Russian Naval Shipbuilding in 2012Dmitry BoltenkovThe year 2012 brought three important events in Russian naval shipbuilding.
Vladimir Monomakh, the third nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine in the Project 955 (Borei class), left the slip dock at the Severodvinsk Machinery Building Company (Sevmash);
Yuriy Dolgorukiy, the first sub this class, entered service with the Russian Navy; and Verkhoturye, a Project 667BDRM (Delta IV class) nuclear-powered ballistic missile sub, returned to active service after repairs. Many new ships were laid down at the Russian naval shipyards. Several new combat and auxiliary ships entered service with the Navy. Finally, the Russian MoD substantially stepped up its ship repair program.
SubmarinesThe program of developing a new Russian nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, armed with new Bulava (SS-N-31) missiles, has entered a new phase. At the end of 2012 the Navy took delivery of
Yuriy Dolgorukiy, a Project 955 (Borei class) nuclear missile sub. The flag on the sub was hoisted on January 10, 2013 at a special ceremony attended by President Putin and new Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu. Two separate crews will now take a full combat training course, and
Yuriy Dolgorukiy will be fully combat-ready by the end of 2013.
1Sea trials of the second submarine this class,
Aleksandr Nevskiy, are still ongoing. The sub is expected to enter service with the Russian Navy later this autumn after a test-launch of the Bulava SLBM. Incidentally, the Navy Command also wants to see a new automated missile launch control system in action during the test.
2 Neither the first nor the second sub in the series made any Bulava launches in 2012. The reason for that has not been made clear. The third boat,
Vladimir Monomakh (laid down on March 19, 2006) left the slip dock at the Sevmash shipyard on December 30, 2012.
3 It was launched on January 18, 2013, and is currently being completed at the dockside.
The fourth submarine in the series,
Knyaz Vladimir, was laid down on July 30, 2012; it will be built using the modified Project 955A design.
4 It has been reported that the fifth and the sixth subs will be laid down in July and November 2013, respectively. They will be named after two great Russian battle commanders, Suvorov and
Kutuzov.
5 By 2020 the Navy expects to take delivery of a total of eight submarines of this class. That will enable the MoD to replace a large proportion of the nuclear missile subs currently in service with the Northern Fleet, and all of the nuclear missiles subs assigned to the Pacific Fleet. We estimate, however, that since each submarine of this class currently takes seven to eight years to complete, the industry will need to step up the pace very significantly if it is to deliver all these subs by the 2020 deadline.
Meanwhile, another important program, the Project 885 (Yasen class) nuclear-powered attack submarines, is lagging behind, owing primarily no a large number of experimental weaponry and hardware used in this design.
6 The first sub in the series, Severodvinsk, is undergoing trials, which include test launches of the Kalibr-PL (SS-N-30) cruise missile system. In 2012 the submarine fired missiles at targets at sea and on the ground on five separate occasions, from a submerged and surfaced position.
7 It is expected that Severodvinsk, which was laid down at the Sevmash back in 1993, will finally enter service with the Russian Navy later this year. Delivery of the upgraded second sub, Kazan, to the Navy is not expected before 2015. The third sub in the series should be laid down in July 2013. The Navy expects to take delivery of eight Project 885 submarines by 2020
8; that, too will require Sevmash to step up its current pace of production.
In 2012 Russia also re-launched the previously frozen Project 677 (Lada class) new conventional submarine program. The first sub this class
St Petersburg9, entered trials in 2004. After a recent upgrade the sub made a better impression on Navy representatives, but the completion of its trials program, including deep diving, was postponed until after it had been reassigned to the Northern Fleet in 2013-2014.
10 There have also been some reports about the propulsion unit options being considered for the second and third submarines in the series, which are to be built at Admiralty Shipyards in St Petersburg. The second boat Kronstadt, may be equipped with new lithium-ion batteries, with an expected completion date in 2015. The third boat Sevastopol, may be equipped with an air-independent propulsion (AIP) system currently being developed by the Rubin Central Naval Technology Design Bureau. Its completion is tentatively scheduled for 2016.
