Russia's Pacific Fleet to be supplemented with surface warships

In the next few years, the new ship will add to the surface component of the "operational-strategic Navy, a means of ensuring Russia's security in the Asia-Pacific region."

Illustration photo. Photo: AP

Amur Shipyard is the largest shipbuilding enterprise in the Russian Far East. The company builds and repairs vessels with a “load” of up to 10,000 tons, up to 150 m long, up to 15 m wide. This unit builds warships (surface ships, submarines) and various civilian vessels: tugboats, floating dock ships, emergency rescue ships, cargo-passenger-rail-container ferries, chemical tankers, river environmental monitoring ships, self-propelled pontoon cranes (coastal ships loading and unloading goods on shore), fishing boats, dry cargo ships, timber ships.

"Currently, ASZ is the most efficient surface shipbuilding enterprise for the Russian Navy. The future combat power of the Pacific Fleet is largely connected with the plant, with your illustrious team," Admiral Sergei Avakyants noted in his speech.

Previously, three "multipurpose corvettes" of the "project 20380" were built at the plant: "Sovershenyui" (2017), "Gromky" (2018) and "Hero of Russia Aldar Tsydenzhapov" (2020) (in honor of the sailor of the Pacific Fleet, who died in 2010 while performing official duties). Currently, these ships are part of the operational component of the Pacific Fleet. Displacement (according to the manufacturer and open sources of information) 2220 tons, maximum speed 27 knots, range up to 4,000 miles.

The ship's armament includes: Uran anti-ship missile system with Kh-35 cruise missiles, Redut air defense missiles (SAM) (similar to the S-350 Vityaz on land), anti-submarine complexes with 324 mm torpedoes, 100 mm artillery platforms, Ka-27 helicopters. Several ships of this class are being built and tested at sea for the Pacific Fleet.

The multipurpose corvettes of Project 20385, including the recently launched Bystryui, are a further development of Project 20380. They have a larger displacement, more powerful weapons: more ammunition for the Redut air defense system and cruise missiles Kalibr-NK, Onyx (export version - Yakhont) and even hypersonic missiles "Zircon". Western experts believe that these ships belong to a more powerful class - frigates capable of "operating" in distant waters. One such ship - Gremyashi - has already equipped the Pacific Fleet. And at the ASZ, two more are being built, more precisely, already three. Equipping the Russian Navy with new warships is a planned process.