Are Kalibr Ships Transferring to the Baltic Fleet?

"Zelenyy Dol" -- February 14, 2016

(credit: Yörük Işık)

This morning, shipspotters Alper Böler, Devrim Yaylali, and Yörük Işık photographed Russian Navy patrol combatants "Serpukhov" and "Zelenyy Dol" as they headed south through the Turkish Straits. The two ships earlier returned to Sevastopol on September 17 following a 38-day deployment to the eastern Mediterranean Sea. During that deployment, both ships launched 3M-14 Kalibr land-attack cruise missiles into Syria.

After a three-week break, "Serpukhov" and "Zelenyy Dol" are headed back to the Mediterranean Sea - possibly with a final destination in the Baltic Sea.

(credit: Main Intelligence Directorate - Ukrainian Ministry of Defense)

On September 16, the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine's Ministry of Defense reported on its website that the two patrol combatants were scheduled to begin a transfer to the Baltic Fleet on September 24 using Russia's inland waterway system. Such a transfer would have required sufficient lead time to remove a portion of the ships' superstructures. With such a tight timeline (September 17-24), this option seemed unlikely. And the ships remained idle until they departed port yesterday.

"Serpukhov" and "Zelenyy Dol" could temporarily increase the Russian Navy's presence in the eastern Mediterranean; however, the Malta Ship & Actions Photos website claims the two ships will call in Valletta, Malta, in mid-October. According to the website, the ships will be supported by salvage tug "SB-36", which has been deployed to the Mediterranean Sea since last month. It should be noted that Malta Ship & Actions Photos reported last month that "Serpukhov" and "Zelenyy Dol" would visit Valletta on September 29-October 2, which did not occur. As the website has a good record of reporting on future Valletta port calls, the discrepancy in the Russian ships' port call dates is likely related to a scheduling change.

Having traveled that far west with a tug, it seems even more likely that "Serpukhov" and "Zelenyy Dol" will continue to the Baltic Sea. But the small patrol combatants will require several port calls (Ceuta? Lisbon?) and/or logistical support by a naval tanker.

The Baltic Fleet would benefit greatly from the introduction of Kalibr-armed warships. While Kalibr-capable ships and submarines are tested in the Baltic Sea before being transferred to the Black Sea Fleet, the Baltic Fleet currently has no Kalibr-capable ships or submarines in its own permanent inventory.

Russian Navy Activity Summary, February 2016

Landing ship "Ivan Gren" undergoing initial deperm - February 2016

Date	Event
Feb 2	Submarine “Vladikavkaz” returned to Polyarnyy after "long-distance" mission
Feb 2	New deep-submergence submarine rescue vehicle "AS-40" temporarily embarked on submarine rescue ship "Alagez"; will transfer to "Igor Belousov" after it transfers to Pacific Fleet
Feb 4	New-construction landing ship “Ivan Gren” commenced initial deperming near Yantar Baltic Shipyard
Feb 6	Frigate "Admiral Essen" began first phase of state acceptance testing
Feb 8	Surprise combat readiness inspection began in Southern Military District (augmented by elements of the Central Military District); inspection ended on Feb 12
Feb 10	Frigate "Admiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Gorshkov" completed 15-day dock repair period at Shipyard 35 in Murmansk
Feb 11	Frigate "Admiral Grigorovich" returned to Yantar Baltic Shipyard for spruce work before scheduled commissioning ceremony on March 11
Feb 13	Kalibr-armed patrol combatant "Zelenyy Dol" and minesweeper "Kovrovets" departed Sevastopol en route to the   Mediterranean Sea; "Zelenyy Dol" arrived in Tartus, Syria, on Feb 17
Feb 18	Third Project 22160 patrol ship "Pavel Derzhavin" laid down at Gorkiy Zelenodolsk Shipyard
Feb 19	Project 19910 hydrographic survey vessel “Admiral Rogotskiy” laid down at October Revolution Shipyard (Blagoveshchensk)
Feb 21	Intelligence collection ship "Priazovye" noted heading southbound through Turkish Straits
Feb 24	Flight ban and route closures went into effect for "Russian Navy exercises" in the eastern Mediterranean Sea; valid through Feb 29
Feb 24	Oceanographic research vessel "Admiral Vladimirskiy" completed Antarctica survey and began transit to Cape Town, South Africa
Feb 29	Floating workshop "PM-138" joined Russian Navy task group in the Mediterranean Sea; to relieve "PM-56"

