Tuesday 1 June 2021

The frigate "Admiral Golovko". How Russian warships are defeating import dependence

Admiral Gorshkov / Russian Ministry of Defense



Frigate "Admiral Golovko" project 22350
© Press Service of PJSC SZ "Severnaya Verf"

Today Russia celebrates the Day of the Northern Fleet. According to the command of the Navy, in 2022 it will be replenished with the third frigate of project 22350 "Admiral Golovko". We will tell you what is the uniqueness of the new frigate and why it is called a ship with a "Russian soul"

Project 22350 is a series of Russian heavy multipurpose guided missile frigates. The ships are designed to conduct combat operations on long sea lines against the enemy's surface and submarine flotilla, to repel air attacks both alone and as part of a combat formation. 

"During the construction of Project 22350 frigates, 18 development work was carried out. As a result, a significantly different ship turned out than was conceived at the initial stages of design. And the ship is very successful. First of all, it is worth noting such advantages as anti-aircraft and naval underwater weapons, avionics, seaworthiness and autonomy. This is a kind of sea "pacer", lean, fast, combat-ready
Victor Murakhovsky
military expert, reserve colonel"

The frigates return to service

Russian combat frigates of a new generation were first discussed in the late 90s of the last century. Large-scale revisions of the post-Soviet period revealed that the average age of surface ships of this type was about 20 years. In addition, experts say the vessels were of different types, which created problems with maintenance. Then it was decided to strengthen the sea borders with new fast and powerful frigates. The lead ship of project 22350 "Admiral Gorshkov" was laid down at the Severnaya Verf shipyard on February 1, 2006, the second frigate - "Admiral Kasatonov" - at the end of November 2009. Both "admirals" were equipped with Russian-made diesel engines, and gas turbine units produced by the Ukrainian enterprise "Zorya-Mashproekt" were used as afterburners. Russian-Ukrainian cooperation of engine builders has existed since Soviet times. However, in 2014, Kiev completely broke off military-technical cooperation with Moscow, which led to problems with the completion of work on the remaining ships of Project 22350.

Frigate "Admiral Gorshkov" project 22350
© Petr Kovalev / TASS

"Six years ago, Project 22350 was under threat, because before that, gas turbine engines had not been produced in Russia. Rescue of the situation was entrusted to the Rybinsk NPO Saturn. The specialists had to create new high-tech products literally from scratch. The enterprise created a unique assembly and testing complex named after F. Ushakov, which became a key element of import substitution
Vasily Dadykin
military expert, captain of the first rank of the reserve"

A ship with a "Russian soul"

In 2018, Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov said that Russia had finally replaced Ukrainian power plants in its aviation and marine technology. The issue of dependence on supplies from Ukraine is closed and finally closed. All the pain points that we really experienced in 2014 have been passed, Borisov noted. 

Frigate "Admiral Golovko" project 22350
© Press Service of PJSC SZ "Severnaya Verf"

The third frigate of Project 22350 "Admiral Golovko" has become one of the most striking examples of import substitution in the Russian military-industrial complex. In December 2020, the ship was launched in St. Petersburg with a completely Russian M55R power plant. At a ceremony in the northern capital, "Admiral Golovko" was  namedthe leadership of the Navy, the first frigate with a Russian soul. M55R consists of a gas turbine engine (GTE) M90FR with a maximum capacity of 27.5 thousand hp, a diesel engine 10D49 with a capacity of 5.2 thousand hp, a PO55R reducer and a transmission. According to Viktor Polyakov, Managing Director of PJSC UEC Saturn, the main advantage of Russian offshore gas turbine engines in comparison with Ukrainian ones manufactured using technologies of the 60s and 80s is their increased reliability due to the provision of stringent requirements for the production of the most critical parts. It is especially worth noting the low level of specific fuel consumption and the increased overhaul life. The power plant is equipped with a modern local control system, unique means of vibration and parametric diagnostics, which were not previously used on domestic ships.

On the most important frontiers

"Admiral Golovko" - a frigate of the first rank, in its functionality is close to a cruiser, said military expert Vasily Dadykin. "Admiral Golovko", like "Admiral Gorshkov" and "Admiral Kasatonov", with its relatively small displacement (more than 4.5 thousand tons) is endowed with a powerful high-precision arsenal. It is capable of carrying 16 Caliber, Onyx or Zircon missiles. The frigate is protected from attacks from the air by the Polyment-Redut anti-aircraft missile system.

Launch of a high-precision cruise missile "Caliber" from the frigate "Admiral Gorshkov"
© Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation / TASS

"The launch of serial production of power plants for Russian frigates in Rybinsk is a huge breakthrough. All conditions have been created for the Russian Navy to receive a new frigate in 2022, and, most likely, it will go to the Northern Fleet. There is also a symbolic moment - Admiral Arseny Grigorievich Golovko, after whom the ship is named, was the commander of the Northern Fleet during the Great Patriotic War. But the main thing is the Arctic. This is an area of ​​special attention, which needs powerful new ships.
Vasily Dadykin
military expert, captain of the first rank of the reserve"

As TASS previously reported , eight frigates will be built within the framework of project 22350. Six of them will enter service with new Russian power plants. Thanks to its tactical and technical characteristics, the frigate Admiral Golovko will undoubtedly strengthen the group of surface ships of the Navy in the far sea zone, capable of solving the problem of a naval presence in the World Ocean. This is a ship that will strengthen the ocean status of our Navy, said the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov, in an interview with the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper. According to him, in the future, ships of project 22350 will receive even more combat capabilities due to modernization.  

Vasily Kuchushev

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