Feature 4 | Russia
Russian naval ambitions renewed
By the end of this decade the Russian Navy will have three, nuclear-
powered aircraft carriers, each similar in displacement to the UK’s Queen
Elizabeth class…or not as the case may be.
The Russian destroyer Admiral Vinogradov underway.
R
ussia has long had plans to replace appear circa 2015-2020. its requirements and the ability to meet
the carrier RFS Admiral Zuznetsov The problem is that Admiral Shlemov’s them, an ocean that might well bear the
but these have often appeared to statement occurred at about the same old warning ‘here be dragons’.
be hopes rather concrete ideas. Recently, time as the Yastreb (Project 11540) class These ‘dragons’ are familiar to every navy
however, Vice Admiral Anatoly Shlemov, frigate RFS Yaroslav Mudryy began sea and take the form of funding. Moscow has
head of defence contracts for the United trials 19-years after she was laid down, a not escaped the world economic storm and
Shipbuilding Corporation and former case of ‘better late than never’. revenues, especially from hydrocarbons,
head of naval procurement, revealed Her sister ship, RFS Neustrashimyy, are dropping rapidly. As for the sailors,
further details. He said there are plans for has recently taken part in anti-piracy their headquarters is scheduled to move
three ships, which will go to the Northern patrols off Somalia and served with some from Moscow to St Petersburg, a move the
and Pacific Fleets, and they will each cost distinction. The new ship was launched service is fighting hard against.
the equivalent of US$4 billion. at the Yantar shipyard, Kaliningrad The prestige of the service is not
According to Admiral Shlemov plans (formerly Königsberg) in 1991 but then improved by questions over its current
are already being drawn for a 60,000tonne the funding malaise which devastated leading programme, the Borey (Project
ship which will carry an air group of the Russian armed forces stopped work 995) class ballistic missile submarines
30/40 fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft as and at one point there were plans to scrap and the RSM-56 Bulova missile. The
well as unmanned aerial vehicles. Unlike her and work did not restart until 2005. first-of-class, RFS Yury Dolgoruky has
most of the Soviet-era carrier (aircraft A third ship, RFS Tuman, also started been completed but contractors’ trials
carrying cruiser) designs, the new ships construction, but work stopped on her are scheduled only for ‘this year’ with
will not carry long-range surface-to- due to the same funding difficulties, and delays reported due to problems with
surface missiles. What the admiral did it remains to be seen whether or not this the reactor system and increased safety
not state, however, was when work would ship will also join the Fleet. consciousness.
start on the carriers and when they The case of the Yastrebs illustrates In addition, the missile system is
would join the fleet, although a year ago the continuing problem of the Russian showing signs of major problems, with
the word was that the first ships would Navy, which faces a great ocean between successes being very much a hit-or-miss
38 Warship Technology May 2009
p38-39-40-41_WT_May09.indd 38 17/04/2009 15:23:38
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