Russian
Navy sources reported to Izvestia that the Navy needs at least 18 landing/amphibious
ships. With the four Mistrals LHD ordered covering 50% of this need,
Russian Navy still needs about 10 more ships.
The first two Mistrals will be delivered in 2014, but next year Russian
Navy will receive another class of landing ship: The Project 11711 Ivan
Gren class. If tests are conclusive, Russian Navy is likely to order
several more ships of this class to cover its needs in amphibious vessels.
Project 11711 ships are smaller than Mistrals which makes them more
convenient for deployment in the
enclosed Black and Baltic seas. A ship like that is capable of landing
300 marines, 40 armored personnel
carriers, or 13 tanks.
The Ivan Gren
has two helicopters, a 76mm caliber cannon, two AK-630 antiaircraft
guns, and multiple
launch rocket systems. The ship whose water displacement is 5,000 tons
cost the Russian budget 5 million rubles.
Insiders say that the Ivan Gren is the only Project 11711 ship under
construction. A source said, "A year ago, we began negotiations
over construction of another one but nothing came of it."
Unless construction of new Project 11711 ships is initiated, the Russian
Navy is doomed to the use of the old landing ships of the 1960s, 70s,
and 80s vintage, mostly of Polish origin. The Russian Navy currently
includes 15 ships such as these and three Soviet landing ships of Project
1171.
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A source within the
Defense Ministry said, "The Navy needs at least 18 ships of this
class. Say, four Mistrals will meet approximately 50% of the requirements
and leave the rest to smaller ships like the Ivan Gren."
As for the delays with construction of another Project 11711 ship, insiders
explain that decisions to launch serial construction are always made after
test runs of the first ship. A source said, "Do not forget that Gren's
predecessors were made for the Soviet Navy in Poland. We are kind of learning
to build big landing ships."
Delays may also be explained by the fact that the military is waiting
for sea trials of the ship to occur and ask the manufacturer to conduct
some changes. This, in essence, besides the fact that it would generate
additional time-related changes to the original plan, would result in
a "Project 1171.1M." |
However, landing
ships are not the Navy's first priority according to some. Captain
1st Class (Ret.) Konstantin Sivkov explains: "Landing ships will
be needed only if and when our Navy is ordered to participate in NATO
operations which is unlikely."
Konstantin Makienko of
the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Techniques pointed out that
the Russian
Navy needed fighting ships more than it did landing craft. Makienko
said, "The way I see it, we need escorts- corvettes, frigates,
destroyers. That's what the Navy is short of, these days."
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