Placed in containers, they will cover both combat units of the fleet and auxiliary vesselsAn electronic warfare (EW) system is being developed for the defense of Russian combat and auxiliary ships.
The novelty will be placed in ordinary marine, so-called 40-foot containers. Thanks to this, the system can be easily installed on open areas of ships and ships. Such protective "boxes" should reliably cover ships and vessels from enemy missiles and drones with interference. According to experts, as a result, this decision will significantly strengthen the protection of the coastal regions of the country.
Container with a surprise
As sources in the military department told Izvestia, a fundamental decision on the development of marine modular mobile electronic warfare systems has already been made. The project is currently being developed. The novelty will be installed in special containers. Thanks to this, it can be easily installed on open areas on decks. The system should reliably protect the naval forces from anti-ship missile strikes.
The patrol ships of the project 22160 of the Vasily Bykov type will be the first to receive the new electronic warfare system, the sources said. In the future, it should acquire auxiliary vessels of the Russian fleet — tugs, transports and others.
The new protective system will be installed in standard 40-foot sea containers, which will make it easy to mount it on the deck of various representatives of the surface forces of the Russian Navy.
Initially, a not very powerful electronic warfare system was installed on the ships of the 22160 project, military historian Dmitry Boltenkov told Izvestia.
Patrol ship "Vasily Bykov"
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Alexey Druzhinin
— Apparently, they have created a more powerful solution, operational or strategic. Containers allow you to put the system on different ships," the expert explained. — If necessary, it will be possible to increase the electronic warfare system of ship groups. They will be able to move to a given area and actually completely "turn it off". First of all, they will suppress the control channels of drones, communication systems. It will be possible not to drive the EW machine onto the landing ship, but simply to put a container.
The presence of powerful means of electronic warfare is very important for a modern fleet, said the former chief of the General Staff of the Navy, Admiral Valentin Selivanov.
— Now electronic warfare is used against drones, tactical aviation, and cruise missiles, — he said. — And patrol ships, as you can understand from the name, patrol in the coastal zone and will protect the shores from air strikes. Strikes from the sea can be resisted — ships are tracked. But air strikes can be sudden. But if there are powerful means of electronic warfare, they will be able to fight with drones, planes, and missiles. This is very valuable. It is necessary to test such systems against attacks by a large number of aerial targets. Patrol ships are small, they sail off their coast. They will protect naval bases and other ships in the coastal zone.
The Russian armed forces already have experience in using electronic warfare in combat conditions in Ukraine, the admiral recalled.
— By means of electronic warfare, they force the drone to drop ammunition or land where it is necessary, that is, to disrupt its attack, — he explained. — There are already such examples. Therefore, it is a valuable thing, it will contribute to the protection of our coast and objects at sea and on land.
At the native shores
Patrol ships of project 22160 were developed in the post-Soviet period. The lead ship, Vasily Bykov, was laid down in 2014 and transferred to the fleet in 2018. Besides him, "Dmitry Rogachev", "Pavel Derzhavin" and "Sergey Kotov" are in service today. All of them are assigned to the Black Sea Fleet. In the coming years, it is expected to complete the construction of the ships "Victor the Great" and "Nikolai Sipyagin", laid down in 2016 and 2018.
In the event of the outbreak of hostilities, the ships of project 22160 will participate in operations to defend the coast and coastal bases. They can be used to accompany ship groups and vessels, as well as during search and rescue and anti-piracy operations. They are capable of speeds up to 25 knots, the crew includes about 80 people.
The ship is armed with a 76-millimeter artillery installation, grenade launchers and "Cord" machine guns. The Ka-27PS helicopter can be based on it. It is also adapted for the use of underwater and aerial drones. Thanks to this, it is ideal for reconnaissance: crews can monitor the surface and underwater situation in real time within a radius of hundreds of kilometers, while the ship may not include its own radar equipment to avoid detection.
Patrol ship "Pavel Derzhavin"
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Vitaly Timkiv
The ships of the project 22160 are made according to a modular scheme. This allows you to quickly mount weapons and equipment on them for a specific task. Sonar stations and other equipment in 40-foot containers are connected to the ship's power supply and integrated into a single control system.
In fact, the command assembles the ship for specific purposes, as a designer. Now they are actively testing new modules — both with weapons and with various auxiliary equipment. Among them are anti—aircraft complexes "Redut" and "Pantsir-M" in marine design, containers with anti-submarine equipment, modules with cruise missiles. In particular, the ship can carry Kalibr-NK missiles. But its main feature is that it is adapted for the use of underwater and surface unmanned vehicles of all available types. This allows monitoring at a distance of hundreds of kilometers in different directions.
At the beginning of this year, it was reported about the formation of entire electronic warfare battalions in the formations of the Western Military District. They will protect troops, socially significant and industrial facilities from the impact of high-precision weapons. The battalions are equipped with complexes capable of suppressing GPS systems, communications and navigation of the enemy.
Over the past decade, electronic warfare troops have regularly received innovative weapons systems. The mobile automated complex "Murmansk-BN" is capable of suppressing military radio communications within a radius of hundreds of kilometers, and under certain conditions at a greater distance. The system can disrupt the operation of command posts located deep behind enemy lines, disorganize the management of troops, disrupt the work of naval forces and aviation. The Borisoglebsk-2 complex is used to disrupt communications in the tactical link. Promising Field-21 systems are capable of turning off all major foreign satellite navigation systems within a radius of tens of kilometers.
Roman Kretsul