Russian Navy Activity Summary, January 2016

DSRV "AS-40" (right) + DSRV "AS-28" (left) on board "Alagez" submarine rescue ship -- February 2, 2016

Date	Event
Jan 2	Research vessel "Admiral Vladimirskiy” arrived in Cape Town, South Africa; departed on Jan 4
Jan 3	Cruiser “Varyag” entered Mediterranean Sea via Suez Canal; to relieve “Moskva”
Jan 6	Destroyer “Bystryy” arrived in Da Nang, Vietnam; departed Jan 9
	Project 18271/Bester-1 deep-submergence submarine rescue vehicle “AS-40” recently arrived in Pacific Fleet; to be temporarily embarked on submarine rescue ship “Alagez” until “Igor Belousov” transfers to Pacific Fleet
	Frigate “Admiral Grigorovich” returned to Baltiysk following 28-day deployment to Northern Fleet to conduct weapons testing
Jan 9	Cruiser “Moskva” returned to Sevastopol following 108-day deployment to Mediterranean Sea
Jan 10	Ocean-going tug “MB-97” departed Kronshtadt; subsequently arrived in Baltiysk on Jan 12 for permanent basing; to be commissioned in Feb 2016
Jan 12	Crew of new-construction frigate “Admiral Makarov” sent to St. Petersburg to undergo specialized crew training
Jan 13	Hull numbers on several Black Sea Fleet combatants changed as early as Jan 13 – specifically, the middle digit was changed. Over the course of several days, the following changes were noted (old > new): cruiser “Kerch” (713 > 753), frigate “Ladnyy” (801 > 861), frigate “Pytlivyy” (808 > 868), destroyer “Smetlivyy” (810 > 870); no other hull number changes noted in the Black Sea Fleet or any other fleet area
Jan 14	Northern Fleet’s Arctic Oceanographic Expedition recently stood up; to perform systematic research of the water areas of the Arctic Sea and territories of Russian arctic islands; successor to Northern Hydrographic Expedition (1924-2011)
Jan 17	Destroyer “Bystryy” arrived in Shanghai, China; departed Jan 21
Jan 18	Research vessel “Admiral Vladimirskiy” reached Lazarev Sea and began its Antarctic survey work
	Crews of new-construction submarines “Kolpino” and “Velikiy Novgorod” sent to Obninsk to undergo specialized crew training
Jan 23	Landing ship “Korolev” returned to Baltiysk following 249-day deployment to Mediterranean Sea
Jan 25	Fire broke out on “PD-41” floating dry dock at Shipyard 30 in Dunay; no reporting on any damage to ships that were inside the dock at the time
Jan 26	Destroyer “Bystryy” returned to Vladivostok following 85-day deployment

Musical Submarine Rescue Ships

"Sayany" submarine rescue ship in Valletta, Malta - September 3, 2015
[credit" Emmanuel L.]

On August 31, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that Black Sea Fleet Prut-class submarine rescue ship "EPRON" had departed the Black Sea en route to India for unspecified "international military cooperation" with that country's naval forces. The ship transited the Suez Canal, entered the Red Sea on September 3, and is scheduled to arrive in India in early October. "EPRON" last deployed out of the Black Sea in 2011 to support NATO's Bold Monarch submarine rescue exercise near Spain.

What exactly "EPRON" will do in India and for how long is unknown. With the departure of the Black Sea Fleet's sole fully functional submarine rescue ship, this would appear to indicate no submarine operations will occur in the Black Sea for some time. However, Pacific Fleet Rudnitskiy-class submarine rescue ship "Sayany" is currently in the Mediterranean Sea. It was photographed in Valletta, Malta, on September 3, and there is reason to believe it will head into the Black Sea in the near future.

So, what's really going on?

All of Russia's four fleets have submarine rescue ships in their inventories:

- The Northern and Pacific Fleets each have two Rudnitskiy-class ships equipped with deep-submergence rescue vehicles (DSRV); the Pacific Fleet also has the DSRV-equipped Elbrus-class ship "Alagez". Both fleets also have two DSRVs; however, one of the Northern Fleet's DSRVs is currently undergoing a two-year maintenance cycle at Kanonerskiy Shipyard (St. Petersburg).

- The Baltic Fleet has one DSRV-equipped Kashtan-class ship - SS-750.

