Recently, the Russian Ministry of Defense released a message on social media: The Russian Navy’s Type 22350 frigate "Admiral Golovko" arrived at the Northern Fleet base dock in Severomorsk from St. Petersburg. Russian Northern Fleet Commander Moiseyev said at a welcome ceremony held at the dock that the entry of the "Admiral Golovko" has added a combat unit to the Russian Navy and the Northern Fleet. The official service of this latest frigate marks the further enhancement of the Russian Navy’s strength. At the same time, equipped with advanced weapon systems and innovative technologies, it also means that this frigate will play an important role in the Russian Navy’s strategy.
Frigates equipped with hypersonic missiles
In October 2020, Russia’s "Zircon" hypersonic missile was officially launched on the "Marshal Gorshkov" and completed its first shipboard test in the Barents Sea. After that, after Russia announced that the "Zircon" hypersonic missile was officially adopted by the Navy, this "big killer" began to land on this type of maritime combat platform one after another, among which the 22350 frigate is the main surface platform of this type of missile.
It is reported that before this, the first two 22350 frigates, "Marshal Gorshkov" and "Admiral Kasatonov", did not have this configuration when they left the factory, so the "Admiral Golovko" is also the world’s first new frigate equipped with hypersonic missiles when it leaves the factory.
As a hypersonic missile, the maximum speed of "Zircon" exceeds Mach 8. The extremely high speed makes it difficult for the "Zircon" hypersonic missile to be intercepted by the anti-missile system. The supersonic ramjet engine used by "Zircon" is considered to be the "third power revolution" after propellers and jet propulsion. The ramjet engine can mix oxygen in the air with its own fuel, so it can produce extremely high speeds. The hypersonic missile has extremely high kinetic energy and can penetrate more than ten meters of reinforced concrete. It is particularly suitable for attacking targets such as underground command posts or aircraft carrier battle groups. As an upgraded version of the Russian "Basalt" heavy anti-ship missile, the power of the "Zircon" hypersonic missile cannot be underestimated. The main attack target of "Zircon" is the extremely thick armor of water ships. Judging from the previous generation missile "Basalt" of "Zircon", two "Basalts" can directly penetrate a 38,000-ton target ship, so "Zircon" has extremely strong destructive power against ships.
In addition, the ramjet engine adopted by the "Zircon" hypersonic missile can use oxygen in the air, and the combustion aid carried is greatly reduced. Therefore, "Zircon" is smaller than ordinary missiles. For this reason, the Type 22350 frigate with a displacement of more than 5,000 tons can load all 16 vertical launch units with this missile for anti-ship purposes. The Type 22350 frigate equipped with this hypersonic missile has naturally become Russia’s new generation of "aircraft carrier killer" again!
The "late bloomer" Type 22350 frigate
The "Admiral Golovko" that has been commissioned this time is the third Type 22350 frigate of the Russian Navy. The Type 22350 frigate is 135 meters long and 16 meters wide, with a standard displacement of about 4,500 tons and a full load displacement of 5,400 tons. It is used to perform various tasks in the open sea.
This type of frigate was designed by the Russian Northern Design Bureau. The plan was approved by the Navy Command in 2003. However, this type of frigate was not included in the purchase order of the Ministry of Defense at that time, so it was delayed for about two years. It was not until 2005 that the Russian Ministry of Defense officially launched an external tender. In the same year, the Northern Shipyard won the bid and obtained the right to build this type of frigate. In February 2006, a grand steel plate cutting ceremony was held at the Northern Shipyard for the first 22350-type frigate, the Admiral Gorshkov, marking the official start of construction of the future main surface warship of the Russian Navy.
According to the original plan of the Russian Navy, the final number of 22350-type frigates to be built is about 20. After completion, they will be allocated to the four major fleets according to mission needs. However, due to funding issues and the impact of the Crimean crisis (the original power is the Zorya-Mashproekt gas turbine produced in Ukraine), the construction speed of frigates has slowed down significantly; the construction time of the first ship is very long. From the laying of the keel in 2006 to the launch in 2010, only 40% of its construction work has been completed. In addition, the Russian Navy’s development plan has been wavering during this period, and the construction of frigates has been seriously delayed. After about eight years, the first ship "Admiral Gorshkov" was officially completed. In 2019, two Type 22350 frigates were officially handed over to the Russian Navy under the witness of President Putin. During the construction period, the biggest setback experienced by the Type 22350 frigates was the problem of replacing the engine. Because of the Crimean crisis, Ukraine refused to continue to provide gas turbines to the Russian Navy. In desperation, the Russian United Engine Corporation was ordered to develop a new power for the new frigate. The DGTA M55R diesel gas turbine is the new engine launched by the company in 2020. This new engine was used on the third frigate. Although the problem was solved, it wasted nearly six years of the Russian Navy’s time.
After the first two frigates were put into service, its construction speed was significantly accelerated. At present, in addition to the three that have been in service. The Northern Shipyard has several Type 22350 frigates under construction, and subsequent orders are constantly being sent.
Offensive and defensive, extraordinary strength
As mentioned above, the Type 22350 frigate is a frigate that can threaten aircraft carriers, partly because it can be equipped with the "Zircon" hypersonic missile. Another part is the 16-unit UKSK vertical launch system that can launch this type of missile. This vertical launch can not only launch the "Zircon" hypersonic missile, but also launch the "Gem" supersonic anti-ship missile and the "Club" long-range anti-ship missile, achieving the ability to attack enemy ships absolutely effectively. In addition, this vertical launch system has also been tested in actual combat. It has launched a "Caliber" missile to accurately hit a Syrian target 1,500 kilometers away. It is a fairly mature vertical launch equipment.
