Construction of project 20380 corvettes. Two ships this year
Corvette Zealous (now Mercury) at the factory, December 2019. Photo: bmpd.livejournal.com
The Russian shipbuilding industry continues the program of serial construction of multi-purpose corvettes of project 20380 "Steregushchiy". Two next ships of this type are currently being tested at sea ranges and are being prepared for future service. According to current plans, they will be handed over to the customer this year. At the same time, several more buildings are at different stages of construction.
Work in progress
The construction of corvettes pr. 20380 has been underway since the beginning of the 2001s. The first to master it was the Severnaya Verf plant (St. Petersburg). The lead ship of the Guardian series was laid down in 2008 and handed over to the Navy in 2011. In 14-XNUMX three more corvettes were handed over. All built pennants became part of the Baltic fleet. Then the project was finalized taking into account the accumulated experience, and after a break, Severnaya Verf laid down the next order.
In 2006, the Amur Shipbuilding Plant (Komsomolsk-on-Amur) joined the construction of new corvettes. From 2017 to 2020, he handed over three ships to the Pacific Fleet, and construction continues. Its results are expected in the foreseeable future.
In February 2015, in St. Petersburg, the seventh in the series (by date of laying) corvette pr. 20380, named Zealous, was laid down. The construction of this ship in the workshop continued until March 2020, when it was launched. Shortly thereafter, the crew was formed and the process of his training began. At the end of the same year, the corvette was brought to factory sea trials.
Launching Zealous, March 2020. Photo by USC
In October 2021, the Zealous ship changed its name. It was named "Mercury" - in honor of the famous brig of the XNUMXth century, which distinguished itself in an unequal battle with the Turkish squadron. Another ship, originally built under the name "Mercury", became "Daring".
In July 2016, the Amur Shipbuilding Plant began construction of its fourth and ninth corvette in the general series, pr. 20380, under the name "Sharp". Assembly on the slipway took exactly five years, and in July 2021 the ship was launched. By the end of the year, construction was completed, after which mooring trials began. The corvette entered factory sea trials in April 2022, when weather conditions allowed.
The future of Mercury
Since the end of 2020, the Mercury corvette has been undergoing all the necessary tests. At the training grounds of the Baltic Sea, it demonstrates its running and maneuvering characteristics, uses weapons, etc. If necessary, certain improvements are made to correct the identified shortcomings. "Sharp" has been participating in similar events, but at the Pacific ranges, since April last year.
From the moment the ships were launched, the possible dates for conducting and completing tests, as well as transferring them to the customer, were called. At the same time, forecasts of this kind were repeatedly revised, and the expected delivery dates shifted to the right. The reasons for these delays are not specified. Nevertheless, by now we have managed to cope with all the problems, and the current plans again look optimistic.
On February 7, the leadership of Severnaya Verf and the relevant bodies of the High Command of the Fleet reported to the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Admiral Nikolai Evmenov, about the ongoing work. It is reported that the Mercury corvette is undergoing the next stage of testing, during which it demonstrates the operation of all systems and assemblies. General ship systems, electronic equipment and weapons are being checked.
"Sharp" is preparing for testing, December 2021. Photo by USC
The Commander-in-Chief was also informed that the tests of the Mercury were nearing completion. Accordingly, in the near future the ship will be ready for transfer to the customer. It can be expected that the act of acceptance will be signed within the next few months.
According to known data, the corvette "Mercury" is intended for the Black Sea Fleet. After acceptance, the ship and crew will make an inter-naval transition from the construction site to the service site. How soon this will happen is unclear. The timing of such a campaign depends both on the pace of preparations and plans of the Ministry of Defense, and on the military-political situation. The fact is that in connection with the Ukrainian crisis, Turkey imposed restrictions on the passage of warships through the Black Sea straits. How exactly the Mercury will get to its new base has not yet been reported.
"Sharp" on trials
At the same time, the next serial corvette "Rezkiy" is being tested at the KTOF training grounds. In April last year, factory sea trials began. Activities of this kind continued until autumn. At the end of December, the ship entered the first stage of state trials. According to the disclosed data, it will continue during the first quarter of 2023.
The next stages of state tests should also take place during the current year. Based on their results, a decision will be made on the acceptance of the ship into the Navy. In the absence of serious difficulties, the customer will accept "Sharp" in the second half of the year.
"Mercury" on trials, December 2022. Photo by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
Unlike the Mercury, the next corvette of the series will be able to start service almost immediately after signing the acceptance certificate. Thus, the ship and its crew will not have to make a long inter-naval transition and perform other complex activities.
Next ships
It should be recalled that the series of corvettes pr. 20380 will not end on "Mercury" and "Sharp". Several more such ships are at different stages of construction, which will be handed over to the customer over the next years. In addition, several orders for the construction of ships of modernized projects are being carried out.
On the same day as Mercury in 2015, Severnaya Verf laid down another corvette under the name Strict. In 2019, the hull, in a low degree of readiness, was taken out of the shop and launched. The construction of the ship continues, but it is not yet ready for testing. The timing of the completion of the necessary work is also not specified. Perhaps the pace of work on the new corvette will increase after the delivery of Mercury.
Against the backdrop of testing "Sharp" Amur Shipyard continues to build the next two pennants. So, in August 2021, the laying of the next Grozny corvette took place. About a month later, the Bravy ship was laid down. While they are in the assembly shop and are built on the slipway. Launching is scheduled for 2024-25. Accordingly, no later than 2025-26. two of these ships will replenish the Pacific Fleet.
In the recent past, on the basis of the base "20380", new projects of multi-purpose corvettes were created, and promising ships are already being built on them. Yes, in 2020. KTOF received the head corvette pr. 20385 - Thundering, built by Severnaya Verf.
Transportation of the add-on for "Daring" (at that time "Mercury"), July 2021. Photo by USC
The second ship of this type, "Agile", has already been built and managed to pass part of the tests. However, in December 2021, a fire broke out on it, after which restoration of the structures is required. In this regard, the delivery of the corvette has been postponed from 2022 to 2023-24.
Amur Shipyard, in turn, received an order for four corvettes pr. 20385. The first of them was laid down in August 2021; the next two began to be built in the summer of 2022. The laying of the fourth is expected in the near future. According to the established schedule, these ships will be launched annually, starting in 2025. Handover to the customer will begin in 2026. All four ships are reportedly being built for KTOF.
The next step in the development of the corvette family is project 20386. According to it, since 2016, the Daring ship has been built in St. Petersburg (it was laid down as the Mercury). In March 2021, it was launched and sent for completion. The upgraded project provides for the use of a number of new systems, incl. advanced propulsion system. In this context, there are some difficulties, and therefore the deadlines for completion of construction cannot yet be named.
Great future
Thus, the program for the construction of multi-purpose corvettes pr. 20380 is successfully moving forward. Necessary work is carried out and emerging problems are solved. As a result, the pace of construction is gradually increasing, and the customer regularly receives new ships.
Plans for the construction of corvettes pr. 20380/20385/20386 are scheduled for several years ahead, almost until the end of the decade. As a result of their implementation, the Navy will receive almost two dozen new ships. And the next results of such processes are expected this year - the corvettes "Mercury" and "Sharp" will enter the fleet.
Information