22800 "Karakurt": characteristics and design features

Military ships are one of the most valuable units of the military power of each country, therefore leading world engineers are constantly working on the design and production of more and more effective and functional projects. It's no secret that the Russian Navy is one of the strongest in the world, but in this case progress has not stopped in one place. Russian engineers are also working to make the Russian Navy stronger and stronger every year. That is why in 2015, and was introduced project 22800 "Karakurt", which involves the construction of almost twenty new effective military units that will be added to the Navy. However, what are these units? What are their technical characteristics? What are their design features? From this article you will learn everything about project 22800 "Karakurt".

about the project

First of all, we need to understand what the project 22800 "Karakurt" is. Such coding will be carried by small multipurpose rocket-artillery ships of small displacement, which will function in the near sea zone. According to some classifications such ships are described as "small corvettes". They are designed to conduct military operations in the near sea zone, as well as on rivers, so that they are assigned a conditional sea-river class. Also, "Karakurts" will perform certain tasks in peacetime, so it is difficult to overestimate the importance of this undertaking. And that is why now you will find out all the important details concerning project 22800 "Karakurt": from the history of its occurrence and ending with the review of current works.

History of the project

The history of project 22800 "Karakurt" is not very long, for the first time it was presented to the public only in 2015. However, its roots go much deeper into the past. The fact is that the basis of this project is the rocket artillery boat "Scorpion", which was designed in the late nineties and early zero. However, the project was not as successful as it was planned. The only "Scorpion", which was put into production in 2001, was never completed. A very big influence on "Karakurt" was also rendered by the extremely popular to date small rocket ship "Buyan-M", which is widely used in the Caspian Sea. However, it is much more effective on rivers and in small waters, so in conditions of the open sea it does not show its best qualities. It was in order to supplement the functionality of the Buyanov, and the production of the Karakurts was planned, which is supposed to be a seaworthy alternative to the Buyans. In total, within the framework of Project 22800 Karakurt, the construction of 18 ships is planned, but in more details this will be described a little later, now it is worthwhile to focus on the main technical characteristics of the ship, behind which the future of the Russian Navy is seen.

Specifications

As it was already said earlier, the small rocket ships of the project 22800 Karakurt have not the largest displacement - 800 tons. At the same time in the length of such a ship after the completion of the first construction will reach sixty meters, while its width will be ten meters. The ship's sinking, that is, the depth to which it will be submerged, is four meters. Put into motion this model will be a diesel-electric engine, at maximum speed the speed of the "Karakurt" will be thirty knots. Also worth paying attention to two more characteristics: the range and autonomy of navigation. The first characteristic shows how much the ship can go without refueling, and the second is the actual time that the ship will be able to stay in open water, not bothering to shore up to replenish supplies. The range of navigation in this model will be approximately two and a half thousand miles, and the autonomy of navigation - about fifteen days. As you can see, according to the technical characteristics of the small project ship 22800 "Karakurt" is extremely efficient, compact and has a high potential. But what about his weapons, which he will be equipped with?

Armament

If we talk about the armament of the rocket ship project 22800 "Karakurt", then there are five different groups worth mentioning, each of which deserves special attention. First, on board the ship there will be radar equipment in the form of the radar "Mineral-M". Secondly, it will also be equipped with radio-electronic weapons: at the same time, Karakurt will be equipped with both the Trassa-E radar complex and the Sigma-E information and control system. Thirdly, the main striking force will be the eight-charge installation of the vertical launch of the ZS14. Fourthly, it will not do without an artillery gun: there will be a choice between a 100-millimeter and a 76-millimeter automatic installation. And finally, fifth, there will be anti-aircraft artillery on board. For these functions the "Pantsir-M" anti-aircraft missile system was chosen. As you can see, the project 22800 "Karakurt" ship will be very well armed, but more about its combat power will be told a little later.

Features of the housing design

Each ship has its own features and unique features that distinguish it from standard models. This may be the location of masts, guns, the presence or absence of any elements and so on. Ship 22800 "Karakurt" has several such features, and the most important of them concern the design of the hull and superstructures on it. As it was said before, this ship will be similar in many respects to the "Buyans", which are now widely used in the Russian Navy. "Buyan" also has a rocket launcher, which is located in the rear of the superstructure, only it is located along the diametral plane. As for "Karakurt", in the case of this ship the installation will be located across. Also worth noting is the presence on board of the integrated mast, on which it will be possible to find the antennas that are part of the radar complex. However, MRK of project 22800 "Karakurt" has much more features, which should be told separately.

