Seaborne Pantsir-ME to increase export potential of Russian corvettes.

Seaborne Pantsir-ME air defense missile guns will help to increase the export potential of Karakurt-class guided missile corvettes of project 22800E, Ak Bars Shipyard CEO Renat Mistakhov told TASS.

The Pantsir-ME on display at IDEX 2019, UAE (Picture Source : Navy Recognition)

"The arming of project 22800 warships with Pantsir-ME increases their export potential on the global naval market," he said.

Rosoboronexport arms trader displayed warship mockups of Ak Bars and Zelenodolsk Shipyard at LIMA, including Karakurt-E corvette model with Pantsir-ME. The warship was designed by Almaz Bureau for the destruction of critically important coastal facilities and adversary ships either solo or in interaction with other forces, artificial stationary and floating objects, and for repelling air attacks. Additional missions include the fight against terrorists, search and rescue of ships and aircraft in distress, assistance to the coastguard.

The corvette is 67 meters long and 11 meters wide. The draft is 4 meters. The main power plant comprises two diesel engines M-507D-1 of 7360 KW each, one gas turbine M70FRU of 8830 KW. Maximum speed is 30 knots and the range is 2500 miles, the cruising capacity is 15 days. The corvettes are armed with 76mm automatic artillery gun AK-176MK and Pantsir-M (beginning from the third warship of the series). The first two have two 30mm small-caliber artillery guns AK-630. The superstructure accommodates eight-cell universal vertical launcher 3S-14 for Kalibr missiles. The warship is distinguished by high maneuverability, seaworthiness, stealth superstructure and hull architecture. It can carry Orlan-10 drone.

Former Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Viktor Chirkov said at the naval show in 2015 the fleet would receive at least 18 corvettes of project 22800. They have to replace outdated Molniya-class missile boats of project 12411 and Ovod-class boats of project 12341.

The contract for the first seven corvettes was signed with the Defense Ministry in late 2015 by Pella Shipyard in Leningrad region. Three corvettes have to be built by Morye Shipyard in Crimea, as Pella leases its capacities.

The first two corvettes (the Uragan later renamed into the Mytishchi, factory # 251, onboard #567) and the Typhoon (later the Sovetsk, factory #252, onboard number 577) were laid by Pella in December 2015. Morye laid the third corvette in Feodosiya in May 2016. It was named the Shtorm (later the Kozelsk, factory # 254). In late July 2016, Pella laid another corvette, the Shkval (later the Odintsovo, factory # 253, onboard # 584).

The Burya (factory # 257, onboard # 578) was laid on December 24, 2016. In was reported in March 2017 that three corvettes of project 22800 would be built in Feodosiya in 2018-2020. Morye laid the Okhotsk corvette (factory # 255) on March 17, 2017. The Vikhr (factory # 256) was laid on December 19 of the same year.

Another five corvettes will be built by the Gorky Shipyard in Zelenodolsk in Tatarstan according to a contract of August 5, 2016. Media said some of them are built by Zaliv Shipyard in Crimean Kerch which is controlled from Zelenodolsk. Mistakhov said in June 2017 that the whole series of warships would be completed by 2020. Open sources said Morye laid the Tsirkon and the Passat (factory # 801 and 802) in 2016. The shipyard in Zelenodolsk laid the Briz (factory # 803) on July 30, 2017 and the Tucha (factory # 804) on February 26, 2019.

At Army-2017 forum, the Russian Defense Ministry signed additional contracts for the delivery of project 22800 corvettes. They were inked by Yuri Borisov, Pella CEO Herbert Tsaturov, Zelenodolsk Shipyard CEO Renat Mistakhov. The exact number of ordered warships was not disclosed.

In July 2017, then Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov said project 22800 corvettes for the Pacific fleet will be built in the Far East. At Army-2018 forum the Defense Ministry and two Far Eastern shipyards signed contracts for the construction of six corvettes of project 22800 by 2026. According to the first contract, Vostochnaya verf Shipyard in Vladivostok has to build two corvettes by 2023. Another four will be built by Amur Shipyard in Komsomolsk-on-Amur by 2026.

Thus, Russian shipyards are currently building and testing ten corvettes of project 22800 - the Sovetsk, the Odintsovo, the Burya (at Pella), the Kozelsk, the Okhotsk, the Vikhr (at Morye), the Tsiklon and the Passat (at Zaliv), the Briz and the Tucha (in Zelenodolsk). According to a 2016 contract, the latter will soon lay the Smerch corvette (factory # 805). The lead warship of 22800 project, the Mytishchi, was handed over to the Navy in December 2018 and joined the 36th brigade of Baltic fleet missile boats.

Open sources said the Sovetsk, the Odintsovo, the Burya would also operate in the Baltic fleet. The Kozelsk, the Okhotsk, the Vikhr, the Tsiklon, the Passat and the Briz are built for the Black Sea fleet. Another six corvettes the construction of which is likely to begin at Vostochnaya verf and Amur Shipyard in 2019 will operate in the Pacific fleet.

It was reported at Army forum that project 22800 corvettes can have three export options with a displacement of 860, 870 and 900 tons. One of them is armed with Pantsir-ME, the second - with Kashtan-M, and the third with automatic artillery Palma close defense complex. The options have different power plants. Russian M-507D-1 and M70FRU main engines or foreign GE LM1500 of General Electric and MTU can be used.

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