11 There have been no reports about Russia’s plans for Project 677 subs beyond the third submarine. Many expect the program to be shut down to free up the resources for developing a ‘fifth-generation’ conventional sub, which is currently on the drawing board at Rubin.
12In 2012 Russia also continued a program to build six Project 06363 (Improved Kilo class) diesel-electric submarines for the Black Sea Fleet. The third sub this class Staryy Oskol, was laid down at the Admiralty Shipyards on August 17, 2012.
13 The first sub this class Novorossiysk should be launched later in 2013; the fourth should be laid down before the year’s end.
Russia also continued to develop special-purpose submarines; most of them are deepwater research submarines and submersibles. On December 20, 2012 Sevmash resumed the construction
Belgorod, a Project 949A (Oscar II class) nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine, which was mothballed in an unfinished state some years ago.
Belgorod will now be completed using a new design which has been designated as Project 09852; once finished, the nuclear submarine will be used as a carrier vehicle for manned deepwater submersibles.
14One final thing to say with regard to submarines is that the Russian program to dispose of old nuclear-powered submarines has all but reached completion, releasing significant resources. This has enabled Russia to ramp up the program of repairs for the subs still in service. Previously that program was mostly limited to merely restoring the Navy’s submarines to seaworthiness. Now it includes medium-grade repair projects and upgrades.
Surface shipsOn February 1, 2012 workers at the STX France shipyard in Saint Nazaire cut first metal for Vladivostok, the first of the Mistral-class amphibious assault ship ordered by the Russian MoD.
15 The official ceremony of laying down the ship was held on February 1, 2013.
16 Vladivostok is scheduled to leave the building dock in September this year.
17 Meanwhile, in August 2012 the Baltiyskiy Plant in St Petersburg began to assemble the stern part of the ship; under the contract with the French, 20 per cent of the ship will be made in Russia. The official ceremony to lay down the stern part of the hull was held on October 1, 2012.
18 In the summer of 2013 the assembled stern section
19 will be shipped to Saint Nazaire.
20 The second ship this class (BPC Russe on French) Sevastopol, should be laid down later this year.
21 The Russian Navy expects to take delivery of the two ships in 2014-2015; both will be assigned to the Pacific Fleet. In addition to the amphibious assault ships, the Russian Navy has also placed an order with France’s STX Lorient for four assault-landing boats.
22
Another two Mistral-class ships were initially supposed to be laid down at Russian shipyards in 2016; now, however, it is not clear whether Russia still intends to go ahead with those plans.
23Two frigate programs were under way in the country in 2012. As part of the first program, the Severnaya Verf shipyard in St Petersburg is building Project 22350 (Admiral flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Gorshkov class) frigates; the tentative plan is to have six such frigates built by 2020. The first ship this class was laid down in 2006; it has now left the slip dock and is expected to enter a trials program in late 2013.
24 The second ship,
Admiral flota Kasatonov is still on the ways in St Petersburg. The third ship
Admiral Golovko was laid down on February 1, 2012.
25 The fourth ship
Admiral Isakov should be laid down later this year.
26 Once completed, the frigates will be assigned to the Northern and Pacific fleets. For now, however, the program is facing serious difficulties because of delays with their main Poliment-Redut SAM weapon system, currently being developed by the Almaz-Antey Air Defense Concern.
The second series of new frigates, Project 11356R (Admiral Grigorovich class) is being built at the Yantar shipyard in Kaliningrad. A total of six ships are to be built; all of them will be assigned to the Black Sea Fleet in 2014-2016. Three Project 11356R frigates of the first batch are now on the ways. Admiral Grigorovich was laid down on December 18, 2010; Admiral Essen on July 8, 2011; and
Admiral Makarov on February 29, 2012. The first ship of the second batch,
Admiral Butakov, was to be laid down in November 2012, but that has now been postponed until later in 2013.
Admiral Grigorovich should be launched this summer, and enter service with the Russian Navy in late 2014.
27 The Project 11356R program is not facing nearly as many technical problems as Project 22350 because this particular design has already been tried and tested; six of these frigates have already been delivered to the Indian Navy.
