Defense Technology International - July 2007 - (Page 18)

DISPATCHES GLOBAL LITTLE RED CORVETTE Russian navy upgrades surface ﬂeet with ﬁrst stealth ship MAXIM PYADUSHKIN•MOSCOW he Russian navy is developing a class of surface combatants as part of a larger effort to renew its aging and, in many cases, outdated ﬂeet. The ﬁrstin-class vessel, the corvette Stereguschiy, is a milestone in naval design, in that it represents Russia’s latest attempt to apply stealth technology to a frontline ship. The Stereguschiy, on display in June at the International Maritime Defense Show (IMDS) in St. Petersburg, was launched in late 2006 after ﬁve years of construction. It is scheduled to be commissioned in November following sea trials. The corvette is expected to operate as a multi-role patrol ship, engaging in littoral operations and in defense of Russia’s maritime borders and offshore economic zones in the Baltic and Black Seas. It will also participate in NATO counter-terror operations in the Mediterranean. This is a departure from the navy’s Cold War days of blue-water operations geared toward surveillance of, and confrontation with, the West. The need to patrol Russia’s lengthy coastline has taken on increased urgency in the face of growing threats from arms smugglers and drug trafﬁckers, terrorism and illegal immigration. Russia is also joining NATO’s Operation Active Endeavor in the Mediterranean, where modern surface combatants are needed for extended patrols to build up situational T awareness on shipping movements in the war on terror. The Project 20380 corvettes are set to replace the aging Grisha class of patrol frigates. The youngest of those were built in the early 1990s, based on a modiﬁed 1960s-era design. Despite the updated design, Grishas lack modern integrated combat, command and communications systems. The 94-meter-long, 90-man Stereguschiy, designed by marine design bureau Almaz in St. Petersburg, displaces 2,000 tons, has a 13-meter beam, a top speed of 27 kt. and a range of 4,000 naut. mi. at 14 kt. Almaz says it used various design techniques to “seriously decrease” the ship’s radar cross-section. The superstructure, for example, is made of composite materials with surfaces angled more than 7 deg. from the vertical; antennas are located within integrated masts, and the steel hull has a special shape that reduces bow waves and wake while increasing surface speed. Earlier Russian ships, including the Kirov-class nuclear-powered cruiser, were designed with canted surfaces to reduce radar cross-section, but did not use such features as integrated masts. Despite its use of stealth technology, the main objective of the program, according to Almaz, was to design a ship that can carry a large number of weapons on a relatively small hull. Almaz representatives refuse to discuss the weapons conﬁguration speciﬁed by the Russian navy, but some details of armament capabilities are revealed in the export version, the Project 20382 Tigr. Rosoboronexport State Corp., the Moscow-based state intermediary arms-trade agency, is brieﬁng Algeria, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates and Singapore on the new ship. It says the Tigr version will have either eight Yakhont supersonic antiship missiles (range 300 km.) or 16 Kh35E (Uran-E) subsonic anti-ship missiles (130 km.) for anti-surface warfare. The export version will also carry two twintube launchers for 533-mm. heavyweight torpedoes. Anti-air warfare capability will be provided by a new 100-mm. gun mount (type A-190E), integrated with a 5P-10E 360deg. ﬁre-control radar that tracks four targets simultaneously. The A-190E system was installed in three Talwar-class frigates exported to India in 2003-04, and can be used for naval gunﬁre support of land operations. Self-defense systems against air attacks include a Kashtan gun and missile system (the shipboard equivalent of the vehicle-mounted Tunguska) and eight mounts for Igla close-range surface-to-air missiles. The corvettes also have helicopter decks for use by the Kamov Ka-27 Helix. Signiﬁcant increases in military funding during the last few years have made it possible to ﬁnance development and construction of new ships. When Stereguschiy’s keel was laid down in December 2001, many in Russia were pessimistic about the program. The navy’s plan to order up to 40 corvettes was criticized as a drain on the service’s budget. Serious delays in construction were predicted. Now, three more ships in the class are under construction. The hull of the third ship, Soobrazitelny, is complete, and the Severnaya Verf shipyard is working on two more vessels. I SEVERNAYA VERF First-of-class corvette Stereguschiy is the ﬁrst Russian navy surface ship to use stealth technology in its design. 18 DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL JULY/AUGUST 2007 www.aviationweek.com/dti http://www.aviationweek.com/dti

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Defense Technology International - July 2007

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