- The Black Sea has the "EPRON" and the 100-year-old Kommuna-class ship "Kommuna". While "EPRON" is equipped with a rescue chamber, since 2007 the "Kommuna" has had no equipment capable of bringing stranded submariners to the surface. It is equipped only with small remotely-operated vehicles (ROV) capable of surveying the distressed submarine and providing limited support to rescue operations.

Thus, the Pacific Fleet is the only fleet with two operational DSRVs, and the only fleet capable of deploying it (on board "Sayany") to the Mediterranean Sea. As with the Baltic and Northern Fleets, the Pacific Fleet can continue submarine operations with a single operational DSRV.

"Kommuna" submarine rescue ship with "AS-5" DSRV on board - December 2005

In a July 17 Krasnaya Zvezda article about "Kommuna" was this tell-tale paragraph:

In the future, "Kommuna" will again have rescue work. In the near future, six new diesel-electric submarines will arrive in the Black Sea Fleet, and the safety of their operations needs to be ensured. And so plans for "Kommuna" include receiving a rescue submersible and carrying out rescue ship missions.

"Kommuna" was last equipped with a DSRV (Project 1837-class "AS-5") between 1998 and 2006. In 2007, "AS-5" was transferred to the Baltic Fleet, where it served until being stricken from service last year. The above statement, however, suggests the rescue ship may once again serve as the mothership for a DSRV. And that DSRV may be delivered by "Sayany".

If the Krasnaya Zvezda article is correct in suggesting "Kommuna" will take on the Pacific Fleet DSRV on a permanent basis, that means "Sayany" will return to Vladivostok empty, leaving the Pacific Fleet with only one DSRV. While that may be workable for a short time, it would be impossible to operate submarines were the sole remaining DSRV to be out-of-service, either for routine or unscheduled maintenance, for many months. And while Russian Navy's four newer Project 18551/Priz-class DSRVs can be transported via air, road, and train between fleet areas, that is far from the optimal way of providing submarine rescue support.

Yet, the Pacific Fleet was forced to operate in just this way in 2005-2008 and 2012-2013 when the fleet's two DSRVs took turns undergoing long-overdue repairs and upgrades. And it is under these conditions that the Northern Fleet is currently operating - one operational DSRV, one undergoing upgrades. However, from a geographical perspective, the impact on the Northern Fleet is negligible compared to the Pacific Fleet. The farthest distance between Northern Fleet submarine bases (Kola area and Severodvinsk) is approximately 330 nautical miles. Placing a rescue ship somewhere between those two bases would ensure a DSRV could be on station to support operations near both bases and could arrive at the location of a distressed submarine in less than 10 hours. The Pacific Fleet, on the other hand, has two submarine bases (Vladivostok and Kamchatka Peninsula) that are located nearly 1,200 nautical miles apart. Placing a DSRV-equipped submarine rescue ship at 600 nautical miles from either base means it would not arrive at the location of a downed submarine for nearly 30 hours.

"Igor Belousov" with "AS-40" DSRV on board - May 7, 2015
[credit: Curious]

Enter Russia's newest submarine rescue ship, "Igor Belousov", with the fleet's newest DSRV, Project 18271/Bester 1-class "AS-40". Since leaving Baltiysk in August for Phase 4 of factory sea trials, the "Igor Belousov" crew has been testing the ship's diver chamber and Pantera Plus ROV at design depths in the Atlantic Ocean. After being commissioned, the rescue ship will eventually join the Pacific Fleet, probably in 2016, which means the fleet will once again have two DSRVs in its inventory.

The transfer of the Pacific Fleet DSRV will provide the Black Sea Fleet with a much needed boost in submarine rescue capabilities. With the arrival of the first new Kilo-class submarine in the Black Sea later this month and five more over the next 18 months, the Russian Navy cannot risk supporting its growing undersea arsenal using 1950's technology.

Did Egypt Take Possession of a Russian Tarantul?

Egyptian President el-Sisi and Russian President Putin meet in Moscow - May 9, 2015

Ten months after Russian Air Force tankers deployed to Egypt to support Russian strategic bomber flights...

...six months after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Egypt...

...five months after Egyptian defense minister General Sedki Sobhi visited his Russian counterpart (General Sergey Shoygu) in Moscow...

...three months after Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi visited Moscow on one of Russia's holiest of holidays (Victory Day)...

