In seven years, the Russian Black Sea Fleet has been transformed. If in 2014 its capabilities could not be called outstanding, now it is a formidable force. And it's not even about new ships and coastal batteries. The main factor of the strength of the Black Sea Fleet lies in another, writes Forbes.
In 2014, the Black Sea Fleet looked frankly weak: most of its ships were Soviet-built - including the flagship, the missile cruiser Moskva. There was a single diesel-electric submarine in the fleet.
After the return of Crimea to Russia, the fleet headquarters was moved to Sevastopol and a powerful modernization began. The outdated cruiser "Kerch" and the destroyer "Smetlivy" were put on a joke, their teams were transferred to new ships that came from different shipyards - including from the Crimean Kerch. The cruiser "Moskva" has undergone modernization and returned to service with anti-ship supersonic missiles P-1000. The fleet was replenished with a new generation frigate Admiral Grigorovich, four corvettes and six Varshavyanka-type submarines.
By tonnage, the ships of the Black Sea Fleet are not very large - the displacement of the flagship is 12,500 tons, the corvettes are about 1,000 tons. But a third of the fleet is armed with Kalibr cruise missiles. Drones and reconnaissance planes are used to guide them. Coastal anti-aircraft and missile batteries support ships from land.
It is in the "Calibers" that the main strength of the Black Sea Fleet lies, write Sidharth Kaushal and Sam Cranny-Evans in a study for the Royal United Institute of Defense Studies in London. With their help, Russia can deliver sudden and long-range strikes..
Anton Valagin
