Baltic Fleet

Frigate “Neustrashimy” set to re-join Baltic Fleet in November 2019

2019-02-15 By Anders Puck Nielsen Leave a Comment

It looks like 2019 will be a big year for the Baltic Fleet. First, Russia found money for the repair of the destroyer Nastoichivy, and then news came that the frigate Neustrashimy will also return to operational status. So with a little luck, all the big ships in the Baltic Fleet will soon be operational. That includes the destroyer Nastoichivy and the frigates Neustrashimy and Yaroslav Mudry. Neustrashimy has been under repair since 2014. The plan is to begin sea trials in August and to return the ship to the Navy in November. That reports bmpd with a reference to the internal newspaper of the Yantar shipyard.

The Neustrashimy-class is an anti-submarine warfare frigate (project 11540) and it is a successor to the legendary Krivak-class (project 1135). The ship is 130 meters long and has a displacement of about 4000 tons. It is equipped with a gas turbine propulsion system which gives a speed around 30 knots.

Originally, the USSR planned to build five of these ships, but only two have been completed. The story of the Neustrashimy-class clearly illustrates what the collapse of the Soviet Union meant for the navy. Construction of Neustrashimy began in 1987, and the ship entered service in 1990. Construction of the second ship, Yaroslav Mudry, began only a year later, in 1988, but it wasn’t ready for service until 2009. That is an 18 years longer production time compared to the first in class! A third ship, Tuman, was under construction since 1993, and in 2016 it was decided to cancel the ship and utilize the parts.

So all the ships of this class belong to the Baltic Fleet. From April to October 2018, Yaroslav Mudry completed a longer international deployment. It apparently participated in the anti-piracy operation in the Gulf of Aden and took part in Russia’s military maneuvers in the Mediterranean. Russia doesn’t have too many frigate-sized warships, so it seems like a fair guess that we will see Neustrashimy complete a similar journey in the coming years.

Russia has found money to repair the flagship of the Baltic Fleet

2019-02-08 By Anders Puck Nielsen Leave a Comment

One of the interesting traditions in the Russian Navy is that each fleet has a designated flagship. In theory that sounds like a good idea: Give your proudest ship some extra glory and drive enthusiasm for your fleet. But when your flagship is old and unfit for battle, it becomes a public relations liability.

That has been the situation in the Baltic Fleet for some years now. The flagship is the Sovremenny-class destroyer Nastoichivy, which has been more or less inoperable since 2013. Last time the ship left the Baltic Sea was back in 1997 when it participated in the IDEX exhibition in Abu Dhabi. The Baltic Fleet has several modern warships that far exceed Nastoichivy in combat abilities – not least by having a functional engine.

But now Russia has found money for a refit of Nastoichivy. That reports the press service of the Western Military District. The works will take place in the near future at the 33rd Shipyard in Kaliningrad, which is a part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (OSK).

Apparently, the Achilles heel of the Sovremenny-class are the high pressure boilers in their propulsion system. Military historian Dmitry Boltenkov explains to Izvestia that the boilers have many advantages including low fuel consumption, high efficiency, and quick availability before use. But they are also demanding from a maintenance perspective, and in particular they require water of a very pure quality, which was difficult to provide during the 1990s.

In a somewhat unsympathetic manner, former Navy chief Valentin Selivanov rebukes the notion that there are technical difficulties with the Sovremenny-class. In Izvestia’s article he states that if any ship experiences breakdowns, then the blame is solely on the personnel. He then goes on to explaining how he personally played a role in the procurement of Nastoichivy, which is a fine ship.

Nevertheless, the data is clear. 17 ships of the class were built between 1980 and 1993. Many of them were decommissioned already in the 1990s, and currently only two are operational — Admiral Ushakov serves in the Northern Fleet, and Bystry is operational in the Pacific Fleet. Bystry has been used regularly, and in 2015-16 it completed a long journey to India. Admiral Ushakov has participated in exercises in the Barents Sea, but is has been suspiciously absent off Syria. When Nastoichivy enters service, it will be the third operational Sovremenny-class. A fourth ship – Burny – has been undergoing repairs since 2005 and may eventually rejoin the Pacific Fleet.

Nastoichivy was commissioned in 1992. With a little luck, the flagship of the Baltic Fleet will rule the waves again later this year. But the image remains: The flagship of the Baltic Fleet is a legacy warship with unreliable technology. Perhaps it would be better to just find another flagship that it is easier to get excited about.

