New ships before the end of the year
Bookmark SSBN "Emperor Alexander III", December 2015
There are only a few weeks left until the end of this year. This means that in the near future the navy will receive new ships, submarines and vessels of various types. Domestic shipbuilding enterprises have already completed their construction and testing, and now preparations are underway for transfer to the customer. In accordance with the old tradition, acceptance acts will be signed in the last weeks or days of the year, as they say, “under the Christmas tree.”
New submarines
On November 21, a regular meeting of the Board of the Ministry of Defense was held, during which various issues of military development, combat use, etc. were discussed. Minister Sergei Shoigu made opening remarks at the meeting. He raised several topics, incl. construction and acceptance of new warships and submarines.
According to the minister, the development of the naval component of strategic nuclear forces continues to receive special attention. In the past, three Project 955A Borey-A submarine cruisers were built for the Navy, and state tests of the next ship, the Emperor Alexander III, are now being completed.
This year, the non-strategic component of the submarine force will also be replenished. Three multi-purpose submarines were built and tested for them. These ships carry the Caliber missile system and are capable of solving a wide range of tasks.
On November 22, additional information appeared about the planned acceptance of new submarines. It was revealed by the publication Izvestia, citing its sources in the defense department and the shipbuilding industry. It is reported that four new submarines will be accepted fleet in the near future, and the acts on them will be signed in one day.
The multi-purpose nuclear submarine "Krasnoyarsk" is taken out of the boathouse, July 2021.
Izvestia’s sources also clarified which submarines they are talking about. The Ministry of Defense is going to receive the strategic missile carrier "Emperor Alexander III" project 955A, the multi-purpose submarine "Krasnoyarsk" project 885M "Yasen", as well as the diesel-electric "Kronstadt" (project 677 "Lada") and "Mozhaisk" (project 636.3 "Varshavyanka"). The two accepted nuclear submarines and the diesel-electric submarine Mozhaisk will later go to the Pacific Ocean. "Kronstadt", in turn, is intended for the Northern Fleet.
Izvestia writes that the signing of acceptance certificates for four submarines and the raising of the Navy flag on them was tentatively planned for November 30. However, these events were then postponed a few days to the right. They will be held as part of the next Unified Day for the Acceptance of Military Products in the first ten days of December.
Surface fleet
At a meeting of the Board of the Ministry of Defense, the head of the department also recalled the ongoing construction of surface ships of various classes and types. This year, the Russian Navy has already received two multi-purpose corvettes and one small missile ship. It is planned to accept several more pennants by the end of the year.
Plans for the coming weeks include the transfer of three new small missile ships and one mine countermeasures ship. In addition, the new frigate Project 22350 “Admiral Golovko” is undergoing state tests, but the minister did not even give an approximate time frame for its acceptance.
MRK "Burya" after launching, October 2018
Izvestia clarified which ships we are talking about. Thus, the fleet will receive another small missile ship, Project 21631 Buyan-M, under the name Naro-Fominsk. The delivery of the Burya MRK, built at 22800 Karakurt Ave., is also expected. According to recent data, they will be transferred to the Baltic Fleet. The publication’s sources do not have information about the third rocket ship.
The Navy's mine countermeasures forces, in turn, will receive a new ship, Project 12700 "Alexandrite" - "Lev Chernavin". In the foreseeable future, it will make an inter-fleet transition and enter the combat composition of the Pacific Fleet.
Overall results
In his speech, S. Shoigu not only mentioned the acceptance of new ships, but also revealed the general plans and future achievements of the fleet. Thanks to the construction of new pennants, the Navy reaches a new level and demonstrates high performance of various kinds, which directly affects its combat effectiveness.
Thus, the renewal and modernization of the strategic submarine forces has reached the required levels. According to the minister, to date the share of modern submarine cruisers in this component of the Navy and strategic nuclear forces has reached 100%. Apparently, such calculations took into account both the new Borei and the Project 667BDRM submarines modernized in recent years.
Non-strategic submarines of all major projects, as well as various surface ships, are considered primarily as platforms for long-range precision missile weapons. The construction of such ships continues successfully and is producing the desired results. S. Shoigu noted that by the end of the year, taking into account the ships being accepted into the fleet, the number of such platforms will exceed 40 units.
MRK "Naro-Fominsk" before completion, December 2022
Positive trends
Thus, in the coming weeks, eight new ships and submarines of different classes and projects will be included in the combat strength of the Russian Navy. They are intended for strategic and conventional forces and must make a certain contribution to the overall combat effectiveness of both their fleets and the Navy as a whole.
It should be noted that we are talking specifically about the delivery of orders to the navy. This means that the ships have already been built, have passed all the necessary tests and are ready for service. It is only necessary to draw up the relevant documents and resolve organizational issues. The postponement of the date of signing the acceptance certificates, which Izvestia writes about, is not a problem and is not associated with any difficulties.
In general, the latest news the imminent delivery of the ships to the customer gives cause for optimism. They show that the domestic military shipbuilding industry, despite all the difficulties, copes with the implementation of government contracts and provides the Navy with the ships it requires. At the same time, the work is carried out efficiently and rhythmically, as a result of which the ceremonies for handing over new pennants become a regular and familiar occurrence.
Thus, the construction of strategic missile carriers Project 955A “Borey” has reached the planned pace, and since 2020 the fleet has received one such submarine annually. It is expected that this schedule will continue in the future. The process of construction of the multi-purpose “Ash” project 855M is gradually improving. In 2021, we managed to deliver two such nuclear submarines, but the acceptance of the next one had to be postponed. It is assumed that after 2023-24. these submarines will be delivered annually.
Minesweeper "Lev Chernavin", October 2023
The construction of diesel-electric “Varshavyankas” has been established for a long time and has not encountered any difficulties. The current series of six submarines for the Pacific Fleet is being successfully built, and the customer takes delivery of new ships every year. The implementation of the 677 Lada project cannot be called as successful, but now the situation is changing. After many years of waiting, the Navy will soon receive the first production diesel-electric submarine of this type, and at least three more are expected in the coming years.
The situation with small missile ships also looks optimistic. The construction of the MRK pr. 21631 “Buyan-M” continues, and the 11th pennant of this type is expected. At the same time, construction of the next building continues. The construction of the new RTO, 22800 Karakurt Ave., is of great interest. It is being carried out at three factories at once, which have already delivered the first four ships of the series to the Navy. There are about a dozen more orders at various stages of construction.
More successful is the program for the construction of minesweepers pr. 12700 “Alexandrite”. The Lev Chernavin, which is preparing for delivery, is already the eighth ship of its type and will not be the last. The construction of the Alexandrites has been well developed, and starting in 2019, the industry annually transfers one or two such ships to the Ministry of Defense.
Progress for the fleet
Thus, the Russian shipbuilding industry, represented by all major enterprises, continues to fulfill orders from the Ministry of Defense and build ships of a number of modern projects needed by the navy. There are a significant number of strategic and multi-purpose submarines, various surface ships with modern weapons, etc. on the stocks, at the outfitting wall, and also undergoing testing.
In the near future it will be possible to observe further results of these processes. As reported, during the upcoming Unified Day of Acceptance of Military Products, the Russian Navy will receive several new submarines and surface ships. However, construction of the following orders will continue, and new acceptance and flag raising ceremonies will take place next year.
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