division of small missile ships and the squadron of the Baltic Fleet has already been started,” the source told Izvestiya. “We plan to complete the work in the next two or three years. Currently, the newly created units have already received the first missile systems and ships.”
According to military historian Dmitry Boltenkov, most likely, three Buyan-M ships, which are currently being built in the ‘ice version’, will become a part of the Baltic fleet. These ships will have special protection of the body and will be able to sail in difficult ice conditions.
“A contract for these ships was signed between the [Russian] Defense Ministry and the Zelenodolsk shipbuilding yard this year during the Army 2016 forum. Earlier, the Buyan-M ships have never been built in the ‘ice version’, as the there is no grave problem with floating ice in the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea, for which the ships were designed,” Boltenkov added.
He also added that a coast missile regiment is currently based near Kaliningrad. Recently, this military unit received the first Bal coast missile systems, which replaced the Redut outdated systems. Boltenkov believes that the new squadron will be created on the basis of the old regiment.
According to experts, new coastal missile systems, deployed in the region of Kaliningrad, and small missile ships in the Baltic Sea will have in the crosshairs almost all the Baltic Sea and military infrastructure, which is created by NATO in the Baltic States. Instead of creating a large and expensive military group, Russia forms compact and small missile ship groups, which have serious strike capabilities.
Sounds like a good plan small fast nimble and packs a punch too very important!