File image.
A project 22160 patrol ship of the Russian Navy’s Black Sea Fleet has been spotted carrying a land-based Tor air-defense system.
On June 7, Russian sources shared a photo showing the patrol ship sailing off to a mission with the Tor system strapped to its flight deck.
Some experts suggested that the ship is transporting the air-defense system to Snake island. However, others speculated that the system was installed to offer additional protection to the ship against aircraft, helicopters, drones and anti-ship missiles. Typically, project 22160 patrol ships are armed only with man portable air defense systems. Due to this it makes sense to install a more capable land-based system like the Tor to secure additional protection against aerial threats.
Click to see full-size image. Via Twitter.
Installing land-bases air-defense systems on ships is not a new concept. The Israeli Navy installed Iron Dome anti-rocket systems on some of its Sa’ar 5 corvettes, the Egyptian Navy installed AN/TWQ-1 Avenger air-defense systems on the flight decks of its two Mistral-class amphibious assault ship, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps installed a 3rd Khordad surface-to-air missile system on the IRIS Shahid Roudaki warship and even the US Navy placed LMADIS anti-drone systems on Wasp class amphibious assault ships.
In fact, the Russian Navy tested a self-contained version of the Tor air-defense system, dubbed the Tor-M2KM, on a Project 11356 frigate in 2016.
The Tor system was designed to destroy aircraft, helicopters, drones, missiles, and other precision guided weapons, flying at medium, low and very low altitudes in all weather.
The older versions of the air-defense system are armed with the 9M331 missile which has a range of ten kilometers and a flight ceiling of six kilometers. However, the newer versions of the system can be armed with the 9M338 missile, which has a range of 16 kilometers and a flight ceiling of ten kilometers. While the system can be loaded with only eight 9M331 missiles, it can carry double the number of the more compact 9M338.
The Russian Navy appears to be preparing for an escalation in the Black Sea that could possibly involve a new attack on Snake Island or missile strikes on Russia ships by the Ukrainian Navy. It’s worth noting that Kiev is currently preparing to receive costal defense systems armed with US-made Harpoon anti-ship missiles from Denmark.