Russia increases number of tanks in Kaliningrad

2019-01-28 By Anders Puck Nielsen Leave a Comment

Russia is steadily growing their tank forces in Kaliningrad. Last summer they formed an armored battalion within the 11th Army Corps, and now that seems to have grown to a regiment sized unit. That reports bmpd.

The 11th Army Corps is structurally a part of the Baltic Fleet. It already had a tank battalion with 40 tanks as part of the 79th Motorized Guards Brigade, but now it also has a separate 11th Tank Regiment. It appears that the new regiment received 30 tanks in 2018 and will receive another 30 this year. So in little more than a year the number of tanks in Kaliningrad has increased from 40 to 100.

Russia increases the number of T-72 tanks in Kaliningrad. Photo: mil.ru

That is a dramatic buildup. It’s a 150 percent increase of the tank force in the small enclave. This comes in addition to other military projects like the expansion of Chkalovsk air base. However, a hundred tanks in Kaliningrad is nothing extraordinary if we look at it in a historic perspective. The military reforms in 2009-10 reduced the number from a stunning 803 tanks to the 40 tanks in the 79th motorized guards brigade. So while on the one hand this is a dramatic increase in tank capacity in Kaliningrad, there is still some way to the old numbers from just 10 years ago.

The new tanks are of the T-72B type. The official statement about the new tanks for Kaliningrad mentions a list of features including an 840 hp engine. That suggests that the tanks have not been modernized to the newest standards. The present modernization program includes an upgrade to a 1,130 hp engine.

bmpd speculates that the formation of the 11th Independent Tank Regiment is a step towards a new motorized division in Kaliningrad. It will be interesting to watch the future development in that area.

Russia’s first Karakurt-corvette enters service in the Baltic Fleet

2018-12-19 By Anders Puck Nielsen Leave a Comment

On Monday 17 December the first Karakurt-class corvette was commissioned to Russia’s Baltic Fleet. That reports bmpd. Before long we can expect to see it on active duty in the Baltic area.

In a somewhat surprising move the ship received the name Mytishchi. During construction and sea trials, it has carried the name Uragan. The government has decided to change the naming theme for the class from “unpleasant weather phenomenons” to “small Russian cities”. “Uragan” literally means “hurricane”, and admittedly it would be strange to name a ship after something that the crew passionately dislikes. “Mytishchi” is a suburb outside Moscow. The second ship in the class will receive the name Sovetsk instead of the original name Taifun.

The Karakurt-class is Russia’s new standard design for smaller corvettes, and they have ordered 18 of these ships so far. It aims to fix the shortcomings of the Buyan-M class, which turned out to be less seaworthy than hoped. I have earlier taken a closer look at the Karakurt-class, which is an impressive ship. Despite the small size, it carries a potent weapons package that includes Kalibr precision strike missiles, Oniks anti-ship missiles, and Pantsir-M air defense.

The construction of the series has progressed slower than planned due to a shortage of diesel engines. Since the introduction of foreign sanctions there is only one supplier of such engines, namely the Zvezda PAO factory in Saint Petersburg. But they have been unable to meet demand because of raw material shortages and a generally slow production process. The latest chapter in that saga is that Zvezda may face a period without power because they haven’t paid their electricity bills.

Russia has looked into other possibilities like using gas turbines or buying diesel engines from China, but so far they have rejected these ideas. Gas turbines are not really an option because they are supply constrained as well, and Russia needs them more for the Admiral Grigorovich class frigates. And the Chinese diesel engines require too many changes to the construction of the ships, and Russia is unsatisfied with the performance of the engines.

So it appears that Russia is happy about their corvette design and willing to accept a lower pace of production in order not to compromise. It will be interesting to see how quickly they can get the remaining Karakurt corvettes into service.

Chkalovsk air base in Kaliningrad reopens after expansion

2018-10-08 By Anders Puck Nielsen Leave a Comment

The air base in Chkalovsk in Kaliningrad has been reopened after five years of reconstruction. This is one of the most important military airports for the naval aviation of the Baltic Fleet. That reports the press service of the Western military district. This means that about 20 aircrews can relocate back to Chkalovsk from their temporary base in Chernyakhovsk.

Chkalovsk has received what appears to have been much needed maintenance, but it has also been expanded significantly. This means that it is an airport with greater capabilities that reopens. The runway, taxiways, and apron have been fitted with concrete surfaces, which permits operations with all modern civilian or military aircraft. The runway has been made longer from 2600 meters to 3100 meters, and it has been improved so it is possible to operate more than one aircraft at a time. Last year, an An-26 transport aircraft did a test landing on the runway, during which they also verified the new electronic navigation systems that have been installed. I have illustrated the improvements to the airport with this graphic where you can move the slider to compare the satellite images from 2012 and 2018.

