Russian Navy: Status & News #1

MOSCOW, May 28 (Itar-Tass) —— The Russian Defence Ministry has signed contracts with Sevmash and Rubin for five Project 955A upgraded Borei A submarines, United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) spokesman Alexei Kravchenko said on Monday, May 28.

Two contracts have been signed under the state defence order for 2012: one with the Sevmash shipyard to build five serial upgraded Borei class submarines and with the Rubin Central Design Bureau for Marine Engineering for R&D for these submarines.

Borei-class submarines are designed by Rubin. They are armed with Bulava ICBMs. The submarines are 170 metres long, 13.5 metres wide, their collapse depth 450 metres and they have a crew 107 sailors.

According to USC President Roman Trotsenko, “This event [the signing of the contracts] is important for all domestic shipbuilders and workers of more than a thousand enterprises involved in the cooperation... as a result of the talks a compromise was reached and a mutually acceptable pricing formula was agreed to, which makes it possible to ensure the implementation of important contracts for national defence capability and to keep the shipbuilding industry busy until 2020.”

According to the Navy’s Main Staff, serial Project 955A Borei-class submarines will carry 20, not 16, Bulava ICBMs starting from the fourth submarine Svyatitel Nikolai.

Borei-class submarines are designed by the St. Petersburg-based Naval Design Bureau Rubin. Each submarine can be armed with 12 ICBMs with MIRVs. They will also have an escape capsule for all crewmembers. A Borei-class submarine is 170 metres long and 13.5 meters wide, it can sink to a depth of 450 metres and has a crew of 17 sailors.

The Borei claims to be a state-of-the-art submarine, featuring characteristics superior to any submarine currently in service, such as the ability to cruise silently and be less detectable to sonar. Advances include a compact and integrated hydrodynamically efficient hull for reduced broadband noise and the first ever use of pump-jet propulsion on a Russian nuclear submarine.

The submarine will be armed with Bulava missiles. The Bulava carries the NATO reporting name SS-NX-30 and has been assigned the GRAU index 3M30. In international treaties, the common designation RSM-56 is used.

The first Borei-class nuclear-powered submarine Yury Dolgoruky will join the Navy in the summer of 2012.

The Yuri Dolgoruky was the first strategic missile submarine to be launched in seventeen years since the end of the Soviet era. It was the first Russian (rather than Soviet) vessel. Currently, there are two more Borei class submarines under construction, named Alexander Nevsky and Vladimir Monomakh. The planned contingent of twelve strategic submarines is expected to be commissioned within the next decade (five “Project 955” are planned for purchase until 2015).

The Defence Ministry said earlier that it planned to build at least eight new Borei-class submarines that should become the main naval component core of Russia's strategic nuclear forces.

Russia gets new deep-sea research ship

A new ship for deep-sea reasearch will enter service with the Russian Navy later this month, officials said on Wednesday.

The Seliger has set sail for the Azov port of Timryuk, where it will be based, its maker said.

The Navy was initially scheduled to receive the vessel earlier this month, but bureacratic hurdles delayed the handover, said a spokesman for the Yantar Shipyard in Russia's Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad.

The ship will be used for deep-sea research, search and rescue operations and for equipment tests.

George1 wrote:Any news on the Oscar 2 and Akula SSN upgrade how is that proceeding ?

MOSCOW, July 26. (ARMS-TASS). On the eve of Day of the Navy Chief of the Russian Navy, Vice Admiral Viktor Chirkov, held a press conference.

According to him, until the end of this year in the Russian Navy's new ships will enter 10-15 in the light of the state tests. Among them are nuclear-powered submarines (NPS) strategic, nuclear submarines with cruise missiles, diesel-electric submarines, frigates, corvettes and motor boats.

At the final stage is the process of adopting a strategic submarine of the Russian Navy Project 955 (Class "Northwind") "Yuri Dolgoruky". Continuing series of tests followed by a ship "Alexander Nevsky". The main armament of these submarines will be the new missile "Bulava".

Despite the fact that the state tests of the missile system has been completed, work on it continues. "We understand the need to continuously improving weapons - he said. - And we will deal with the improvement of the intercontinental ballistic missile."

The construction of the nuclear-powered cruiser "Vladimir Monomakh" and "Prince Vladimir".

"As part of a group of strategic nuclear deterrent forces completed the construction of the head of the atomic submarine with cruise missiles" Severodvinsk ", - told the commander of the Navy. - And continues to build the brain of upgraded nuclear submarine with cruise missiles," Kazan ".

Also, according to him, work began on designing and building two amphibious assault ships (UDC) of "Mistral" - "Vladivostok" and "Sevastopol."

According to the Navy Commander, until the end of 2020 on the Black Sea Fleet will arrive six diesel-electric submarines (SSK). "We expect that with the 2014 diesel-powered submarines will start to arrive on the Black Sea fleet, and go up to 2020 all six submarines," - he said.

According to the commander in chief, there is a whole program of DES groups. "It built a modern submarine" Saint Petersburg ", now there is a transfer to the Northern Fleet - said Chirkov. - At the White Sea, this class submarine of Project 677" Lada "hold fire testing and deep."

"Two more submarines of the same project are based on the" Admiralty Shipyards "in St. Petersburg and will be transferred to the Northern Fleet," - said Commander of the Navy.

