Project 20380(5): Steregushchy Corvette #2

With them flying off the shelves nowadays (so to speak) it's a good moment to remember the early days of the program and how with all the delays of the first few ships there were plenty who said that it's proof Russia will never be able to recover its shipbuilding ability. It may be a long time to us, 15 years or so, but in the context of a modern state that's not too bad at all.

Hopefully they can keep executing at this new rate

I wonder why they've plated over the (what we've previously identified as) IO areas? Looks temporary so either just supposed to hide for the launch (which would be silly since there are already a heap of pics of the interior), maybe its not actually IO or there is some incomplete rework going on?
Aldar Longname has external IO balls up top

(also no rear facing passive OTH antennae)

Covers over the lower passive OTH antennae looks very like the cover on the first few 22800s -> maybe those do actually have that antenna? (I had decided there is probably just an older Monolith antenna inside since they apparently returned to one on the later versions)

One of the media fell through the chute thing on the stern during the flag raising
Successfully recovered.

Such a great looking ship


An interesting comparison (at least proportion wise) from Balancer:

Gremyashchiy is impressive. Gremyashchiy and Gorshkov are the only warships in the Russian navy that goes toe to toe with Type 052D and Type 055 destroyers in terms of technology.

hoom wrote:

An interesting comparison (at least proportion wise) from Balancer:

Proportion how? The type-45 destroyer is a 152 meters long and 8.000 ton heavy vessel. The Steregushchiy is a 104 meter, ~2000 ton corvette.
No way those pictures are taken from the same distance.
Its like comparing a Oliver Hazard Perry frigate with a Ticonderoga cruiser.

walle83 wrote:Proportion how? The type-45 destroyer is a 152 meters long and 8.000 ton heavy vessel. The Steregushchiy is a 104 meter, ~2000 ton corvette.
No way those pictures are taken from the same distance.
Its like comparing a Oliver Hazard Perry frigate with a Ticonderoga cruiser.

You don't seem to understand the concept of proportionality. Its about relative dimensions, not absolute terms.

IMHO the comparison is entirely appropriate.

Talking about proportion is talking about shape and layout while ignoring actual size.

Like trying to compare a horse with a dog to look at how they run or move but ignoring the obvious size and weight differences...

Quite interesting, Gremyashy corvette with Zaslon AESA radar use 16 long range 9M96 missiles with range of 150 km or 64 9M100 missiles with range of 15 km or a mix of them, same as Gorshkov frigate. UKSK launchers enables Gremyashy to use Kalibr, Onyx and Tsirkon missiles. Gremyashy is way better armed than majority of frigates around the World and it is called corvette...

Because it is a corvette, extremely well armed but still one of such class, as their own predecessor identified by the same 20380 suffix were.
It would be the(6) version i.e. the Merkury to change denomination but IMHO quite improperly.

medo wrote:

Quite interesting, Gremyashy corvette with Zaslon AESA radar use 16 long range 9M96 missiles with range of 150 km or 64 9M100 missiles with range of 15 km or a mix of them, same as Gorshkov frigate. UKSK launchers enables Gremyashy to use Kalibr, Onyx and Tsirkon missiles. Gremyashy is way better armed than majority of frigates around the World and it is called corvette...

Loading up smaller ships to the brim with weapons is kind of the Soviet-Russian style of the last 70 years or so.
In the minds of the planners it helps compensate both the small amount of ships considering how large our coastline is and the size of the ships. I guarantee you that the admiralty would love 20-30 destroyers but right now they're barely starting frigate production up again. So hyperloaded smaller ships it is.

Considering there hasn't been a modern navy clash on a large scale since I guess the falklands, nobody really knows what the best approach is.

Maximmmm wrote:...Considering there hasn't been a modern navy clash on a large scale since I guess the falklands, nobody really knows what the best approach is.

Falklands already answered that question: coastal aviation and submarines

Argentinians would have won decisively had it not been for several faulty aviation bomb fuses and UK subs were tearing shit up

Of course for anything on other side of the planet you will need 20-30 destroyers but against decent coastal aviation and submarines it would still be a stretch

PapaDragon wrote:

Maximmmm wrote:...Considering there hasn't been a modern navy clash on a large scale since I guess the falklands, nobody really knows what the best approach is.

Falklands already answered that question: coastal aviation and submarines

Argentinians would have won decisively had it not been for several faulty aviation bomb fuses and UK subs were tearing shit up

Of course for anything on other side of the planet you will need 20-30 destroyers but against decent coastal aviation and submarines it would still be a stretch

Yeah because nothing has changed since 1982 lol, you do realize that was 38 years ago right?

Yeah because nothing has changed since 1982 lol, you do realize that was 38 years ago right?
LIKEDISLIKE

Everything evolved but nothing really changed.

Subs are still better than ships in 1vs1.

Fighter/bombers have radars and missiles to attack ships well outside of their AD zone. Intercepting a missile is still hard.

I agree with PD. Aviation and subs are the best way to defend against ships.

Advantage of ships is that theey can stay for weeks at a same position.

Maximmmm wrote:

medo wrote:

Quite interesting, Gremyashy corvette with Zaslon AESA radar use 16 long range 9M96 missiles with range of 150 km or 64 9M100 missiles with range of 15 km or a mix of them, same as Gorshkov frigate. UKSK launchers enables Gremyashy to use Kalibr, Onyx and Tsirkon missiles. Gremyashy is way better armed than majority of frigates around the World and it is called corvette...