In addition to the purely flight related improvements, the reconstruction also includes facilities for maintenance of aircraft and equipment to support their operations. I am not personally a master of satellite forensics, so I will not speculate too much about what we see in the zoomed out comparison graphic below. But clearly there has been a lot of building activity to the West and South of the airfield.

The airport in Chkalovsk is a good example of the improvements that the Russian military experiences these days. There is money for investments in the support structure, even whilst Russia is fighting two minor wars in Syria and Ukraine. The geographical location in Kaliningrad gives Chkalovsk a strategic significance, and with a larger airfield there is flexibility to increase the size of the air detachment in Kaliningrad or to have other types of aircraft visit on a rotational basis.

In general, the military aircraft in Kaliningrad are operated by the 72nd Aviation Base of the Baltic Fleet. Until now, they have worked from three different airfields, but it is expected that they will concentrate their forces in Chkalovsk in the future.

Russia’s new Karakurt-class corvette is an aggressive little warship

2018-10-03 By Anders Puck Nielsen 1 Comment

Last week the Russian Navy began sea trials on the missile corvette Uragan. That reports the Pella Shipyard in a press release. This is the first ship of the Karakurt-class, so I thought it would be a good occasion to look closer at this quite interesting new ship.

Uragan is built in Saint Petersburg, and after completed sea trials it will serve in the Baltic Fleet. The sea trials will take place in the Baltic and in the White Sea. Overall, Russia plans to build 18 of these ships for use in all the country’s different fleets, so it is a program with a fair deal of commitment from the navy.

The Karakurt-class has the speed of a destroyer, the dimensions of a corvette, the firepower of a cruiser, and the silence of a submarine. At least that was the grandiose description that RIA Novosti made last year when the second ship Taifun was launched. Obviously, this is hyperbole, but it quite accurately encompasses what Russia is trying to do with the ship. They want to strike a balance where they get a lot of power in a platform that they can afford to mass produce and sustain.

The ship is not very big. At only 800 tons and 67 meters it obviously is no frigate. They are also less than half the size of the Steregushchiy-class corvettes, which hit a size-point that I am personally enthusiastic about. But the Karakurt-class does have an impressive weapons package, which makes it an aggressive opponent to deal with. It can carry up to eight Kalibr land attack missiles with a range up to 2500 kilometers or P-800 Oniks anti-ship missiles with a range of about 600 kilometers. And of course one should not forget that the Kalibr missile can carry a nuclear warhead. Karakurt literally is the name of the European black widow, and it seems fitting for the ship to carry the tag of a small spider with a deadly bite.

Fixes the shortcomings of the Buyan-M class

It is hard to talk about the Karakurt-class without comparing it to the Buyan-M class. The Russian Baltic Fleet currently has two ships of the Buyan-M class, namely Zelenyy Dol and Serpukhov.

Ostensibly, the two classes seem very similar. Both are newly designed corvettes with Kalibr missiles and approximately the same size and speed. But there are significant differences, and Karakurt is designed specifically to address some of the shortcomings of Buyan-M.

To understand the differences, it can be useful to start with the old categories of blue-water, green-water, and brown-water navies. Blue-water warfare is operations on the big oceans, green-water navies operate in the littoral areas, and brown-water operations refer to riverine warfare. The Buyan-M class is essentially a green-water ship that was designed to be brown-water capable. It can operate on the rivers and transit into the Caspian Sea. But ship design is largely about trade offs. As Russia experienced, the riverine qualities of Buyan-M significantly impaired the ship’s qualities in open waters. With a draft of only 2.6 meters, the center of gravity will be placed high in the ship, so it will be prone to forceful movements in the waves.

buyan-m class — Karakurt was designed to address the shortcomings of the Buyan-M Class (on the photo). Photo: mil.ru

The Karakurt-class is built specifically to address this problem. It has a larger draft of 4 meters, and it is 150 tons smaller than Buyan-M (800 tons compared to 950 tons). As a result it is possible to lower the center of gravity significantly. This gives the Karakurt-class much better abilities in rough sea. It is still a small ship, but it will handle green-water operations much better than Buyan-M. It will also be able to transit between operation areas more flexibly. To further facilitate longer operations, Karakurt carries provisions for 15 days at sea, while Buyan-M only can stay out for 10 days.

