The Russian Navy will receive new guided missile corvettes.

On February 27, the Project 22800 (NATO reporting name: Karakurt-class) ‘Tucha’ (Cloud) guided missile corvette was laid down at the Zelenodolsk Shipyard named after M Gorky (a subsidiary of Ak Bars). During the official ceremony, the head of the Navy`s shipbuilding department Rear Admiral Vladimir Tryapichnikov said the service would get no fewer than 18 Project 22800 corvettes with a possible option for several more ships of the type. "These surface combatants will be constructed at the shipyards that are located in the Far East, the Republic of Tatarstan, and the Northwestern Region," said Tryapichnikov, adding that the Navy had already begun training crews for the Project 22800 guided missile corvettes at the service`s Joint Training Center.

Project 22800 Karakurt-class guided missile corvette, the Uragan. First ship of the class (Picture source : Russianarms)

The Project 22800 Karakurt-class guided missile corvette has been designed by the Central Marine Design Bureau (TsMKB) Almaz, a subsidiary of the United Shipbuilding Corporation. The ship is intended to engage enemy`s critically important objects in green waters, destroy hostile surface combatants and offshore installations, and repel air attacks. The platform can also eliminate frogmen, conduct search-and-rescue operations, and support coast guard assets.

The Project 22800 corvette is 67 m long and 11 m wide and has a full displacement of approximately 860 t and a draught of 2.8 m. The ship is powered by two M-507D-1 diesel engines with a power output of 7,360 kWt each and an 8,830-kWt M70FRU gas-turbine powerplant. The corvette features a top speed of up to 35 knots, an economical speed of 12 knots, a cruising range of 2,500 nautical miles, and an endurance of 12 days.

The ship launches missile at Level 5 sea state and has a Level 9 sea state seaworthiness. The ship`s armament suite comprises an AK-176MA 76 mm naval gun and a Pantsir-ME anti-aircraft gun-missile (AAGM) system (the first two ships are fitted with two AK-630M close-in weapon systems each instead of the Pantsir-ME; the navalized Greyhound is mounted on the third ship and will be integrated with the following Karakurt-class corvettes). The AAGM system features an ammunition load of 40 missiles, including eight ready-use on a launcher and 32 in an under-deck storage system.

The ship is also equipped with an eight-cell 3S-14 vertical launch system for the Kalibr (SS-N-27 Sizzler) cruise missile system, which is located in the platform`s superstructure. The Project 22800 corvette features an increased seaworthiness, high maneuverability, and low radar signature of its superstructure and hull. The ship can carry an Orlan-10 unmanned aerial vehicle.

Five more Project 22800 corvettes will be constructed at the Zelenodolsk under the contract that was signed on August 5, 2016. According to some media outlets, several ships are being built at the Zaliv Shipyard (Kerch, the Republic of Crimea), a subsidiary of the Zelenodolsk Shipyard. Director General of the Ak Bars Shipbuilding Corporation Renat Mistakhov said this series of the ships would have been built by 2020. According to the open sources, the ‘Cyclon’ (factory number: 801) and ‘Passat’ (factory number: 802) ships were laid down in 2016. On July 30, 2017, the plant laid the keel of the ‘Breeze’ (factory number: 803) corvette. The ‘Tucha’ ship was laid down in Zelenodolsk on February 26.

According to the open sources, ‘Sovetsk’, ‘Odintsovo’, and ‘Burya’ will also be delivered to the Baltic Fleet, while ‘Kozelsk’, ‘Okhotsk’, ‘Vikhr’, ‘Cyclon’, ‘Passat’, and ‘Breeze’ are intended for the Black Sea Fleet. The six corvettes, which will be built at the Eastern Shipyard and the Amur Shipyard, will be issued to the Pacific Fleet.

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