By the end of the year, the Black Sea Fleet must accept four new combat units into its compositionThe Black Sea Fleet is waiting for a radical strengthening.
The Ministry of Defense and shipbuilders have agreed on a plan to modernize the ship's composition of the association. By the end of the year, the Black Sea Fleet should include four new combat units. All of them are being built at the Black Sea shipyards and shipyards in the continental part of Russia. Experts suggest that we are talking about small Karakurt-type missile ships of the 22800 project and a patrol ship of the 22160 project. Their appearance on the Black Sea will significantly increase the group's firepower in the south-western direction.
More "Calibers"
As sources in the military department told Izvestia, a plan for the admission of four new warships to the Black Sea Fleet has already been agreed. According to the approved document, the Black Sea Fleet will be replenished with them by the end of the year.
According to the interlocutors of the publication, although Turkey has closed the Black Sea straits for the duration of a special military operation, this will not affect the new pennants in any way. All new ships are built at the Black Sea shipyards and shipyards in the continental part of Russia.
We are talking about the small missile ships (MRCS) of the 22800 project and the patrol ship of the 22160 project, suggested military historian Dmitry Boltenkov.
Askold small rocket ship of Project 22800 Karakurt
Image Source: Photo: TASS/Sergey Malgavko
— Three small rocket ships of the 22800 project were built in Kerch, of which the main one, the Cyclone, is already in service, — he told Izvestia. — The next two are "Askold" and "Amur". They will probably be transferred to the fleet. And there is a high probability that one ship will be one of those that are being built in Zelenodolsk. Last year, a couple of "Karakurts" were launched there. Most likely, there will be a "Cloud". That is, probably, the Askold, Amur and Cloud will go to the Black Sea. The patrol ship of Project 22160 is most likely the Victor the Great. Its construction has been carried out by the Zelenodolsk plant named after A.M. Gorky since 2016.
According to the expert, the new ships will significantly increase the strike power of the group in the region.
"Three Karakurts carry a total of 28 Kalibr cruise missiles, which can effectively hit ground targets," he explained. — And in case of aggression by NATO countries against Russia, they can hit targets on the southern flank of the alliance.
The most popular and modern
"Karakurty" should become the most massive project of attack ships for our fleet. To date, the Russian Navy has three representatives of the series — "Mytishchi", "Sovetsk" and "Odintsovo". They are part of the 6th Order of the Red Banner of Nakhimov I degree brigade of missile boats of the Baltic Fleet. In total, it is planned to build 18 "Karakurts". They are simultaneously produced at the shipyards of St. Petersburg, Zelenodolsk, Crimea and the Far East. It is assumed that by the mid-2020s, the Baltic, Black Sea and Pacific fleets will each have their own compound of "Karakurts".
Odintsovo small rocket ship of project 22800
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Mikhail Golenkov
The small rocket ships of project 22800 are relatively small, their displacement is 870 tons. However, with their modest size, they carry a rather impressive arsenal. It includes a 3S14 firing system for eight Kalibr cruise missiles or supersonic anti-ship Onyx missiles, as well as a 76.2-millimeter AK-176MA artillery installation. Starting with the third ship of the series — Odintsovo — a naval version of the Pantsir-M missile and cannon complex is being installed on the Karakurty, which seriously increases the capabilities of fighting air targets and anti-ship missiles.
The contours of the ship and the use of radio-absorbing materials in the design make the Karakurts less noticeable to enemy radars than previous generations of MRCS. At the same time, they are equipped with modern radar stations and navigation equipment, as well as combat control, detection, targeting and communication complexes.
Orlan-10 drones with a range of up to 120 km can be placed on board the Karakurts. They can perform the functions of scouts or gunners. Drones allow the "Karakurts" to remain unnoticed: the crew of the ship can raise drones into the sky to assess the surrounding situation, and not turn on radars, the signal of which can be detected by enemy radar.
Patrol ship of project 22160 "Dmitry Rogachev"
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Vitaly Timkiv
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 near future, the construction of the ships "Victor the Great" and "Nikolai Sipyagin", laid down in 2016 and 2018, should be completed.
The ships of the series must participate in operations to defend the coast and coastal bases in the event of a military conflict. They can also accompany ship groups and vessels, participate in search and rescue and anti-piracy operations. Their armament consists of a 76-millimeter artillery installation, grenade launchers and machine guns "Cord". The Ka-27PS helicopter, as well as underwater and aerial drones can be based on the deck. Thanks to this, crews can monitor the surface and underwater situation in real time within a radius of hundreds of kilometers, while the ship does not need to turn on its own radar equipment, and thus it remains undetected.
One of the main features of the patrol ships of the project 22160 is that they 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. This allows, according to the principle of the designer, each time to equip the ship for a specific task.
Artillery radar station on the patrol ship "Pavel Derzhavin"
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Vitaly Timkiv
In recent years, the fleet has been testing different 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.
Roman Kretsul
Alexey Ramm
