Russian Karakurt class corvette Sovetsk test-fires Kalibr cruise missile.

According to information published by Tass on August 31, 2021, the Baltic Fleet’s missile corvette Sovetsk test-launched a Kalibr-NK cruise missile from the White Sea in the Arctic, the Fleet’s press office reported.
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Project 22800 corvette Sovetsk (Picture source: Russian Ministry of Defense)

Before the missile firing, the corvette Sovetsk passed over from the Baltic to the White Sea. Over the time of its transit, the warship’s crew held over 30 shipborne exercises to provide for the operation of combat posts in passing through narrow waters, conduct maneuvering and radio exchange in intensive shipping lanes and carry out anti-saboteur defense in an unprotected roadstead. Overall, the warship’s crew covered a distance of over 3,300 nautical miles, the statement says.

The missile corvette Sovetsk has begun moving back to its Baltiysk home naval base, the press office said.

The Karakurt class, Russian designation Project 22800 Karakurt, is a class of corvettes (small missile ships in Russian classification) under construction for the Russian Navy.

Ships of the class have a stealth-shaped superstructure with an integrated mast carrying four phased array radar panels. The primary armament consists of Kalibr cruise missiles or P-800 Oniks supersonic anti-ship missiles carried in eight UKSK VLS cells in the rear part of the superstructure, behind the bridge.

The corvettes built for the Russian Navy will be equipped with a 76.2 mm AK-176MA automatic dual-purpose gun, a modernized version of the AK-176.

The 3M-54 Kalibr, also referred to it as 3M54-1 Kalibr, 3M14 Biryuza, 91R1, 91RT2 is a group of Russian surface ship-, submarine-launched and airborne anti-ship and coastal anti ship (AShM), land attack cruise missiles (LACM) and anti-submarine missiles developed by the Novator Design Bureau (OKB-8).

3M14T (Kalibr-NK) is the inertial guidance land attack variant which is deployed by the Russian Navy. A surface ship with VLS launched missile, with thrust vectoring booster, its basic length is 8.9 m (29 ft), its warhead weight and other performance are the same as the 3M14K.