28After several years of trials, in November 2012 the second Project 11661K Dagestan missile ship (small frigate) entered service with the Russian Navy. It was laid down back in 1992 at the Zelenodolskiy shipyard and was initially destined for export. Unlike the first ship this class Tatarstan, which entered service in 2002, Dagestan is equipped with the Kalibr-NK (SS-N-30) long-range cruise missiles, which enable it to take out ground targets at long distances. This is the Russian Navy’s first surface ship equipped with this type of weaponry.
29 Both of the project 11661K ships have been assigned to the Caspian Flotilla.
In 2012 Russia continued to build Project 20380 (Steregushchy class) corvettes. On February 1, 2012 the Severnya Verf shipyard laid down its fifth ship this class Gremyashchiy
30, which first will be built to the modified Project 20385 design. Its launch has been scheduled for 2015.
31 On May 30, 2012 Severnaya Verf launched its fourth Project 20380 corvette
Stoykiy, which will enter service with the Russian Navy in November 2013.
32 The third corvette Boykiy, which was laid down in July 2005, began sea trials in the autumn of 2012, and was delivered to the Russian navy in May 2013.
33 The second Project 20385 corvette is to be laid down at Severnaya Verf on July 28, 2013.
34The Amurskiy shipbuilding plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur continued, at a fairy sluggish pace, the construction of its first Project 20380 ship Sovershennyy, which was laid down in 2006. In 2012 the upper deck section of the ship arrived by sea from the Sredne-Nevskiy shipbuilding plant in St Petersburg
35, but the completion date for
Sovershenny has yet to be set. Nevertheless, the Amurskiy shipbuilding plant laid down its second Project 20380 corvette
Gromkiy, in April 2012.
36Other large combat ships being built for the Russian Navy include a Project 11711 Admiral Gren large tank landing ship, which was laid down in December 2004 and launched on May 18, 2012. The future of the Project 11711 class is unclear. According to latest reports,
Admiral Gren is being completed using a simplified design. Upon completion, which is not expected before 2014, it will be used as a military transport, and there are no plans to build any more of these ships.
37In June and December 2012 the Russian Navy took delivery of
Volgodonsk38 and
Makhachkala, the second and third Project 21630 (Buyan) small artillery ships (gunboats), which were built at the Almaz shipyard in St Petersburg. Both will be assigned to the Caspian Flotilla.
39 The first ship in the Project 21630 class Astrakhan, was delivered to the Navy back in 2005, but the construction of the second and third ship remained on hold for almost five years, and resumed only recently.
On August 29, 2012 the shipyard in Zelenodolsk laid down Zelenyy Dol, the fourth Project 21631 (Buyan-M) small missile ship (guided missile corvette). The Navy has signed a contract for a total of five. The fifth ship this class
Serpukhov, was laid down at the same shipyard on January 25, 2013. The first three ships, Grad Sviyazhsk, Uglich, and Velikiy Ostyug, which were laid down in 2010-2011, are still under construction.
40 The Project 21631 ships are armed with the Kalibr-NK missile system, and will be assigned to the Caspian Flotilla in 2013-2015. Meanwhile, in January 2013 the Navy announced another contract for three modified Project 21631 small missile ships, with an option for another two.
41The industry also continues to build assault landing boats for the Russian Navy. Three Project 21820 (Dyugon class) high-speed amphibious landing craft –
Denis Davydov,
Lieutenant Rimskiy-Korsakov, and
Warrant Officer Lermontov – have been laid down at the Yaroslavskiy shipbuilding plant.
42 Another boat of this class
Ivan Kartsov, is being built at the Vostochnaya shipyards in Vladivostok for the Pacific Fleet. It is unlikely, however, that any more boats of this series will be laid down due to problems with the Project 21820 design that have recently come to light.
43 In 2013 the Caspian Flotilla will take delivery of three smaller Project 11770 (Serna class) high-speed landing craft that are now being built at the Volga plant in Nizhniy Novgorod.
44The Sredne-Nevskiy shipbuilding plant in St Peterburg continues to build the first of the new Project 12700 (Aleksandrit class) minesweepers, an 800 t ship with a fiberglass hull. A fully formed seamless hull of the minesweeper was removed from the matrix in December 2012.
