Russian Navy: Status & News #1

The money and effort needed is probably not really worth it to be honest.

They already have more ships than they probably actually need... they need to decide what they will keep using, what could be upgraded to be useful, and what needs to be built to replace those that will be retired first.

The biggest ships are likely the most important as they are still making corvettes and just starting frigates at the moment, so any bigger ships they can keep in service and useful are important especially if they want to form carrier groups in the near future.

If it takes them 50 years to build 3 carriers and all the frigates, destroyers and cruisers as well as the support ships then that is just too long... they can speed up the process by upgrading the K and the two Kirov class vessels by 2020 and perhaps having a new carrier design ready to be layed in 2020... perhaps entering service in 2025-2028 or so. It will be fully operational by 2030 and design issues should be sorted so perhaps two further vessels could be layed down so that by 2040 they will have three carriers in service... the K would have been retired by then and perhaps kept in reserve as a training vessel...

BTW I also noticed this article:

Russian army to get new weapons and military equipment this year

<snip>Sukhorukov said that Russia was actively working to develop hypersonic weapons. Moreover, test firing of the sea-launched “Kaliber” and “Oniks” missile systems is almost completed.<snip>


Read more: http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_08_08/Russian-army-to-get-new-weapons-and-military-equipment-this-year/

Which suggests that the Kalibre and Onyx will be the standard land attack cruise missile and supersonic anti ship missile respectively... though the Onyx wont be the same missile of the 1990s... it will incorporate the advances of the Brahmos too.

By 2020 perhaps the hypersonic missiles will be taking to the water and their armament will be even more formidable.

Denis Davidov (Dyugon class) has been launched at Yaroslavl shipyard.

Love in the water, fear on land

The land based Russian exercise had nothing to do with China... it was merely a test to see how army reforms are going and to identify what else needs work.

Yeah and previous exercises were carried out in other military districts...they are basically going around the country in turn.

Ofc any movement of this scale does send some image, but not one specifically aimed at China.

Interview with Russian Naval Chief

Viktor Chirkov: "The development of the Navy is impossible without looking into the distant future"

Good pics of Sviazhks fitting out.
For a 1000 ton ship it is really heavily armed.

Duet.
http://forumimage.ru/uploads/20130801/137537739817476286.jpg

UKSK
http://forumimage.ru/show/8814691

Kalibr
http://forumimage.ru/show/8814692

http://forumimage.ru/uploads/20130801/137537741108566378.jpg
http://forumimage.ru/show/8814697

I suspect the two Mistral class carriers made in France will be deployed in the Pacific fleet, while the two made largely in Russia will likely be stationed in Murmansk for the Northern Fleet.

Oke so they actually split there new naval forces?

2 Mistrals for the Pacific fleet I think goes without saying. There they are not only right on the doorstep of potential conflicts in East Asia but also ready for combat missions or humanitarian assistance to South-East Asia, Indonesia and the Indian Ocean.

However I'm not sure whether 2 Mistrals in the Northern Fleet would be optimal though; there's absolutely nothing for them to do there, and it makes sense to keep the Mistrals where the action might kick off.

Perhaps 1 Mistral in the Northern Fleet (that could be sent as part of a Northern Fleet taskforce to South America, Africa), and 1 Mistral in the Black Sea fleet (to share between the Black Sea basin and Mediterranean task force).

But with only 1 Mistral with each fleet; there is no assurance that at any time at least one would be ready for action (refits, training/exercises, long-range visits to other countries could all make them unavailable).

So perhaps 2 Mistrals for the Black Sea fleet would be best; one permanently in the Black Sea (in case of trouble in Abkhazia, Georgia, Romania/Moldova/Pridnestrovie), and one deployed to the Mediterranean flotilla. If needed, a Mistral can always be sent as part of a group to Africa or South America too.

Mistrals have nothing to do in closed Baltic or Black Sea. All needed support and transport could be done from the Russian land and smaller ships. Two Mistrals will be more useful in Northern sea to operate together with Kuznetsov, Peter the great and nuclear icebreakers. Their operational teatre will be northern route and defending northern territories, because there are not many units in arctic region.

So the other two Will be stationed at vladivostok?

Vladivostok will have 2 Mistrals... the main drive and urgency for their purchase was Georgias invasion of South Ossetia... the Russians realised that if it had been a Japanese invasion of the four Kurile Islands that they likely would not have been able to mobilise fast enough to stop them and once occupied would not have had the available forces to remove them easily.

The result is that they ordered the Mistrals primarily to protect the Kurile Islands.

They ordered two more because 4 makes more sense than just 2 or one economically.

The Russian design for Mistral includes strengthened hulls to operate in ice and also increased height decks for the high coaxial rotor systems of the Hokums.

The basing of the other two Mistrals in Murmansk shows the Russian Navys new role of protecting Russian interests to its north... including its northern coastline and offshore resources.

There are lots of plans for military groups able to operate in the Arctic and also ship based nuclear power stations designed to be sailed to ports and up rivers to provide hot water and electricity to outposts to expand exploration and exploitation of new areas of Russia. It will also include scientific exploration too.

Actually thats all very intresting!
I never read about the kurile islands but i searched it on google.

I have a question for you guys: is there an upcoming war for the kurile islands?

No, not a chance.

It is a cold conflict, a political spat at this point.

Unless Japan offers trillions in joint development cooperation, or a Russian President as naive as Boris... as drunk as Boris gives it as a gesture then I think the current situation will continue without change.

They are barren empty rocks with Russian military personnel on them... Japan will have no chance for surprise and in a face off will not have the military force to take them.

The islands themselves are not worth much but the waters around them are valuable for fishing for both countries, but it is also strategically important to the Russian Pacific Fleet.

Are the russians boosting the pacific fleet?

Yes.

They will be sending two Mistral class helicopter carriers there in the next two years and will likely be sending lots of new support ships there to support their operations.

They will also likely be boosting infrastructure there to support more ships and subs, while the land and air forces there will also be getting new equipment and training.

Is this all because there is an upcoming conflict?

No.

Actually Russia boosting its Naval and armed forces in the Pacific region should actually reduce the chances for a military conflict.

If Japan had struck in 2008 instead of Georgia then I think the Russian forces in the region would have struggled to have reacted in time to do anything.

The rocks in question were unmanned.

Now they are not and the quality of forces and the levels of equipment they are operating is improving all the time.

By 2015 when the Mistrals are actually based there I think Japan would not be able to take them by force without a serious bloodbath disproportionate to the value of the Islands and the seas around them.

And what about china and india? I think russia wil support india in a war wouldnt they?

And would russia support india to in an upcoming war with pakistan?

And isnt Russia building new carriers to counter the chinese growing navy?

Flyingdutchman wrote:And what about china and india? I think russia wil support india in a war wouldnt they?

And would russia support india to in an upcoming war with pakistan?

And isnt Russia building new carriers to counter the chinese growing navy?

no we wont support india in a imaginary fantasy war, grow up

Well i am just 12 so i still need to grow up yeah.

Tell me if your having problems with it.

And what about china and india? I think russia wil support india in a war wouldnt they?

And would russia support india to in an upcoming war with pakistan?

And isnt Russia building new carriers to counter the chinese growing navy?

Russia is unlikely to intervene in any conflict involving China or India or both.

India would not need Russian assistance against Pakistan, and a conflict between China and India is unlikely.

Russia is building carriers to support its own fleet operations to become a blue water navy. It is no more building them to counter a growing Chinese navy than it is building them to counter a growing Indian navy.

Thanks