As previously reported, it is expected that the BSF will receive six submarines of Project 636 to the end of 2016 up to 2014 the Black Sea will be three such submarines in 2015 another, and in 2016 - two more.

As the commander in chief, the Russian Navy plans to build a new aircraft carrier. "Design offices have the task of designing a new aircraft carrier - he said. - In this work the money already allocated."

At present, the Russian Navy is only one heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser "Admiral Kuznetsov", which stands in service of the Northern Fleet. According to the commander, the ship performed and will perform its task. "There is a program to upgrade to 2020 in its framework on the aircraft carrier will arrive new aircraft - MiG-29", - said Chirkov.

As reported in November last year, Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, the state armaments program up to 2020 funding for the construction of aircraft carriers is not provided. "We believe that is not very aware of his appearance and his technical ability," - then he said. "We ordered a preliminary design - Serdyukov said. - Now the shipbuilders must show it. If we are satisfied, if the carrier itself and its accompanying ships will have such a potential, which we do not have, and other ships can not be done, then the variant of its construction ".

"But this project is very complex - admitted Serdyukov. - We have until the end of 2012 should get a preliminary design, and only then we can talk." "While the money to build an aircraft carrier in the LG 2020 is not" - said Minister of Defence.

Russian Navy plans to build a new destroyer, said Viktor Chirkov.

"We are developing a new project today, a destroyer with a displacement of 14 tons, - he said. - This work is being done, and soon you will learn more about it."

In addition, there is a program of modernization of surface ships a large displacement. Thus, in the near future will be subjected to thorough modernization heavy nuclear cruiser "Admiral Nakhimov".

"Work is such ends conduct design work to ensure that we installed on the ship a new strike weapons and means of defense - he explained. - This will be done within five years."

Chirkov also reported that there were plans to build a promising multifunctional corvettes. "The long-term corvette to be versatile vehicle, able to perform the tasks of finding submarines and destroy them, to search for mines and the objectives of water region", - he explained.

The ship will be built in such a way that it "was the helicopter, and you could sit on the deck of his drones." "It will solve the problem of multi-functional."

As noted V.Chirkov, Russia plans to continue to keep the item logistics (ITO) in the Syrian port of Tartus. "Item to be retained, because it is convenient for Russia and the government will spend less if you have one on logistics ships," - he explained. Point at Tartus MTO is primarily intended to ensure that ships flying combat missions in the Mediterranean and Gulf of Aden.

At the present time in the Mediterranean combat missions undertaken by the Joint mezhflotskaya grouping of the Russian Navy in the detachment of warships of the North, Baltic and Black Sea fleets. However, according to Chirkov, mezhflotskoy ships docked at Tartus group does not plan to.

Navy Russia has developed and creating an entirely new system based ships, Viktor Chirkov.

According to him, promising the system will be established based on the territory of the Kamchatka and Maritime territories. "There will be a single integrated system for the deployment of nuclear submarines, helicopter landing ships and other surface ships of large displacement," - said Chirkov.

Commander of the Navy also said that the two types of UDC "Mistral" will be based in Vladivostok. This port has been selected to meet the requirements of this ships. "In Vladivostok, the pier will be built and the system software" - he explained. - There are also shipyards, who will service the ships. "

Chirkov said that at present under construction in France, two types of UDC "Mistral" ("Beijing" and "Sevastopol"). It is assumed that these ships will be able to take the helicopters of "Kamov" with a coaxial arrangement of the rotors. The first ship of the type "Mistral" must be made of the Russian Navy in 2014, the second in late 2015 The building of the third and fourth UDC type "Mistral" Russia will carry out on their own.

The long-term system-based Navy ships will also be created on the Black Sea Fleet in Novorossiisk. In addition, according to the commander of the Navy, work is underway to update the system based in the Kaliningrad region and the Caspian region.

Translation Staff of the Baltic Fleet (BF) from Kaliningrad to St. Petersburg would be inappropriate, said Viktor Chirkov, denying rumors of a possible redeployment of staff.

"Transfer of Staff Foundation in St. Petersburg would be inappropriate, since the main strength of this fleet are located in the Kaliningrad region, and the problem of staff consists precisely in that place to manage them," - said Chirkov. At the same time he confirmed previously voiced about the translation of the General Staff of the Russian Navy from Moscow to St. Petersburg. "Sam I am serving in St. Petersburg, here is and most of the staff officers," - said Chirkov.

According to him, "Minister of Defense has allocated for housing officers in sufficient numbers, the order of 100 apartments, and everyone who moves here, will be provided by them." "Right now, staff officers involved in the preparation of necessary documents, and the end of August, the headquarters will be moved to St. Petersburg in full."

Infrastructure military harbor Baltiysk - the main naval base of the Baltic fleet - will be upgraded to receive new ships entering the fleet. According V.Chirkova in the military harbor will soon be upgraded pier, as well as conducted dredging, which will take a large displacement modern ships.

"In August, the first sheet piles for driving them to the wall of the pier, with a total length of 200 m by the end of 2013, I hope to work on the construction of piers and dredging will be completed," - said Chirkov. "It is - only the first stage of work in Baltiisk," - he said. The second stage, said the commander in chief, would "create complex structures for the life of submariners in Baltiisk." This will be a single set, in which the submariners' will eat, live and learn, "said Chirkov.