The ship is expected to play the role of the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree according to which the Admiral Makarov guided missile frigate was awarded the honorary name "Guards" with the wording: "for mass heroism and bravery, fortitude and courage shown by the ship's personnel in combat operations to protect the Fatherland and state interests in armed conflicts."
The decree, signed on December 1, will help to consolidate the role of the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet (Black Sea Fleet), which was already performed by Makarov, adopted after the death of the Guards missile cruiser Moskva on April 14, 2022.
Currently, there are only two Russian surface ships operating in the Black Sea – the Admiral Makarov and Admiral Essen of the same type – capable, in terms of their combined combat and technical qualities, of effectively fulfilling the role of flagships. At the same time, however, they are significantly inferior to the "Moscow" in terms of total displacement: 4035 tons versus 11490. Another frigate of Project 11356 from the Black Sea Fleet, Admiral Grigorovich, was in the Mediterranean Sea at the time of the start of the special military operation (SVO) for the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine, where it is currently operating. Neither "Essen" nor "Grigorovich" are among the Guards, and therefore they cannot form a real competition for the role of the flagship of "Makarov".
The inclusion of the Makarov among the Guards ships gives reason to believe that it was the frigate that, according to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on the morning of November 29, fired 4 Kalibr-NK missiles at the facilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). The crew of the ship (the name of the latter was not given) received the order to open fire suddenly, and, despite the storm in the Black Sea, successfully hit all designated targets.
"Modern missile weapons have proven highly effective during a special military operation," Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said. - More than 270 missile strikes have been carried out, more than 330 objects have been hit." The head of the military department said these words on November 21 during a speech at the National Defense Management Center. The board of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation (MO RF) was held there.
The agenda included a topic on the prospects for further development of the surface component of the Russian Navy. The analysis of the current situation was considered in the context of the implementation of the previously adopted "Action Plan of the Main Command of the Navy for 2019-2025".
Speaking at the board, Army General Sergei Shoigu noted among the important tasks "the construction of multi-purpose ships with high-precision missile systems designed to destroy critical infrastructure facilities and naval targets, including aircraft carriers and naval strike groups." According to his calculations, since 2018, more than 130 ships, combat boats and support vessels have joined the three fleets and the Caspian Flotilla. And by the end of the year, the number of carriers of high-precision long-range weapons will exceed 40 units.
The state tests of the FR URO Admiral Golovko, built according to the 22350 project, are continuing. The laying of the ship's hull took place in February 2012, launching in May 2020. The Golovko became the third frigate of the 22350 project, which is being built at the Severnaya Verf in St. Petersburg.
As you know, the main body of this series is the FR URO Admiral Gorshkov. He became the first carrier of anti-ship hypersonic missiles "Zircon" in the Russian Navy. Gorshkov was commissioned into the Northern Fleet several years ago and has already completed several long-range voyages to the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, visited the Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf.
The second ship built according to project 22350 was the Admiral Kasatonov. He also received gas turbines manufactured by the Ukrainian company Zorya-Mashproekt. This happened before the Kiev regime banned further military-technical cooperation with Moscow.
In such conditions, the domestic industry had to establish the production of marine gas turbines of the M-90FR family and gearboxes at its own facilities. Golovko became the first ship to receive afterburner power units assembled in the city of Rybinsk.
In February 2022, it became known about the beginning of training for the Admiral Golovko crew at the Joint Naval Training Center in St. Petersburg. Factory sea trials of the ship started at the end of November, and the second stage of the ship started the following month.
At the end of November 2023, information was posted on the TASS tape that the third in the series, Admiral Golovko, had successfully completed missile launches as part of state tests. At that time, the ship was operating in one of the deep-sea ranges of the Northern Fleet. After receiving preliminary estimates from representatives of the main customer, the frigate went back to the construction plant. Earlier, Igor Orlov, General Director of the Severnaya Verf, said that the state tests of the Federal Missile Defense Agency Admiral Golovko are coming to an end. Upon arrival in St. Petersburg, the construction plant will carry out the necessary work and, after eliminating all comments, the Golovko will be handed over to the sailors in a solemn atmosphere. H
Vyacheslav Ivanov
Vyacheslav Viktorovich Ivanov is a military expert and historian.