Loading up smaller ships to the brim with weapons is kind of the Soviet-Russian style of the last 70 years or so.
In the minds of the planners it helps compensate both the small amount of ships considering how large our coastline is and the size of the ships. I guarantee you that the admiralty would love 20-30 destroyers but right now they're barely starting frigate production up again. So hyperloaded smaller ships it is.

Considering there hasn't been a modern navy clash on a large scale since I guess the falklands, nobody really knows what the best approach is.

It's more a geography related problem/solution: having to operate in restricted sea spaces (in the active sea control role of keeping sea lanes open, not in the one of who want to cut them down) is by far more compelling than to operate in deep blue sea.
In this last case the distances give you the possibility of identify threats in advance and use the weaponry you got at their maximum potential and in a coordinated manner.
Operating in places like Black Sea, Baltic but also Red Sea, the Hormuz Strait and the Gulf is much more compelling as the recent case of the Donald Cook i.e. a Burke class, a damn fine ship but designed for a Deep Blue sea environment clearly shown.
So, it's not a case that both Russian than Italian ships, specifically conceived to operate in such an environment, tend to be extremely well armed in relation to their displacement.

At the "Severnaya Verf" named the timing of the transfer of the corvette "Zealous" project 20380 to the Navy

Transfer to the Naval fleet corvette "Zealous" project 20380, built at the "Severnaya Verf", will be held until the end of 2021. This was stated by the general director of the enterprise Igor Orlov.

Speaking at the launching ceremony of the Kapitan Geller trawler on March 30, 2021, Orlov said that the new Project 20380 corvette Zetivy, built at the enterprise, will be handed over to the Russian fleet by the end of this year. The exact dates for the transfer of the ship to the customer were not named.

Zealous is the fifth project 20380 corvette built at Severnaya Verf. It differs from the previous corvettes of this project mainly by the installation on the new multifunctional radar complex "Zaslon" with the placement of fixed antennas in a tower-like superstructure, similar to the corvettes of the 20385 project.

Laid down on February 20, 2015, on October 4, 2017, the formation of the hull was completed, on March 21, 2018, the loading of engines and gearboxes into the forward engine room was completed. Launched from the boathouse on December 25, 2019, launched on March 12, 2020.

Corvettes of project 20380 are designed for operations in the near sea zone of the state, to combat surface ships and submarines of the enemy; for artillery support of naval landing during naval landing operations by launching missile and artillery attacks on ships and vessels at sea and bases; to patrol the area of ​​responsibility with a view to blocking.

Displacement standard 1800 tons, total 2220 tons. The length is the largest 104,5 meters, width 13 meters, maximum draft 7,95 meters. Maximum speed 27 knots. Cruising range up to 4000 miles.

The main armament is the Uran 2X4 anti-ship missile system, and the Caliber or Onyx from the eighth ship. Also in service with the Redut air defense system, the Pak-NK anti-submarine system, the A-100 190-mm gun mount, two 14,5 mm machine-gun mounts and two DP-64 anti-sabotage grenade launchers. There is a hangar for the Ka-27 helicopter.

As the commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy Nikolai Evmenov said earlier, after the completion afloat, "Zealous" will go to serve in the Black Sea Fleet, although earlier the place of service of the corvette was called the Baltic.

https://en.topwar.ru/181479-na-severnoj-verfi-nazvali-sroki-peredachi-vmf-korveta-retivyj-proekta-20380.html

The way Russia modifies their ships makes threat assessment so difficult for the enemy. What version of 20380 are they facing?

I know, and you can do it for a lost less $$

Maximmmm wrote:

Loading up smaller ships to the brim with weapons is kind of the Soviet-Russian style of the last 70 years or so.
In the minds of the planners it helps compensate both the small amount of ships considering how large our coastline is and the size of the ships. I guarantee you that the admiralty would love 20-30 destroyers but right now they're barely starting frigate production up again. So hyperloaded smaller ships it is.

Considering there hasn't been a modern navy clash on a large scale since I guess the falklands, nobody really knows what the best approach is.

Whats the point not loading a ship up. What the Falklands showed was modern frigates and destroyers cannot really absorb a significant hit. One AShM and the ship is not operational and probably doomed. Destroyers were reduced to hulks by Exocets even when the warhead failed to detonate. Imagine the modern AShMs!!!

These vessels are not excessively armed... the new weapon systems are much more compact and lighter than the older systems and are more automated so they require less support crew to operate.

Russia has five different fleets each with very different environments and climates and potential enemies... having some corvettes with Uran and some with UKSK launchers is a good thing... the Uran would be fine in the Caspian sea and perhaps even the Baltic and Black Sea, but having heavier weapons or a wider variety of weapons is also very useful too.

Hence you might have half Uran armed corvettes in the Caspian sea, but half there also to allow a Calibre attack on Syrian targets, while some Black Sea and Baltic Sea ships might use Uran armed corvettes but also have some UKSK fitted corvettes in both places too simply because they have anti sub and anti ship as well as long range land attack capacity too.

The Northern Fleet and Pacific Fleet would possibly not bother with Uran armed corvettes... they are cheaper but less flexible.

The point is that in Soviet times they would have half a dozen different Corvette types each different type using a different anti ship missile or torpedos and all use different sensors and engines and equipment.

In this case they have a corvette with different armament options that are otherwise very similar... over time they might unify the sensors but probably not the weapons because it is probably useful for them to be different.

Looking at the armament of the British ships in the Falklands conflict I am surprised the British Navy was held with such respect... the sea slug and sea cat were terrible systems to defend your ship from enemy air power... even at the time...

Soviet Corvettes of the time had OSA missiles which were much better than the SS or SC... so not a lot has changed really.