45The industry continues to build Project 21980 (Grachonok class) anti-sabotage boats. The second and third boats in the series, designated as P-191 and P-349, entered service with the Black Sea Fleet in 2012.
46 Another two boats are being built in Zelenodolsk; both are to be completed before the end of 2013. A further three boats were laid down in 2012 at the Vostochnaya shipyards in Vladivostok.
47 The sixth Project 21980 boat was laid down in Zelenodolsk on May 7, 2013.
48 A total of about 20 are expected to be built over the coming years.
Apart from the Russian Navy, the industry was building numerous ships and boats for the FSB Border Service’s Coast Guard. For more details, please see a separate article in this issue.
Special-purpose and auxillary shipsOn October 30, 2012 the Admiralty Shipyards launched a new Project 21300S
Igor Belousov large submarine rescue ship, which was laid down back in December 2005. The main cause of the delay is that the initial developer of the ship’s deepwater diving complex (Lazurit Central Design Bureau) failed to deliver on its promises, and the Navy had to look for another supplier. In the end the MoD bought the complex in Britain, with Russia’s Tetis group acting as main contractor. The ship’s entry into service is now scheduled for 2014. The Navy also plans to place an order for another three Project 21300S ships.
49 Meanwhile, the Admiralty Shipyards is building Bester-1 rescue submersible for
Igor Belousov.
50On December 25, 2012 the Russian Navy unit in Temryuk (Azov Sea) took delivery of an Project 11982 Seliger special trials ship built by Yantar. The ship will be used for various technology tests, deepwater research, and S&R operations.
51 The second ship in the series will be laid down in 2013; once completed, it will enter service with the Baltic Fleet.
52 On December 5, 2012 a Project 22010 Yantar oceanographic research ship, which will be used for deepwater research, was launched at the Yantar shipyard. The ship carries a whole range of unmanned autonomous submersibles, as well as Rus, Konsul, and Mir-type manned submersibles. It will undergo a comprehensive program of trials in 2013-2014, and enter service with the Northern Fleet in 2014. Several more Project 22010 ships may be built at some later point.
53Russia is also pressing ahead with a program of auxiliary fleet refresh; as part of that program, the industry is developing new ocean-going and inshore support ships. It has been reported that some 80 harbor support ships of various classes are to enter service with the Russian Navy by 2016. These include harbor tugboats, harbor diving boats, versatile modular repair and rescue platforms, and floating cranes.
54In 2012 the Severnaya Verf shipyard won a contract to build three Project 23120 support sea-going vessels, with delivery dates in 2014-2016. Project 23120 is the military version of civilian support and replenishment ships used in offshore oil and gas exploration.
55 The first ship of this class Elbrus was laid down on November 14, 2012.
56 Meanwhile, the Zvezdochka shipyard in Severodvinsk is building Academic Kovalev, the second Project 20180 support and weapons transport ship. It was laid down on December 20, 2011, and should be delivered to the Navy in 2014. The third ship
Academic Aleksandrov in the Project 20180 class was laid down on December 20, 2012; delivery is expected in 2016.
58 A total of six Project 20180 ships of various modifications are to be built in the coming years.
59Finally, the industry is building a large number of harbor and sea-going tugs for the Russian Navy. It has also resumed the construction of floating docks after a pause of several years. A Project 22570
Sviyaga floating transport dock, was laid down on November 30, 2012 in Zelenodolsk. Its delivery is scheduled for 2015.
60ExportsIn 2012 the main customers of the Russian naval shipbuilding industry were India, Vietnam and Algeria.
The Admiralty Shipyards was building a series of six Project 06361 (Improved Kilo class) submarines for the Vietnamese Navy. The first sub in this class ?Q-182 Hà Nội was launched on August 28, 2012; the second HQ-183 Hồ Chí Minh, on December 28. The Hà Nội began sea trials in early December 2012, and will be delivered to the customer this August.
61 The third and the fourth subs in the series were laid down in March and October 2012, respectively. On October 26, 2012 the Vietnamese Navy also took delivery of two Project 10412 (Svetlyak class) patrol boats (HQ-266 and HQ-267) built at the Vostochnaya shipyard.
