Kimppis wrote:Only 6 by 2025!? They are supposed to get 4 by 2020, right? That is actually understandable, but the pace is not going to pick up at all? They can't commission a single light destroyer a year by the 2020s? 2 new major surface combatants in 5 years? Must be the worst-case scenario. Let's say that Russia will spend "only" 3% of the GDP per year on the military going forward... They should still be able to afford more. What's going to happen with Grigorovich after 2020? A new frigate class?
6 by 2025 is not consistent with the Izvestia article http://izvestia.ru/news/668261 which states at least 15x 22350 and 22350M to "form the basis of Arctic groups".
There are 4x 22350s in various stages, with Golovko & Isakov yet to be floated out. All 4 are ostensibly for the northern fleet. The most likely explanation is that the RuN will commit to a further 2 units to be delivered before 2025, while simultaneously starting the 22350Ms.
In any case, Russia is undertaking a HUGE rearmament drive across the board, and the Navy is always going to be 3rd priority behind the Army & Air Forces. I mean, look at the other big-ticket programs before you start to squeal about how many frigates Russia "should" be able to build...
Sarmat development, Bulava-M, Yars deployments, Barguzhin rail-based system, Voronezh strategic defense radar network...
Borei SSBNs, Yasen SSNs, Schuka-B & Antei modernisations, Varshavyanka SS, next-gen Huskie & Kalina development...
Tu-160M restart, PAK-DA, Tu-160/Tu-22M/Tu-95 modernisations, Kh-102 deployment, PAK FA full scale production, MiG-35, Su-30/35 deployments, MiG-31 successor...
Nudol & S-500 development, S-400 deployments, S-300 modernisations, TOR/Pantsir/BUK developments....
Armata & Kurganets & Boomerang development and mass production, Ratnik program, robotic vehicles...
Kuznetsov & Kirov & Slava modernisations, rebuilding of small vessel & patrol fleets, all-new family of standardised UKSK-compatible munitions, build-up (from near scratch) of a maritime gas-turbine propulsion industry...
yeah... none of the feckless HATOstani nations have anything to match this great example of retooling for a 1st class World Power military, yet people want to whine piteously because their expectations are not being met about the number of shiny new frigates available for their FB pages?...
Rather than obsessing about Russia hasn't done, try focusing on what they have done. Our Western MSM presstitutes do their best to encourage the viewpoint that all is well with the US-run globalist Empire, but the truth is that the Masters of the Universe are squirming and VERY uncomfortable with the growing hard power of both Russia and China. The US may have a vast Navy, but it's mostly useless against the emerging vision of a unified Eurasia that is undoubtedly coalescing around a resurgent China and a Russia that wants a full strategic partnership against a common implacable enemy. The priority is to ensure a solid and reliable strategic deterrent to prevent any possibility of a Yankistani nuclear first strike, and to have a solid defence-oriented conventional force that can stop any conceivable land invasion. Couple this with a diversified economy and solid integration with other Eurasian powers, and Russias hard power is potentially the equal of anything the Yanks can project.
The war mongers in Morodor on the Potomac KNOW THIS TO BE TRUE, and they seek to prevent this by diverting Russia from what is important by distracting her with peripheral nuisances like geo-political gambits (such as Syria & Libya) and outright spiteful nastiness (like the smearing of Sochi, WADA accusations, banning the para-Olympic teams, threatening the World Cup, and endless disparaging of all things Russian in the establish-owned MSM echo chamber), and while setting up long-term existenial threats to Russias future (like the ongoing nazification of Ukropistan, and encouragement of Sunni wahabbi extremism to threaten Russias Islamic underbelly).
Compared to all this, a few less Gorshkovs than expected isn't really such a big deal....