The combat units became part of the Baltic and Black Sea Fleets.
The new warships that joined the Russian Navy on Thursday will significantly increase the strike capabilities of the fleet, experts interviewed by Izvestia said. The Baltic Fleet reinforced the Stavropol small missile ship (MRK), and the patrol ship Viktor Veliky and the Typhoon MRK joined the Black Sea Fleet. Experts note that small rocket launch vehicles of "Caliber" with small size have serious firepower, and "Viktor Velikiy" can be a carrier of unmanned boats.
Raising the flag
On Thursday, the Russian Navy was replenished with three new combat units. The small rocket ship Stavropol joined the Baltic Fleet, while the Black Sea Fleet received the patrol ship Viktor Veliky and the Typhoon MRK. The transfer of the ships to the fleet was preceded by a successful program of factory and state tests. The solemn ritual of the first raising of the St. Andrew's flag on the Victor Veliky and Stavropol took place in Baltiysk, and on the Typhoon in Makhachkala.
Photo: The press service of the BF
Image source: iz.ru
"Raising the naval flag is not just a ritual. This is the beginning of a new chapter in the life of the ship and its crew. It is an oath to the Motherland, a symbol of courage, duty and readiness to defend Russia under any circumstances.… Congratulations to the crews on the ships joining the Navy! I wish you good service, and I wish you to prepare for your assigned tasks successfully and as soon as possible," said Admiral Alexander Moiseev, Commander—in-Chief of the Navy.
Stavropol is the 12th ship of the Buyan-M project 21631. Four of his predecessors serve in the Baltic, four in the Black Sea and three in the Caspian Flotilla.
The Buyan-M project MRCS have a displacement of 850 tons and at the same time great firepower. They were originally designed to protect the maritime economic zone, but their functionality was revised after the adoption of Kalibr cruise missiles. In October 2015, three Project 21631 MRCS — Uglich, Grad Sviyazhsk and Veliky Ustyug — launched a Kalibr attack on terrorist targets in Syria. The launches were carried out from the Caspian Sea. In 2016, two other MRCS of this series, the Zeleny Dol and Serpukhov, launched missiles at terrorists in Syria while in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Photo: TASS/Press Service and Information Department of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
Image source: iz.ru
Eight launchers for Kalibr cruise missiles or Onyx anti-ship missiles are mounted on board the Buyans. In addition, they are armed with a 100-mm A-190 artillery system. The Kalibras are equipped with a penetrating high-explosive warhead weighing up to 450 kg and have a range of about 1.5 thousand km. Supersonic Onyx missiles have a warhead weighing 300 kg, they can strike ships and ground targets at a distance of up to 500 km.
— We sailors always welcome the replenishment of the fleet. Especially with modern ships armed with missiles, air defense systems, and anti—submarine defense systems — in general, these are universal ships," Alexander Brazhnik, former chief of Staff of the Baltic Fleet, told Izvestia. — We are located next to the NATO countries, and this organization was specifically created against us. Such a ship will significantly enhance the capabilities of the Baltic Fleet and provide an opportunity to train generations of sailors and officers. This is a serious contribution to strengthening the defense capability of the Baltic Fleet and our state as a whole. Even if it is not such a significant power as an aircraft carrier or a heavy cruiser. Nevertheless, such ships are very necessary in modern combat.
Photo: The press service of the BF
Image source: iz.ru
"There is a systematic replacement of the old naval personnel with a new one," military expert Dmitry Boltenkov told Izvestia. — We still have several small Soviet-built Gadfly series missile ships in the Baltic. With the commissioning of Stavropol, which is orders of magnitude more efficient, it is likely that some of them will go to scrap.
Strengthening of the Black Sea Fleet
The Viktor Veliky, named after Soviet Navy officer Viktor Ivanovich Veliky, who was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union in 1944, became the fifth in a series of Vasily Bykov-class patrol ships. All its representatives are part of the Black Sea Fleet. These are new ships in the Russian Navy, they have been entering the fleet since 2018.
The patrol ships of project 22160 have a displacement of 1.5 thousand tons and can reach speeds of up to 25 knots. They can stay in autonomous navigation for up to 60 days. They are equipped with an automatic 76-millimeter cannon, two DP-65 grenade launchers and two large-caliber Kord machine guns. The ships are equipped with a modern sonar station and anti-sabotage equipment. The peculiarity of the ships of the Vasily Bykov type is that they are designed according to a modular scheme. This allows them to install weapons or equipment for a specific task. Everything you need is mounted in 40-foot containers, which are installed on the ship.
Photo: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
Image source: iz.ru
The Typhoon MRC of Project 22800 Karakurt is a small ship with a displacement of 870 tons, built using stealth technologies. The Karakurts carry on board a 3S14 rifle system for eight Kalibr or Onyx cruise missiles, as well as an AK-176MA 76.2-millimeter artillery system. Starting with the third ship of the Odintsovo series, their anti—aircraft capabilities have been enhanced by the installation of a marine version of the Pantsir—M anti-aircraft missile and cannon system. On board the Karakurts, Orlan-10 drones with a range of up to 120 km can be based. They can be used as scouts or gunners. In a combat situation, the ship's crew can take drones into the sky to assess the surrounding situation, rather than turn on radars, the signal of which can be detected by enemy radars.
—The Viktor Veliky and Typhoon will significantly increase the combat capabilities of the Black Sea Fleet," military expert Captain 1st Rank Vasily Dandykin told Izvestia. — Today it was reported that our unmanned boat was sunk by a Ukrainian intelligence officer at the mouth of the Danube. "Victor the Great" may well be the bearer of these backups, he has all the possibilities for this. And the Karakurts are carriers of Kalibr cruise missiles, which have proven themselves well in this capacity. Typhoon will strengthen the strike group of the Black Sea Fleet.
The expert noted that the Karakurts can move along the inland waterways between the Caspian and Black Seas.
"The Typhoon MRC can target a large area," he said. — The range of the Calibres is 1.5 thousand km. The Calibres can also be placed on the patrol ship Viktor Veliky. Both of these ships have impressive firepower despite their relatively small size.
Photo: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
Image source: iz.ru
— When the Black Sea Straits open again, these ships will sail in the Mediterranean Sea, — Dmitry Boltenkov explained. — "Victor the Great" can enter more distant frontiers. It was created so that heavy ships would not have to be driven to Africa to fight pirates.
Earlier, Izvestia reported that small missile ships will be able to be based in Lake Ladoga and, if necessary, launch missiles from there. Last year, the Ministry of Defense conducted work to study the possibilities of basing and performing combat missions by small missile ships in this water area. As a result, the lake was recognized as suitable for the operations of the MRK projects 22800 "Karakurt" and 21631 "Buyan-M."
The research work took several months. Hydrographic information was studied, and possible threats to small missile ships from a potential enemy were analyzed. The most important stage was the cruise of two small Karakurt Project 22800 missile ships from the Baltic Fleet. The MRCS checked the routes and performed maneuvers. The test results were considered successful. As a result, now the Buyany and Karakurty can, if necessary, relocate from the Baltic Sea to Lake Ladoga along the rivers and launch missiles.
Roman Kretsul
