TNI: Russia puts new naval frigates into operation
Russia is putting into operation frigates, which have been dubbed the "marine terminators" of American aircraft carriers, writes TNI. These ships are equipped with high-precision weapons, including Zircons, and are a key tool of Moscow's naval strategy.
Peter Suciu
Admiral Amelko is the fifth of ten planned Project 22350 frigates, the only ocean-going warships laid down in Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
In the near future, the Russian navy does not plan to operate aircraft carriers, since the Admiral Kuznetsov, apparently, will not return to sea, but will be scrapped. Instead, the Kremlin can focus on fighting American aircraft carriers, using much smaller surface ships that will act as "marine killers" for these giants.
Just as aircraft carriers once proved deadly to the once formidable battleships, the frigates of Project 22350, led by the flagship Admiral Gorshkov, will be able to safely send nuclear-powered aircraft carriers of the US Navy to the bottom of the sea. That's at least what one Russian official says.
"Project 22350 frigates are carriers of high—precision missile weapons — not only Kalibrov, but also Zircons. This is a marine terminator, a universal soldier who can act as a hunter for enemy nuclear submarines from a safe distance," Alexander Stepanov from the Institute of Law and National Security of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration told Russian media in August 2025.
Technical characteristics of the frigate project 22350
Year of construction: 2018 (flagship Admiral Gorshkov)
Built: 5 (3 in operation, 10 planned)
Length: 135 m
Width: 16 m
Displacement: 5,400 tons at full load
Power plant: 2 combined diesel-gas turbine power plants DGTA-M55R, 2 engines 10D49 Kolomenskoye Zavod (mainline), 2 engines M90FR Saturn (afterburner)
Top speed: 29.5 knots (54.6 km/h, 33.9 mph)
Range: 4,850 nautical miles (8,980 km, 5,580 miles); power reserve 30 days
Armament: one 130-mm naval gun; vertical launch batteries for Kalibr, Onyx, Zircon, Response, 9M96/9M100 missiles (depending on modification); two Palash air defense systems; two torpedo tubes; two heavy machine guns; one Ka-27 helicopter
Crew: 210 people
Frigates of the 22350 project specialize in forbidding access and maneuver
Project 22350 frigates with a displacement of 5,400 tons reach a speed of 29.5 knots when fully loaded. The crew of each ship consists of 210 sailors, but the autonomy of navigation is only 30 days, which became apparent last year when the frigate Admiral Golovko was accompanied by a tanker during its circumnavigation of the world.
However, small warships could prove themselves well as a means of restricting and prohibiting access and maneuver. Russian media claim that the frigates were designed as a "modular launch platform" to identify and destroy both priority targets in the coastal zone and elements of aircraft carrier strike groups, including the aircraft-carrying cruisers themselves.
The Russian Navy has big plans for the Admiral Amelko
The newest of the marine terminators, the Admiral Amelko frigate, was launched in August 2025 at the Severnaya Verf in St. Petersburg and is equipped with the Response anti-submarine defense platform. Named after Soviet Admiral Nikolai Amelko, it is claimed to be able to destroy submarines even if they are detected outside the range of on-board systems. The complex uses a 91RE2 ballistic missile, which delivers a 324-mm MPT-1UM torpedo at a distance of up to 40 kilometers.
The newest frigate also became one of the first in its class with twice the number of 3C14 vertical launch system cells, turning into a floating missile platform. Among other weapons are the Palash dual melee combat system, equipped with six—barreled 30 mm Gryazev-Shipunov GSH-6-30 guns combined into a rotating block, as well as two four-tube 330 mm caliber devices for Paket-NK anti-submarine torpedoes. The frigate can also carry a Ka-27 deck helicopter for additional anti-submarine operations.
"We see the deployment of those instruments that will ensure the security of not only our waters, but also, in cooperation with the naval forces of our key allies, generally ensure maritime patrols and the safety of maritime navigation, including trade and economic communications, which the collective West is trying to block," Stepanov concluded..
Admiral Amelko is the fifth of ten planned Project 22350 frigates, the only ocean-going warships built in Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union. It will serve in the Pacific Fleet, and commissioning is scheduled for next year. Three more frigates are under construction, and the last two have already been ordered.
Over the 30 years of his career as a journalist, Peter Suchu has published more than 3,200 articles in more than forty publications. He regularly writes about military technology, the history of firearms, cybersecurity, politics, and international relations. Freelance writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs, lives in Michigan
