The work is being carried out taking into account the experience gained in the construction of Mistral-class ships, the source said
MOSCOW, February 28. /TASS/. The shipbuilders of the Zaliv shipyard in Kerch have begun to form the hulls of two future universal landing ships (UDC), the laying ceremony of which was held with the participation of Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 20, 2020. This was reported to TASS by a source in the military-industrial complex.
"In the future "paratroopers" is the formation of the corps. The work is being carried out taking into account the experience gained in the construction of Mistral-type ships, " he said. At one time, Russia ordered two landing helicopter-carrying ships of the Mistral type from France. The aft parts of these ships were built at the Baltic Plant. Then they were transported to France for docking with the bow parts. France refused to transfer the built ships to Russia after the return of the Crimea under the jurisdiction of the Russian Federation.
Speaking about the ships under construction on the "Gulf", the source said that the displacement of each of them will be 30 thousand tons. One ship will be able to transport up to 1 thousand Marines, 16 helicopters, the dock chamber will accommodate up to four landing boats. "The terms of their transfer to the fleet do not change. They should be transferred within the framework of the current state armament program, calculated until the end of 2027, " he said.
The new UDC, possibly, in addition to 16 helicopters, will carry up to 4 reconnaissance and strike unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) S-70 "Hunter". This was reported to TASS by a source in the military-industrial complex on the sidelines of the International Military-Technical Forum "Army-2020". According to him, it is assumed that, acting with the UDC, the "Hunters" will perform both strike missions and solve target designation tasks for hypersonic missiles "Zircon" launched from other ships.
In May 2020, the Russian Defense Ministry signed a contract for the construction of two helicopter carriers worth about 100 billion rubles. Initially, it was assumed that the displacement of the helicopter carrier would be 25 thousand tons, the length of about 220 m. Earlier in the USSR and Russia, ships of this class were not built. According to existing plans, the transfer of the first UDC to the fleet is expected in 2025, the second-in 2027. It was reported that these ships will be named "Ivan Rogov" and "Mitrofan Moskalenko".
The Zaliv Shipyard is one of the largest industrial enterprises in the Crimea, it has been operating in the shipbuilding and ship repair market since 1938. The plant's production facilities include a dry dock and hull workshops, which allow for the construction of large-capacity vessels up to 340 meters long of various classes and purposes.