Exercise Bridge of Friendship-2015

...two months after Egypt and Russia held their first joint naval exercise (Bridge of Friendship-2015)...

...and one week after a Russian Navy patrol ship took part in celebrations marking the opening of the new Suez Canal (attended by Russian Prime Minister Dmitriy Medvedev)...

...it appears Egypt may have just acquired that same missile-armed patrol ship from Russia.

According to unofficial reporting, the Russian Baltic Fleet's Tarantul-class patrol ship "R-32" was officially handed over to Egypt in a ceremony held in Alexandria, Egypt, on August 10.

[UPDATE: Egyptian officials have now disclosed that "R-32" was transferred from the Russian Navy to the Egyptian Navy.]

"R-32" in Baltiysk -- May 28, 2015

"R-32" is the little ship that no one wanted:

• laid down at Vympel Shipyard in 1994, launched in 1999, then transferred to the Black Sea for fitting out and sea trials;
• after being mothballed for several years, "R-32" was transferred back to Vympel Shipyard in 2007 for repairs;
• transferred to Caspian Flotilla in October-November 2008, then to Makhachkala in the spring of 2009 to prepare it for transfer to Turkmenistan;
• after Turkmenistan backed out the contract to acquire "R-32", the unit was commissioned into the Russian Navy in June 2010;
• beyond its participation in annual Navy Day parades in 2010-2013, the unit remained inactive;
• transferred to Baltic Fleet in October-November 2013;
• transferred from St. Petersburg to Baltiysk in January 2014;
• several of the ship's onboard components were inspected and/or repaired earlier this year: M-15E.1 main gas turbine, refrigerator units, Afalina emergency communications radio-buoy, and emergency lighting equipment.

Oddly, there has been no official announcement yet by either country regarding this possible transfer.

Russian Combatant Participates in Suez Canal Opening Ceremony

If you were watching coverage of today's opening of the new Suez Canal, you were probably surprised to see that the Russian Navy was quietly represented in the ceremony by the Baltic Fleet's Tarantul-class patrol combatant "R-32" (visible at 1:47:55, 1:49:11, 1:52:09, 1:55:47, and 1:56:11; see screenshots at the bottom of this post). Neither the RF Ministry of Defense nor the Baltic Fleet made any prior announcements that the patrol ship would be visiting Egypt or participating in the celebrations.

So, when did "R-32" arrive in Egypt? Polish amateur radio operator Tomasz Golojuch may have provided the only clue in this July 28 tweet:

While Tomasz provided no other data, the presence of "SB-921" (a Baltic Fleet Sliva-class tug) in Egypt last week suggests the possibility that "SB-921" is supporting "R-32" during its unannounced deployment.

"R-32" spotted in Baltiysk in early July 2015
(credit: Lex Kitaev)

The participation of a Russian combatant in today's was surely arranged to coincide with Russian Prime Minister Dmitriy Medvedev's visit to Egypt and attendance at today's ceremony.

Where will "SB-921" and "R-32" head to next?

Baltic Fleet Tries to Forget the "Steregushchiy" Fire

"Steregushchiy" undergoing routine dock repairs, early 2015
credit: RF Baltic Fleet

What was supposed to be a somewhat routine exercise in mid-April turned into a real emergency for one of the Baltic Fleet's newest combatants.

Prior to the exercise, Steregushchiy-class frigate "Steregushchiy" had completed a routine 59-day out-of-water repair period at the Yantar Baltic Shipyard in Kaliningrad before returning to Baltiysk Naval Base on March 21. According to the March 21 edition of the fleet's newspaper, Strazh Baltiki (released the same day as the frigate's return to Baltiysk), shipyard work included repairs to hull fittings, propellers, the main engine, and diesel engines, as well as a fresh coat of paint. The ship's commanding officer, Captain 3rd Rank Aleskey Suslov, told the newspaper that "Steregushchiy" was to complete all combat certifications by the end of April.

On April 17, 2015, the Western Military District press service issued a press statement regarding a recently held anti-air and antisubmarine warfare exercise involving all four of the Baltic Fleet's Steregushchiy-class frigates: "Boykiy", Soobrazitelnyy", "Stoykiy", and "Steregushchiy". Also included in the list of participants were two firefighting vessels, an AN-26 Curl fixed-wing transport, and a KA-27 Helix helicopter. The inclusion of firefighting vessels in live-fire exercises seemed odd until you reached the end of the article in which the press release stated that the ships also practiced "rendering assistance to one of the ships, which was simulating a casualty."