62 In 2012 Vietnam placed an order for a second pair of modified Project 11661E (Gepard-3.9 class) small frigates
63, to be delivered in 2016 and 2017; both ships will be built in Zelenodolsk. Vietnam also continues to build, with Russian assistance, a series of 10 Project 12418 (Tarantul v class) light guided missile corvettes. The first two ships this class is expected to enter service in late 2013.
64The following programs were under way in 2012 for the Indian Navy:On April 4, 2012 the Indian Navy held an official ceremony to enter into service the INS Chakra, a Project 971I (Improved Akula class) nuclear-powered attack submarine (ex K-152 Nerpa). It is possible that the second Project 971 sub, which is currently on the ways at the Amursk shipbuilding plant, will also be delivered to India upon completion.
65The
Vikramaditya aircraft carrier, which Russia has modified from former
Admiral flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Gorshkov heavy aircraft-carried cruser for the Indian Navy, completed trials in the Barents Sea in the summer and autumn of 2012. On the whole, the trial was a success, but a problem emerged with the boilers of the main power plant, and the carrier was not delivered to the customer in December 2012, as originally scheduled. The ship has been brought to Severodvinsk, where the problem is being remedied; the delivery date has been pushed back to late 2013.
66Russia continued to build a second series of Project 11356 (Talwar class) frigates for India. Two ships were delivered to the Indian Navy in 2012: Teg on April 27, and Tarkash on November 9. The third frigate Trikand, is to follow in June 2013. India is now negotiating a contract for another three Project 11356 frigates to be built in Russia.
68On January 26, 2013 the Zvezdochka shipyard delivered Project 877EKM (Kilo class) INS Sindhurakshak submarine to the Indian Navy after completing mid-life repairs and upgrades. This has been the fifth Indian sub his class to undergo repairs at Zvezdochka.
69On July 10, 2012 the Admiralty Shipyards completed the mid-life repair of a Project 877EKM submarine for the Algerian Navy.
70 The Severnaya Verf shipyards continued a project to upgrade and repair the Project 1159TM (Koni class)
Rais Kellich frigate and the Project 1234EM (Nanuchka II class)
Salah Rais guided missile corvette, under a contract with Algeria. This is a second pair of Algerian Navy warships to be repaired in Russia. They will be followed by the repair and upgrade of another two ships,
Rais Corfo frigate and
Rais Ali corvette.
71To summarize, the Russian shipbuilding industry has obviously picked up the momentum in recent years. There were 48 ships, boats and submarines being built for the Russian Navy as of May 2013, with another 15 being repaired and about 550 undergoing maintenance.
72
1. http://www.redstar.ru/index.php/newspaper/item/7014-prioritet-silnyiy-flot.
2. http://vpk-news.ru/news/14292.
3. http://www.sevmash.ru/rus/news/1566-l-r-.html.
4. http://flotprom.ru/news/index.php?ELEMENT_ID=119073&sphrase_id=2484410.
5. http://interfax.ru/politics/news.asp?id=284781.
6. http://ria.ru/interview/20120831/733747023.html.
7. http://ria.ru/defense_safety/20130103/917050964.html#ixzz2HqnoYQMH.
8. http://flotprom.ru/news/?ELEMENT_ID=134728.
9. http://www.itartass.spb.ru/news/8862/.
10. http://topwar.ru/20437-zavershayuschie-glubokovodnye-ispytaniya-golovnoy-podvodnoy-lodki-sankt-peterburg-proekta-677-pereneseny-na-2013-god.html.
11. http://ria.ru/arms/20120921/755636809.html#ixzz2Ijh9oUrE.
12. http://flotprom.ru/news/index.php?ELEMENT_ID=144186.
13. http://flotprom.ru/news/index.php?ELEMENT_ID=119896&sphrase_id=2484828.
14. http://bmpd.livejournal.com/411659.html.
15. http://www.rg.ru/2012/02/02/mistrali-site.html.
16. http://flotprom.ru/news/?ELEMENT_ID=136579.
17. http://www.itar-tass.com/c9/551964.html.