Another big difference between Buyan-M and Karakurt is the air defense systems. Buyan-M is essentially designed to operate close to land under the umbrella of land-based air defense systems. It has a single AK-630M-2 “Duet” close-in weapons gun as its only defense against airborne threats. From the start, Karakurt will be equipped with two of these CIWS, but beginning with the third ship in the class, it will have the brand new and highly capable Pantsir-M medium range combined missile and gun system.

Summary

The developments in long-range missile technology mean that the Karakurt-class can project power well into the blue-water zone. A ship in the Baltic Sea will be able to conduct precision strikes in Madrid with Kalibr missiles, or they can threaten a ship in the North Sea with Oniks missiles. And every one of these ships must be treated as a potential launcher for nuclear missiles, which gives them a strategic significance in themselves.

The Karakurt-class will not give Russia a blue-water navy. They are too small for that, and they do not have the endurance for sustained operations. But they will give a potent lift to the country’s green-water capabilities.

Karakurt-class corvette:

Length: 67 meters
Width: 11 meters
Draft: 4 meters
Displacement: 800 tons
Maximum speed: 30 knots
Range: 2500 nautical miles
Endurance: 15 days
Armamant:
– 1 x 76mm AK-176MA dual purpose gun
– 2 x 4 VLS cells with Kalibr or Oniks missiles
– 1 x Pantsir-M air defense system or 2 x AK-630M-2 CIWS

Russia reinforces Baltic Fleet with submarine ‘Alrosa’

2018-08-31 By Anders Puck Nielsen 3 Comments

Russia has decided to upgrade the submarine fleet in the Baltic Sea. This will happen through a transfer of the submarine Alrosa from the Black Sea Fleet to the Baltic Fleet. That reports Izvestia.

The Baltic Fleet will not actually increase the number of submarines, because an older one will be retired at the same time. But it does mean that the Baltic Fleet will replace an old and outdated submarine with a more modern and capable one.

At present, the Baltic Fleet has two submarines – Dmitrov and Vyborg. Dmitrov was commissioned in 1986 but has just completed a major update and is apparently in good shape. Vyborg, however, is about to be retired. It is the oldest remaining Kilo class in the Russian Navy, and it has not been modernized or received significant repairs in recent years. This summer, the destroyer Bespokoynyy was transferred to the Patriot Park in Kronstadt for a future as a museum ship, and it is expected that Vyborg can look forward to a similar fate. So when Alrosa comes to the Baltic, it will be a welcome addition for the Baltic Fleet.

Alrosa was originally commissioned in 1990. It is a unique kind of submarine, equipped with a pumpjet propulsion system instead of a propeller. This makes Alrosa more quiet compared to the standard Kilo, which is very quiet already. (Pictures of Alrosa’s pumpjet drive in dock can be seen here.) Technically, Alrosa is a project 877V submarine, so while it is a further development from the original project 877 Kilo, it is not the new project 636 Improved Kilo.

A curious detail in this regard is that the pumpjet propulsion system was made famous in Tom Clancy’s novel “The Hunt for Red October”, but in the movie the boat had a magnetohydrodynamic drive instead. In any case, it is about making a very silent drive.

The transfer to the Baltic Fleet will take place when the Black Sea Fleet receives new submarines that are under construction. This arrangement shows Russia’s priorities between its navies: The Black Sea Fleet is high on the list, and the Baltic Fleet is at the bottom.

The submarines in the Baltic Sea have a range of tasks that are not directly related to their primary purpose. They function as support vessels during sea trials of newly constructed submarines on the shipyards in the Baltic Region, and they serve as training platforms for new submarine crews from both Russia and other countries. And then they serve as training assets for the Baltic Fleet’s surface ships during anti-submarine exercises.

Baltic and Black Sea compared – deterred in the North

2018-08-07 By Anders Puck Nielsen Leave a Comment

Nikolas Gvosdev suggests we should pay more attention to the Black Sea in this article in War on the Rocks. According to him, Russia has managed to draw everybody’s attention to the Baltic area while quietly building up in the Black Sea:

Over the past several years, the Kremlin has mastered the Baltic feint: By engaging in aerial and maritime provocations in a region highly monitored by the West, Russia is able to entrench its position in the Black Sea without notice. While most U.S. strategists worry about the Suwalki Gap on the Polish-Lithuanian border as a potential Russian invasion route into Central Europe, it is Russia’s buildup in the Black Sea that should concern policymakers. By using the Black Sea as a springboard, Russia can project power beyond its immediate surroundings — into the Middle East, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean — and strengthen its reemergence as a great power.

I’d say that if you are a superpower, you should have the multi-tasking capacity to pay attention in both the Baltic and the Black Sea regions. But Gvosdev’s point is worthy of consideration.