It should be no surprise that even before the press release was broadcast by the major Russian news outlets, hints of a true emergency on board "Steregushchiy" began to leak out. According to one source, "Steregushchiy" was supposed to be underway for four days, but the frigate was forced to return within six hours of getting underway due to a fire. Two weeks later, a different source indicated the fire may have started after fuel somehow entered the frigate's exhaust funnel. That source also indicated there were some injuries, although the exact nature of the injuries and the number of injured personnel were not provided.

It is not known whether the AN-26 and KA-27 were part of the exercise, part of the response to the fire on "Steregushchiy", or both.

Thus, the Western Military District's inclusion of firefighting vessels and the rescue drill in its press release appears to be an attempt to cover up a response to an actual at-sea emergency. With NATO's Baltic partners keeping a vigilant eye on Russian military activity in the region, the Russian military press officers have to quickly devise explanations for any unusual military activity, such as an accident. Sometimes, however, their explanations fail.

Overhauled Kilo Subs Remain Kalibr-less

Kilo "Vladikavkaz" - September 19, 2014
(Image courtesy of Zvezdochka Ship Repair Center)

Six new (Project 636.3) Kilo-class diesel submarines are being built for the Russian Navy at Admiralty Shipyards in St. Petersburg. All six, which are destined for the Black Sea Fleet, will be armed with the Kalibr-family of missiles: the SS-N-27 Sizzler anti-ship cruise missile, the SS-N-30 land-attack cruise missile, and the 91R ASW missile. But will happen with the older Kilos?

Two 25-year-old Northern Fleet Kilos have undergone overhauls at Zvezdochka Ship Repair Center in Severodvinsk, but the overhauls apparently do not include backfitting them with the Kalibr system.

"Kaluga" arrived at the shipyard in 2002 for repairs, but without a decision on whether to repair or scrap the submarine, it remained idle for about six years. In 2008, Onega Scientific Research Technological Design Bureau drafted documentation for "medium repairs" (i.e., overhaul, which gives the submarine another 10 years of service) of the submarine, but only in 2010 was "Kaluga" finally moved into a repair hall. The submarine was rolled back out in May 2012. In 2013, the shipyard made it clear that "Kaluga" was not backfitted with the Kalibr system.

"Kaluga" was inactive so long that the crew it had in 2002 had been nearly disbanded, reduced to just a few crew members. As such, the crew of another Kilo, "Yaroslavl" (commanded by Captain 2nd Rank Oleg Mikholap), manned "Kaluga" throughout its post-overhaul sea trials (2012-2013) and transfer back to Polyarnyy (July 2013). In 2013, Mikholap was replaced by his executive officer, Captain 3rd Rank Yuriy Gusarov, as the "Yaroslavl" commanding officer; however, as "Yaroslavl" was non-operational, Gusarov's crew remained on "Kaluga". In October-November 2013, just three months after returning from the shipyard, "Kaluga" (under Gusarov's command) conducted a month-long deployment (area unknown). Gusarov and his crew remained on "Kaluga" as late as June 2014 and could still be on board.

The second Kilo to be overhauled at Zvezdochka Ship Repair Center, "Vladikavkaz", was transferred to Severodvinsk in 2008. Due to a similar "indecision-making" process, a contract for the submarine's "medium repairs" was not signed until 2011. The submarine was rolled into the repair hall in late 2011 for a nearly two-year overhaul period. The submarine rolled out of the repair hall on September 19 of this year and will be returned to the Russian Navy in late 2015.

Although neither Kilo was backfitted with the Kalibr missile system, they did receive the MGK-400V.1 sonar system, which provides improved sonar capabilities. Other upgrades were made to navigation and weapons-related components.

Next up: either "Magnitogorsk" or "Yaroslavl". "Magnitogorsk" has been performing duties in the Baltic Fleet since late 2013 (it did a similar Baltic Fleet deployment in 2012). Its return to the Northern Fleet may have been delayed until one of the Baltic Fleet's own Kilos, "Vyborg", returns to service following lengthy repairs. "Yaroslavl" has been inactive for at least two years. As with "Kaluga" and "Vladikavkaz", none of these old Kilos are expected to receive Kalibr upgrades.