Feature 1 | RUSSIAN NAVAL PROGRAMMES
Rearmament plan marks upturn in Russian Navy fortunes
Te Russian Defence Ministry recently unveiled a massive 10-year rearmament plan worth the equivalent of US$665 billion which includes 100 ships. Tis is a profound improvement in the Russian Navy’s fortunes, and it is as noticeable for what it does not include as for what it does.
Steregushchiy is the lead ship in the Russian Navy’s PR 20380 class of corvettes.
T
he heart of the fleet will be four French-designed Mistral class Bâtiment de Projection et de
Commandement (BPC) or force projection command and support ships. France agreed at the beginning of this year to sell the design, modified for Russian use with stronger bows (for operation in ice) and larger hangers (to take Russian helicopters) as well as some French electronics, but not the command and control system or data links. At the time of publication the two sides
were hammering out the details of a deal reportedly worth US$2 billion but it appears that two ships will be built in France and the other two will be built under licence at a purpose-built yard which the Admiralty Shipyard will build on Kotlin Island outside St Petersburg, and this will also be used to produce large surface combatants for the Russian Navy.
14
Construction of the first Russian Mistral,
designated Universalnyi Desantnyi Korabel (Universal Landing Ship), will begin in the French STX yard this year with delivery expected by late 2013, while the second will be launched towards the end of 2014. Te Admiralty Shipyards will start work in 2014 and aim to complete construction of two ships around 2016. Russia’s input in the construction will gradually increase from 20% in the first ship, 40% in the second and 80% in the third and fourth. Each of the French Navy’s Mistrals
are scheduled to receive two Engin de Débarquement Amphibie-Rapide (EDA-R) landing catamaran designed by CNIM whose hulls, built mainly of aluminium, are constructed by Socarenam in Saint-Malo and fitted out in Boulogne-sur-Mer. The French are hoping to sell these craſt, which can
carry up to 100tonnes at 18knots, to equip the Russian Mistrals. It appears that the decision to select
the Mistrals means that Moscow has abandoned, at least for this decade, plans for three 60,000tonne nuclear-powered aircraſt carriers which were revealed only two years ago. Tis leaves the Northern Fleet’s RFS Admiral Kuznetsov as the only vessel capable of deploying fixed-wing aircraſt and she is scheduled for a five-year upgrade at the Sevmash shipyards in 2012.
Submarine programme The submarine programme envisages eight new ballistic missile ships equipped with the R30 Bulava (SS-NX-32) ballistic missile and 20 nuclear and diesel-electric attack submarines. The Bulava missiles have been plagued with technical problems which have slowed construction of the
Warship Technology May 2011
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40