According to information published by RIA Novosti on August 4, 2023, the Russian Navy expects to receive three Karakurt-class vessels by the end of this year.
Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link
Russian Karakurt class corvette Tsiklon. (Picture source: Telegram)
Army General and Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu announced that these Karakurt class (Project 22800) ships, capable of launching high-precision missile strikes, are due for acceptance into the fleet within the current year.
In close maritime zones, these ships can deliver high-precision missile strikes on critically important land objects and enemy vessels. The Black Sea Fleet has already been supplemented with a serial ship of this project, the "Cyclone". Two more vessels are expected to enter operation in 2024.
In the same meeting, the construction of Alexandrite Project 12700 sea minesweepers was discussed. Shoygu explained that these new ships are tasked with near-shore anti-mine defense, equipped with the latest mine detection and destruction tools, hydroacoustic stations, anti-mine contour, and robotic systems. They also reviewed the production schedule for these types of vessels.
About the Project 22800
The Karakurt-class corvettes are compact yet highly equipped warships, with a displacement of 800 tons that extends to 860 tons following the initial two units. These vessels measure 67 meters in length, 11 meters in width, and have a draft of 3.3 meters.
These ships are powered by a Combined Diesel and Diesel (CODAD) propulsion system, utilizing three Zvezda M-507D1 112c or 16D49 16D500 12V ZE1600KZ diesel engines, paired with three DGAS-315 diesel generators.
This setup allows for a top speed of 30 knots. The corvettes have a respectable range of 2,500 nautical miles and can maintain operations for up to 15 days.
A crew of 50 to 70 personnel operates the vessels, and they are outfitted with an array of weapons and defense systems. These include either a 76.2 mm 59-caliber AK-176MA or 100 mm A-190 automatic dual-purpose guns.
For air defense, the corvettes carry either a Pantsir-M CIWS with Hermes-K missiles, a 3M89 Palash/Palma CIWS with Sosna-R missiles, or two AK-630M-2 CIWS, which are found on the first two vessels.
Additional weaponry includes 2 sets of 4 UKSK VLS cells, which can hold Kalibr or Oniks anti-ship cruise missiles, and two 12.7x108 mm Kord machine guns.
The Karakurt-class corvettes also have capacity for aerial equipment, including a launcher for the Orlan-10 UAV. This aerial component adds another dimension to the vessels' capabilities.
The corvettes boast an extensive suite of sensors and processing systems. These include the Mineral-M radar, Pozitiv-M 1.2 3D radar, an AESA type radar, and several fire-control and communication systems. With these systems, the Karakurt-class corvettes are well-equipped to handle a multitude of scenarios in the naval arena.
