Russian Navy tests Odintsovo project 22800 corvette in Arctic.

The Russian Navy completed tests of the latest Karakurt-class corvette of project 22800 in the Arctic. It was previously unknown how far the warship can operate in low temperatures and bad weather. The Odintsovo corvette fulfilled all missions during a two-month sortie in the Barents and White Seas and trained missile fire. Experts believe the possibility to redeploy cruise missile carriers from the Baltic Sea to the Arctic will radically strengthen the Russian Arctic force, the Izvestia daily writes.
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Odintsovo, a Karakurt-class corvette of project 22800 (Picture source: video footage Youtube update defense)

Russian Defense Ministry sources said the Odintsovo trials were successful. It sailed to the northern latitudes in August by inland waterways, fulfilled the missions, and returned to St. Petersburg.

Project 22800 corvettes are small ships with a displacement of 800 tons. They carry Kalibr missiles, 76.2mm AK-176MA gun, and can be also armed with Onix antiship missiles. The corvettes also carry Ortlan-10 drone having a range of 120 km and used as a scout and pointer. Drones make warships practically invisible, as they do not have to switch on radars and be detected by the adversary. Project 22800 corvettes are equipped with modern combat controls, detection, guidance and communication means.

The Odintsovo is the third warship of the series. It differs from predecessors by their Pantsir-M air defense missile gun system which comprises eight launchers and two-six barrel 30mm speed guns, enabling to shoot down cruise and antiship missiles, drones, airplanes and helicopters.

Pantsir-M air defense missile gun system (Picture source: Army Recognition)

The Odintsovo is to operate in the 1st Squadron of the 36th Missile Boat Brigade of the Baltic Fleet. It is based in Baltiisk in Kaliningrad region. The Mytishchi and the Sovetsk first two corvettes of the project are already on duty there.

The Baltic Sea does not have enough space for missile launches, even to a half of the range distance, former Navy Chief-of-Staff Admiral Valentin Selivanov said. Therefore, the corvette test fired missiles in northern seas. The successful completion of the mission in complicated weather makes their redeployment to the Northern fleet possible. “The small ship was tested in bad weather to see how the weapons operate in 5-7 force sea. In case the situation aggravates in the North and major adversary forces appear there, the corvettes can be redeployed from the Baltic Sea,” he said.

Project 22800 corvettes are delivered to the Navy in the biggest numbers. Eighteen corvettes have been ordered. They will be equally shared by the Pacific, Baltic and the Black Sea fleets.

Besides the Odintsovo, the Zeleny Dol Buyan-M-class corvette of project 21631 was also tested in the northern seas. The Baltic fleet warship arrived in the trial area by the Neva River, Lake Ladoga and Belomorsko-Baltiisky Canal. While in the Northern fleet, it called at Severodvinsk and Severomorsk. In the White Sea it live fired a Kalibr cruise missile, the Izvestia said.

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