Russian navy to receive container air defence system.

The Russian Navy will receive container-carried air defense weapons, the Izvestia daily writes.

The Admiral Gorshkov guided missile frigate of the Russian Navy. (Picture: Russian MoD)

Unique container Redut and Pantsir-M antiaircraft complexes have been designed for project 20386 corvettes and project 22160 patrol ships. The containers can be delivered by a freighter or an airlifter to any part of the World Ocean. The Defense Ministry has made a decision in principle to create the container weapons and formulated technical requirements to them, the Navy told the newspaper.

"Container air defense will increase combat sustainability of warships. The corvettes and patrol ships have mostly to fight submarines and the weapons they have were designed for the mission. The small ships usually carry compact close combat air defense weapons with few missiles. But they can engage in combat missions and defend convoys or naval bases at distant approaches from air attacks when it is necessary to strengthen seaborne air defense. Container weapons are irreplaceable in this case, as they radically increase the firepower, former Navy Chief-of-Staff Admiral Valentin Selivanov told the newspaper.

The Navy said it paid specific attention to the container option of Pantsir-M antiaircraft gun. It was for the first time displayed in 2017. The basis was borrowed from ground Pantsir-S, however two 30mm six-barrel AO-18KD guns of increased ballistics replaced coaxial 30mm weapon. The sight radius is 4 thousand meters. The weapon can effectively destroy targets at altitudes of 3 km. Missiles are the main weapon. Eight antiaircraft missiles are constantly on duty and another 32 stand by. The radar creates a total target interception zone of 15 km in altitude and over 20 km in range. The weapon can simultaneously fire at several targets.

The Pantsir-M was presented at Army 2017

New-generation warships are armed with Redut. It comprises Poliment radar with four phased antenna arrays. The missiles are kept in vertical launchers comprising modules of four or eight cells each. The weapon can simultaneously fire at 16 targets. The practical range is 400 km.

Russian warships are already armed with the weapon. In particular, it has been installed on the Soobrazitelny corvette of project 20380 and subsequent warships of the series, as well as the Admiral Gorshkov frigate of project 22350. The Soobrazitelny held several exercises in the past years to fire antiaircraft missiles. They were all recognized as successful, the Izvestia said.

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