Russia currently accepts the Baltic region as a more or less settled issue. They don’t expect a war in the North, and I see no indications that they are preparing an annexation of the Baltic countries. They make a lot of noise, and the rhetoric is definitely more heated than just five years ago. But essentially they seem satisfied with the status quo as far as borders are concerned. That does not mean that NATO can relax. It just means that for the time being the deterrence is working.

Black Sea atlas — Black Sea region. Source: Google Maps

The Black Sea is different. Russia is involved in two ongoing wars and several more or less frozen conflicts in the region. The South is the achilles heel of both NATO and the EU where internal tensions threaten the cohesion of the Western organizations. The fertile ground for Russian destabilizing information operations is not in the Baltic countries but in the Balkans.

So geopolitically the Black Sea region is a much more contested space than the Baltic region. It makes sense for Russia to prioritize its military units in that area. It shows where Russia expects to be involved in the next armed conflicts – the Black Sea area and around the Mediterranean. And of course it is a signal to the West not to get any ideas about a military solution to the disagreement over Crimea.

But things can change quickly, and military forces are mobile. Let’s not get complacent about the Baltic region. If NATO breaks down, we will see a much more assertive Russian military posture very quickly.

More details about naval parade in Saint Petersburg on 29 July

2018-07-06 By Anders Puck Nielsen Leave a Comment

The Navy Day Parade in Saint Petersburg is coming up, and news about the preparations are everywhere in the Russian military press. I find this interesting in a nerdy kind of way, but it also carries a professional significance because it involves a lot of Russian naval movements in the Baltic Sea.

So here is a summary of what I have picked up so far:

The parade takes place on 29 July. More than 40 ships and 38 aircraft will participate along with 4,000 soldiers from Russia’s four fleets and the Caspian Flotilla.

Some new equipment will be displayed, including the new missile corvette Uragan and the recently commissioned intelligence vessel Ivan Khurs.

From the Baltic Fleet, a group of ships have left Kaliningrad and are underway to Saint Petersburg. This includes the Buyan-M class Serpukhov, the Nanuchka class corvettes Liven and Geyzer, and the Tarantul class Chuvashiya.

On the Severomorsk Roads, a group from the Northern Fleet is forming before the journey. This includes the Slava class cruiser Marshal Ustinov, the Udaloy class destroyer Severomorsk, and the frigate Admiral Gorshkov which is still undergoing sea trials before official delivery from the shipbuilder.

The biggest ship in the parade will be the Antey class (Oscar II) submarine Orel which also comes from the Northern Fleet. I suspect it won’t join the group with Marshal Ustinov. First, it is much more convenient for a submarine to transit submerged. And second, for bureaucratic reasons it is easiest if the Russian ships transit the Danish straits in groups of maximum three ships, since larger groups require prior diplomatic notice. Of course the ships could regroup before transiting the Danish straits. It is Orel’s first visit to the Baltic Sea.

The Pacific Fleet has sent three Maritime Patrol Aircraft. These include two Tu-142 and one Il-38N.

In addition to this, there will also be participation of the long awaited new landing ship Ivan Gren, the Steregushchiy class corvette Soobrazitelnyy, the frigate Admiral Makarov, and two Kilo class submarines.

What to expect for naval parade in Saint Petersburg on 29 July 2018

2018-04-30 By Anders Puck Nielsen Leave a Comment

Russia celebrates Navy Day on the last Sunday of July, and last year a new tradition was established with a grand naval parade in Saint Petersburg. Ships from the Baltic, Northern, Mediterranean, and the Pacific fleets and from the Caspian Flotilla take part in the Grand Naval Parade.

In 2017 the parade got a lot of attention, and Vladimir Putin personally took part in the celebrations. Of particular interest was the participation of the Akula-class (Typhoon) submarine Dmitry Donskoy and the battlecruiser Pyotr Velikiy. China also sent a few ships for the parade and a subsequent naval exercise in the Baltic.

Putin on Naval Day 2017 — Grand Naval Parade in Saint Petersburg 2017. Photo: Kremlin.ru.

Now details are starting to emerge about the program for the 2018 show. The parade will include 41 ships, 25 aircraft, and more than 4,000 troops. Among the more notable participants are an Antey-class submarine (Oscar II class) and the missile cruiser Marshal Ustinov. There will also be a display of the newly commissioned missile corvette Uragan (Karakurt-class) and the frigate Admiral Makarov.

So although we will not see the world’s biggest submarine or battlecruiser this year, there should be plenty of other things to look at when the grand naval parade takes place on 29 July 2018.