There is a possibility that the ship will repeat the fate of the Admiral Kuznetsov, experts say.
The repair and modernization of the large anti-submarine ship Admiral Chabanenko will not be completed this year as planned, sources told Izvestia. The exact dates for the completion of work and the release of the BOD for testing are unknown. The ship has been at the shipyard since 2014. Experts fear that it may repeat the fate of the Admiral Kuznetsov heavy aircraft carrier, which was repaired at the same enterprise, but recently it was decided to stop the repair work and carry out conservation.
How is the repair of the Admiral Chabanenko BOD going?
The repair time for the large anti-submarine ship Admiral Chabanenko is shifting. According to the plan, repairs and upgrades were supposed to be completed in 2025, but this will not happen, several informed sources told Izvestia. The exact dates for the completion of work and the launch of the BOD for testing are unknown, the interlocutors said.
Izvestia sent a request to the United Shipbuilding Corporation twice, but there was no response at the time of publication.
Admiral Kuznetsov Heavy aircraft carrier
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Pavel Lvov
The 35th Ship Repair plant is engaged in the repair and modernization of the ship. The same company carried out work on the heavy aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov. Earlier, Izvestia reported that the repair of the cruiser has been suspended and the ship will be mothballed in the near future.
The Chabanenko was repaired in 2014. Initially, it was assumed that the work would take several years, but then the deadlines shifted. It was planned to significantly modernize the ship, in particular, to install modern missile weapons on it. In this regard, the BOD was going to be reclassified into a frigate.
The ship was built in the second half of the 90s, and the project began to be developed back in the 80s, and many technologies were lost, which is why there are such difficulties, military expert Dmitry Boltenkov told Izvestia. Those who designed the ship are, at best, already retired, he added.
— It is possible that the fate of Kuznetsov may await Chabanenko, — the expert explained. — It all depends on how the navy decides. Conservation is definitely a write—off after a few years. Then no one will deal with it anymore. On the other hand, there is an example of the Vice Admiral Kulakov BOD, which has been under repair for two decades. As a result, it was repaired, and it sails the seas. If we modernize Admiral Chabanenko, it will be a good ship. Anyway, no large ships are expected for the Northern Fleet in the coming years. Therefore, it is better to finish its repair.
Admiral Kuznetsov Heavy aircraft carrier
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Pavel Lvov
Military expert Captain Vasily Dandykin, first rank, considers the conservation of the Chabanenko unlikely.
— I think that he will be able to join the ranks. In what capacity, I do not know, perhaps as a frigate that has received all the advantages of missile weapons," he explained to Izvestia. — Such ships are needed now. We are a serious power, and we need ships from the sea and ocean zones.
According to the expert, problems with the repair of a number of ships arise due to the fact that the country does not have enough repair facilities. In addition, he did not rule out that the conservation of the Admiral Kuznetsov would allow funds to be used to complete the repair of the Admiral Chabanenko.
"Unfortunately, the 35th shipyard, where the Chabanenko is being repaired, is not in the best condition both in terms of its production capabilities, management and personnel," Ilya Kramnik, an employee of the IMEMO RAS Center for Strategic Planning Studies, told Izvestia. — Plus, there is an objective external reason: we are cutting costs for a number of naval programs. Both the underfunding and the poor condition of the plant lead to the fact that at first the repair was delayed to a completely indecent time, and now the deadline for the transfer of the ship to the fleet is constantly being postponed. Let's hope that it will be handed over after all. But all this may not end well. And all this brings us to the old and hackneyed idea that the navy should be engaged not from time to time, but constantly.
Photo: RIA Novosti
Image source: iz.ru
In his opinion, there is a possibility that "Chabanenko" may be mothballed.
— Of course, there is such a possibility, because the 35th plant is such a place, a graveyard of ships, work deadlines are regularly disrupted there, and there are examples of criminal cases. I would not be particularly optimistic in this case, but let's hope that the bad premonitions will not be justified," the expert concluded.
What are the features of the Admiral Chabanenko BOD
The large anti-submarine ship Admiral Chabanenko of project 1155.1 became one of the last Soviet developments for the USSR Navy. It was laid down in 1989 as the lead ship of a series of ten ships. They were supposed to be distinguished from their Project 1155 predecessors by more powerful and versatile weapons, as well as an improved set of on-board equipment.
After 1991, the construction of the 1155.1 series of ships was abandoned, and the Chabanenko remained unfinished. It was only in the late 90s that the BOD was finalized and became part of the Navy, becoming the only ship of its kind. Until 2014, it was registered in the Northern Fleet, after which it was withdrawn for repairs. In 2009-2010, Admiral Chabanenko protected maritime navigation in the Horn of Africa and the Gulf of Aden from pirates.
Mosquito anti-ship cruise missile
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Vitaly Ankov
The ship of project 1155.1 initially received the Waterfall anti-submarine missile and torpedo system, which hits underwater targets at a range of up to 50 km. The rocket engine delivers the warhead to a given area, where it lands and moves like a conventional torpedo. In addition, the Chabanenko was armed with an AK-130 artillery system, a Dagger anti-aircraft missile system and Moskit anti-ship missiles. In the course of modernization, the latter are being replaced by modern cruise missiles capable of firing at both surface and ground targets. The ship can carry two Ka-27 anti-submarine helicopters on board.
The 1155.1 project was developed as a follow-up to the famous 1155 "Daredevil" series. Its representatives still form the basis of the Russian Navy's anti-submarine forces. Of the 12 BOD units built by Project 1155, seven are still in service today. "Marshal Shaposhnikov", "Admiral Panteleev" and "Admiral Tributs" are part of the Pacific Fleet, "Vice Admiral Kulakov", "Severomorsk" and "Admiral Levchenko" serve in the North. Admiral Vinogradov is undergoing modernization, after which it will become a carrier of Kalibr and Onyx cruise missiles. It is assumed that other ships will be updated according to the 1155M project. They should receive new on-board electronics and equipment, main engines, cooling units and shut-off valves. In addition, their arsenal will expand due to cruise missiles, after which they will become an independent strike force.
Timofey Volkov
Maxim Manaev