18. http://flotprom.ru/news/?ELEMENT_ID=123815.
19. http://flotprom.ru/news/index.php?ELEMENT_ID=136721.
20. http://flotprom.ru/news/?ELEMENT_ID=129193.
21. This means that the Russian Navy will now have a ship and a submarine with the same name. The existing Sevastopol non-nuclear submarine will probably have to be renamed.
22. http://www.flotprom.ru/news/index.php?ELEMENT_ID=144591.
23. http://lenta.ru/news/2012/12/21/mistral1/.
24. http://flotprom.ru/news/?ELEMENT_ID=129749.
25. http://flotprom.ru/news/index.php?ELEMENT_ID=129195.
26. http://flotprom.ru/news/index.php?ELEMENT_ID=129195.
27. http://flotprom.ru/news/index.php?ELEMENT_ID=130510.
28. http://flotprom.ru/news/index.php?ELEMENT_ID=133249.
29. http://flotprom.ru/news/index.php?ELEMENT_ID=130823.
30. http://lenta.ru/news/2012/01/30/frigate/.
31. http://vpk-news.ru/articles/13231.
32. http://lenta.ru/news/2012/05/30/stoykiy/.
33. http://flotprom.ru/news/index.php?ELEMENT_ID=143738.
34. http://www.flotprom.ru/news/index.php?ELEMENT_ID=144562.
35. http://bmpd.livejournal.com/353558.html.
36. http://www.amurshipyard.ru/?p=911#more-911.
37. http://flotprom.ru/news/index.php?ELEMENT_ID=112457&sphrase_id=2500519.
38. http://www.flotprom.ru/news/index.php?ELEMENT_ID=115940.
39. http://www.navy.ru/news/navy/?ELEMENT_ID=131874.
40. http://flotprom.ru/news/index.php?ELEMENT_ID=135690.
41. http://izvestia.ru/news/543695.
42. http://flotprom.ru/news/index.php?ELEMENT_ID=135131.
43. http://izvestia.ru/news/543448.
44. http://flotprom.ru/news/index.php?ELEMENT_ID=132502&sphrase_id=2500701.
45. http://flotprom.ru/news/?ELEMENT_ID=133919.
46. http://bmpd.livejournal.com/388350.html.
47. http://bmpd.livejournal.com/231563.html.
48. http://www.flotprom.ru/news/index.php?ELEMENT_ID=144529.
49. http://flotprom.ru/news/?ELEMENT_ID=133324.
50. http://flotprom.ru/news/?ELEMENT_ID=131076.
51. http://www.navy.ru/news/navy/?ELEMENT_ID=133901.
52. http://flotprom.ru/news/?ELEMENT_ID=131785.
53. http://ria.ru/defense_safety/20121205/913533757.html.
54. http://www.navy.ru/news/navy/?ELEMENT_ID=134272.
55. http://www.nordsy.spb.ru/sv2/news.php?id=130&lev1=1.
56. http://flotprom.ru/news/?ELEMENT_ID=128527.
57. http://flotprom.ru/news/?ELEMENT_ID=100841.
58. http://bmpd.livejournal.com/412036.html.
59. http://flotprom.ru/news/?ELEMENT_ID=132267.
60. http://www.zdship.ru/press-center/news-events/648/.
61. http://bmpd.livejournal.com/425866.html#comments.
62. http://flot.com/news/navy/?ELEMENT_ID=126997.
63. http://flotprom.ru/news/index.php?ELEMENT_ID=141600.
64. http://flotprom.ru/news/index.php?ELEMENT_ID=141600.
65. http://flotprom.ru/news/index.php?ELEMENT_ID=108589&sphrase_id=2498359.
66. http://ria.ru/forces/20121030/907927877.html.
67. http://flotprom.ru/news/index.php?ELEMENT_ID=143692.
68. http://ria.ru/defense_safety/20121112/910447600.html.
69. http://zvezdochka-ru.livejournal.com/12326.html.
70. Admiralteyets newspaper, December 28, 2012.
71. http://flotprom.ru/news/?ELEMENT_ID=129396.
72. http://www.vpk-news.ru/articles/14206.
Home
Latest images
Register
Log in
