Shoigu is restoring the Navy after the blow of the “holy nineties”
The newest mine defense ship “Georgy Kurbatov”, which was built at the Sredne-Nevsky Shipyard for the Black Sea Fleet, was launched in St. Petersburg.
The minesweeper was created using a unique technology - it has the world's largest hull made of monolithic fiberglass, which is not susceptible to corrosion. It is planned that the Georgy Kurbatov will be transferred to the fleet next year.
After the reunification of Crimea, the Black Sea Fleet is being seriously updated and over the past six years has become the dominant force in the region, which is recognized even by experts unfriendly to Russia in Kyiv. However, Sergei Shoigu’s department is not limited to attention only to the southern borders - new combat units are joining the Navy in other military districts.
“The launch of this ship is one of the factors indicating that the fleet is moving forward. The fact that we need to develop our own fleet is once again emphasized by the programs of both China and NATO countries. Therefore, our leadership understands all priorities in this regard,” says Admiral Igor Kasatonov.
Military expert Igor Korotchenko recalls the recent flight of US bombers near the borders of Russia.
“During the exercises, mine laying from the air was practiced there. Therefore, having mine-resistant ships in our fleets is an urgent need, and today it is being implemented through the serial construction of the corresponding ships,” explains Korotchenko.
The fleet needs to update its ships and submarines - the combat strength was seriously reduced in the “holy nineties”. And the international situation around Russia today does not look very peaceful - this includes Syria, and claims to the Kuril Islands, encroachments on the riches of the Arctic, hints at the possibility of revising the status of Kaliningrad, and so on.
However, economic opportunities do not yet allow us to resume the pace of construction of the ocean fleet as in Soviet times - with aircraft carriers and cruisers. We have to cover the defense with ships of small displacement.
“With regards to our military shipbuilding, here everything is quite well with small-displacement ships - small missile ships of the Buyan-M type are being built, the ninth of them will soon enter the Black Sea Fleet, other small missile ships are being built, in particular for the Pacific The fleet has six of them laid down, and for the Northern Fleet. "Karakurts" are built in a mass series - about 18 units. All this will be done according to the program until the 27th year.
Frigates of the 22350 series are also being built - these are ships of the ocean and far sea zone. Two of them are in the Northern Fleet. These are ships equipped with powerful weapons - the famous Caliber missiles, the unique Poliment-Redut air defense system. And about six more such ships are being built. One of them has already been launched and is being completed afloat. In the future, this series will be developed with greater displacement and greater armament.
Submarines are being built. Along with this, the construction of an auxiliary fleet is taking place - these include tankers and ships of the rescue fleet, without which warships cannot operate. Specialized ships, such as the icebreaker “Ilya Muromets” for the Northern Fleet, such as the patrol ship “Ivan Papanin” - a unique ship in the Arctic zone that can break ice, and reconnaissance ships that have performed well,” lists an expert from the “Officers of Russia” organization. , captain XNUMXst rank Vasily Dandykin.
However, in his opinion, there are signals indicating that Russia is ready to resume construction of large ships.
“The shipbuilding industry is militarily emerging from the crisis. Not to mention the fact that two universal landing ships were laid down at the Kerch Zaliv plant. For the first time in post-Soviet times, ships of such a large displacement - about 30 thousand tons - were laid down. This is an indication that our fleet chooses ocean spaces, and the solution of problems goes beyond coastal waters, inland seas, and so on,” the expert adds.
Dandykin recalls that Western sanctions, as well as the break with Ukraine, which supplied engines for warships, also played a role.
“There are certain difficulties in connection with sanctions and, above all, with the actions of Ukraine, which has stopped supplying gas turbine engines for our ships. Because of this, the Black Sea Fleet did not receive the three frigates that it should have had. But, fortunately, import substitution is taking place in terms of aircraft engines and gas turbine engines, which are even more efficient than Ukrainian ones. This is being done at the Rybinsk plant, and already the third frigate in the far sea zone is equipped with a purely Russian installation. This means that, although with a slight lag, the crisis has been overcome.”
Captain XNUMXst rank, expert at the Institute of CIS Countries Sergei Gorbachev agrees with Dandykin. According to him, today it is too early to say that Russia has fully restored the capabilities of its Navy, but it is obvious that the Ministry of Defense has now begun to pay increased attention to the development of the fleet. According to Gorbachev, today it is important to maintain this trend and increase the pace of renewal of the Navy.
“We can definitely say that a lot is changing in the Navy. I would not talk about revival, because our fleet did not die, it existed, but it performed its functions in a limited way - the ships did not go out into the distant sea and ocean zones for almost a decade and a half, and so on.
If we talk about shipbuilding, there are positive changes here. However, it should be noted that these changes require larger-scale actions - the fleet must be updated or it will become outdated morally and physically.
In this regard, construction is being carried out and new ships are arriving. Let's say the Black Sea Fleet was replenished with three frigates, six submarines, and many units joined the auxiliary fleet. These are good ships with world-class weapons. But in quantitative terms, there are, alas, few of them...
Unfortunately, if we are talking about attack ships, today the construction of “eight-thousanders” (ships with a displacement of eight thousand tons - author) - these are ships of the destroyer class and above - is not being carried out.
For three decades now, there have been discussions about aircraft carriers, and for a very long time there have been discussions about universal landing ships. The ocean requires ships in the ocean zone.
Now frigates are being built - this is not bad, but this is not enough. The appearance and introduction of the Kurbatov into the fleet is good, but also not enough. There should be dozens of such ships,” says Gorbachev.
He explains that rebuilding the Navy is not “a waste of money,” as pro-Western liberals claim. Military shipbuilding as a high-tech industry ensures the utilization of many related industries and stimulates the development of science and economics. These are tens of thousands of jobs throughout Russia.
“Shipbuilding is a very high-tech industry. Having a developed shipbuilding industry is the prerogative of the powers that occupy the first lines in the world classification. In fact, truly modern warships that meet all requirements can be afforded by a small number of states, and Russia is one of them.
Unfortunately, we lost some competencies in the post-Soviet years. For example, areas such as the smelting of high-quality metal that should be used for ships is a big issue, because neighboring states that had capacities broke away from the Soviet Union. The same Ukraine, the Mariupol plant, the Nikolaev, Kherson shipyards, they were destroyed. Namely, it was there that the Soviet Union built ocean-class ships, aircraft carriers, rank I ships, and so on.
It is impossible to replace imports 100% and this is detrimental to our plans and long-term programs. Of course, there is positivity, there is progress, and it is increasing. But there are a lot of problems. I would like them to be resolved in the future,” says Gorbachev.
If you find an error, please select a piece of text and press Ctrl + Enter.
Thank you!
Now the editors are aware.