Power point

One of the most striking features of the project of IRA Karakurt 22800 is its power plant. On different ships, you can find different engines, if compared with the closest model, which has been mentioned in the article more than once, then it only has a diesel engine. As for the "Karakurt", in this case the engine is diesel-electric, which is an impressive step forward in all aspects, including the range and autonomy of navigation (according to the last parameter, "Karakurt" surpasses the "Buyan" for as much as five days). The engine of the new generation of project 22800 "Karakurt" is produced at the domestic plant "Zvezda" and can become universal for ships of similar type in the near future.

Weapon Features

Considering the fact that this ship is a combat ship, it is worth more detailing the issue of its weapons. As you could already understand earlier, armament aboard the ship will be extremely diverse, which makes the model multifunctional. The main weapon, of course, will be an eight-shot vertical launcher that can use the rockets of the families "Onyx" and "Caliber". As for the artillery support, the final version has not yet been approved, but, most likely, either the 100 mm A-190 or the 76-mm AC AK-176 will be the main weapon. If the second option is approved, two small-caliber artillery units AK-630 will impart additional firepower to the weaker gun. Also, there is a suggestion that the main artillery gun will be a 57-millimeter AU-A-220M, but this option seems the least likely. As for anti-aircraft defense, the last version of the anti-aircraft gun is "Pantsir", but there are rumors that in its place may be Zrach "Palash". In the coming year, the answer to this question is unlikely to appear, so it is worth waiting for the appearance of the first ready ship created within the framework of this project. About when it will be launched, it will be discussed later.

Seaworthiness

It has already been mentioned above that ships of this model will enjoy better seaworthiness in comparison with their closest relatives, the Buyans. The engineers who designed the Karakurt report that the reason for this is the fact that the Buyans are used mainly on the coasts of the seas, as well as in riverine conditions, that is, they do not need a large margin of range and autonomy of navigation. As for the Karakurts, they are planned to be used in the open seas, so they needed the best seaworthiness, which will become one of their main distinctive features.

"Hurricane"

So, you have learned all the details about the project 22800, which has the encryption "Karakurt". Now it's time to pay attention to the specific ships that are already under construction. The first of them was called "Hurricane". Its production was started on December 24, 2015 at the Pella plant. All the ships of the Karakurt project will be produced as part of the import substitution program. This means that all components to them will be met at domestic plants. "Hurricane" will be designed for the Northern Fleet of the Russian VIF. It is planned that its construction will be completed in 2017.

"Typhoon"

On the same day, December 24, the construction of the second ship of this project was started at the same Pella plant. He was given the name "Typhoon". He will also be sent to the Northern Fleet of the Russian Navy after completion of the production process, but it should be noted that this will happen a little later: the launch of the second ship is scheduled for 2018 instead of 2017.

"Storm"

As for the third ship, it is slightly out of the picture. The fact is that the factory "Sea" in Feodosiya was entitled to produce it. It will be produced not for the Northern, but for the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Navy. It happened on the tenth of May, 2016, just then the construction of the "Storm" began. In accordance with the submitted plan, production is expected to be completed a year later, in 2019.

"Squall"

July 29, 2016, the production of the fourth "Karakurt", which was called "Shkval." This ship will also be built at the Pella plant and, like other ships that will be manufactured there, will go to the camp of the Northern Fleet. Completed construction of Shkvala will be in 2019, but it certainly will not be the last ship of project 22800 produced at the Pella plant.

Future plans

As you well understand, everything will not be limited to four ships: it is planned to produce much more corvettes within this grandiose project. Earlier it was said that there will be only 18 ships of this type, but now this information is not confirmed yet. To date, according to general estimates, in addition to the four ships in production, eight more will be manufactured. Three of them have already received the order from the Pella plant, which is already engaged in the production of three Karakurts. However, it is worth taking into account the fact that the "Sea" plant was bought out by Pella, so it is likely that some of these orders (maybe all three) will be transferred to the plant in Feodosia. But what about the remaining five ships? On August 3, 2016, they received an order from Zelenodolsky Shipyard named after AM Gorky. Work on their production has not yet been started, but the fact that in the next five years the Navy will have twelve new and modern ships is already undeniable. And if the project 22800 turns out to be successful, then the likelihood is that the initial rate of eighteen ships will be fulfilled, and maybe even overfulfilled. It is not yet possible to say whether Pella will receive more orders for making the Karakurts, whether they will get Zelenodolsk plant or other enterprises will be connected to the production of this type of ship. It remains to wait for the moment when the first "Karakurt" will be launched into the water in 2017 and it can be tested in real conditions in order to understand how large this project will be in the future and what awaits it.