© Sputnik/ Igor Zarembo
16:40 27.12.2017(updated 17:40 27.12.2017)
On Wednesday, a ceremony took place to raise
the flag on the Admiral Makarov frigate, the latest addition to the Russian
Navy. Admiral Makarov is the third project 11356 frigate to join the Black Sea
Fleet, with Admiral Grigorovich and Admiral Essen already being in service. RIA
Novosti observer Andrei Kotz takes a closer look at the new ship.
Versatility
The frigates of project 11356 were initially
designed to fight against both surface targets and submarines,
to repel enemy aviation attacks, to destroy ground targets
with high-precision weapons and to take part in counterterrorism
and antipiracy missions.
A project 11356 frigate is truly multipurpose and capable
of accomplishing almost any combat task in its operational theater.
The Russian Defense Ministry has ordered a total
of six ships of this class, all named after prominent Russian
admirals. The three remaining frigates – Admiral Butakov, Admiral Istomin and
Admiral Kornilov – have already been floated out and are planned to enter
service in 2020-2021.
Admiral Makarov will join the most powerful force
within the Black
Sea Fleet, the 30th division of combat ships led by the Moskva
guided missile cruiser. In the future, the new frigates will be the backbone
of this division.
Weaponry
The project 11356 frigate packs a formidable arsenal
of weapons capable of hitting different types of targets. Each
ship has eight 3M22 launchers for Kalibr-NK cruise missiles (operational
range of up to 2,500 kilometers) and Oniks anti-ship missiles (up
to 500 kilometers). The Admiral
Grigorovich and Admiral Essen frigates were involved in Russia’s
counterterrorism operation in Syria in 2016-2017, having repeatedly
delivered high-precision strikes at enemy targets.
Admiral Makarov also has the AK-190 100-mm versatile
artillery system with an operation range of up to 21 kilometers.
As for anti-submarine warfare, the ship has the RBU-6000 12-barrel
bomb launcher and four 533-mm torpedo launchers. In addition, there is the
Shtil-1 anti-aircraft defensive system, with a range of up to 50
kilometers, as well as a pair of AK-630M six-barrel
anti-aircraft cannons.
All of the weapons are controlled by the Puma
fire-command system, including target seeking and acquisition.
The new ship also has an advanced computerized control
system. As a result, the 4,035-ton and 125-meter-long frigate is operated
by a crew of only 180, including 18 officers. According
to instructions, the ship also carries a group of 20 marines and a
Ka-27PL or Ka-31 anti-submarine helicopter with a crew.
Admiral Makarov features stealth technologies and a low
level of noise, primarily due to their COCAG two-shaft gas turbine
engine, which generates a total of 56,000 horsepower. The ship can reach
speeds of up to 30 knots (56 kilometers per hour) and has a sea
endurance of 30 days.
Improving the Legacy
In fact, project 11356 is the extensive modernization
of the Soviet-era Burevestnik (Storm Petrel) project, which included 28
combat ships built since 1968 (projects 1135 and 1135M). This is why the
construction of each of the project 11356 frigates took as much
as five years, from roll out to entering service.
Two of the 28 frigates built during the Soviet
period are still in service with the Black Sea Fleet. The
Burevestnik-class ships gained a reputation for their outstanding seagoing
capabilities and reliability. Back in the day, they played a key tactical
role in the Soviet navy.
While developing project 11356, Russian engineers had
in mind the combat and maintenance experience of the Burevestnik
frigates, making a number of upgrades and adding new technologies.
Today, amid the ongoing crisis in Syria
and NATO’s increased activities in the Black Sea, the
Russian Black Sea Fleet needs powerful, fast and compact ships that would
perform equally well against different types of targets, and these
are exactly what project 11356 packs.
Original post: sputniknews.com
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