In terms of defense capabilities, the Type 22350 frigate is equipped with a 32-unit "Rudet" launch system, which is the naval version of the S400 air defense system. Each launch barrel can be equipped with a 48N6 series long-range air defense missile, or a 9M96E1/E2 series medium-range air defense missile, or a short-range 9M100 short-range air defense missile, which can achieve 4 missiles in one pit, realizing long-range, medium-range and short-range multi-layer firing interception, improving interception efficiency. In addition, in the hangar, the ship is also equipped with 2 Kashtan combined missile and artillery heavy close-in defense weapon systems, equipped with two AO-18KD 30mm machine guns and eight 9M340E air defense missiles, with an effective defense distance of about 4 kilometers and an altitude of about 3 kilometers, as the last line of defense to intercept the fish that slip through the net.
In addition to the above, the 22350 frigate is equipped with a 130mm A-192M naval gun, 45 rounds/minute. Only Russia would equip such a fierce naval gun on a frigate of this tonnage.
In terms of anti-submarine, the ship still uses a "Ka" series anti-submarine helicopter, which mainly performs anti-submarine patrol missions. In addition, it is equipped with four 533mm torpedo tubes, which can use torpedoes and RPK-9 anti-submarine missiles loaded with torpedoes.
If the powerful firepower is the biggest feature of this frigate, then the electronic equipment is the biggest improvement of the 22350 frigate. Russian warships have finally abandoned the Soviet Union’s stupid, big, black and rough shape. The 22350 frigate adopts a stealth design as a whole, with a novel and simple deck and a closed mast, finally having the style of a modern ship.
The frigate’s electronic products are almost all hit on the closed mast. The top of the mast is equipped with a rotating radar with a 5P-27 three-dimensional array antenna, which is mainly responsible for long-range search and alert. The higher you stand, the farther you can see. This radar is also responsible for searching for low-altitude raid targets; the following are installed with 4 5P-20K fixed phased array radars, which can track 400 air targets and 50 surface targets at the same time, mainly used to guide air defense missiles for air defense interception; 5P-10 gun aiming radar, used to guide 130mm naval guns for air defense or anti-ship attacks; the large spherical antenna cover on the top of the bridge is a 34K1 sea search radar, similar to the music station radar that military fans are more familiar with, mainly used as a relay guidance for anti-ship missile attacks. In addition, there is a complete set of electronic countermeasure equipment on the platforms on both sides of the main mast, and the data link receiving antenna and satellite receiving antenna are arranged above the hangar.
The electronic equipment of the 22350 frigate is much simpler and more beautiful than that of the large warships in the Soviet era, but we know from the various protruding electronic equipment platforms on the mast that Russia still has a significant gap with the West in terms of electronic equipment level, and there is still a big gap from the integrated mast.
Develop and build a new type of "arsenal ship"
In addition to the continued construction of the 22350 frigate of this class, Russia plans to start construction of the derivative version of the 22350 frigate, the 22350M, in the near future. It is reported that the ship will be twice as large as the 22350, with a displacement of about 8,000 tons. By then, the number of vertical launch units of the ship will increase sharply, becoming a frigate with a "name in name only" (in fact, it is more powerful than ordinary destroyers).
From public information, although the 22350M missile frigate is improved on the basis of the 22350 missile frigate, it is very different from the latter. According to the person in charge of the Russian Northern Shipyard, the 22350M missile frigate is more advanced in design, has a larger displacement, and carries more weapons, reaching the standard of a missile destroyer.
At present, the design of the ship has not been fully finalized. Judging from the exhibited model, due to its larger size, it is equipped with more vertical launch systems. Among them, there are two vertical launch systems at the bow. The front is the "Bastion" vertical launch system, which is mainly used to launch ship-to-air missiles, with a total of 96 launch units. The back is the 3R14 vertical launch system, which is used to launch anti-ship missiles, land attack cruise missiles, anti-submarine missiles and hypersonic anti-ship missiles, with a total of 120 launch units. In addition, there is a B203 vertical launch system in the middle of the hull, with a total of 192 launch units, which can launch long-range/ultra-long-range ship-to-air missiles.
According to this design, the missile carrying capacity of the 22350M missile frigate is at least 408. If the Bastion vertical launch system adopts the "one pit, four missiles" method of loading, its missile carrying capacity will be further increased. In contrast, the "Peter the Great" nuclear-powered missile cruiser, which currently has the strongest firepower in the Russian Navy, has a displacement of 24,000 tons and carries only 500 missiles. Therefore, it is not difficult to see that the Russian Navy intends to build the 22350M missile frigate into a new type of "arsenal ship". In addition to the increase in vertical launch systems, another improvement of the 22350M missile frigate is the use of an integrated mast, which fully integrates the phased array radar system into the integrated mast, has stronger target detection and data analysis capabilities, and can guide missiles to intercept a variety of air targets. In addition, a fire control radar is arranged above the hangar, which is dedicated to guiding 48N6 and 40N6 ship-to-air missiles. With the widening of the hull, the 22350M missile frigate can carry 2 helicopters to enhance anti-ship, anti-submarine and early warning capabilities.
Conclusion
After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, Russia stopped developing new ships for a long time, which led to the gradual lag of the shipbuilding technology that was originally leading the world. At the same time, due to the lack of strength in the shipbuilding industry and various fields of technology, only some small and medium-sized ships can be built. Although the content of this 22350-type frigate with a displacement of 5,000 tons is rich enough, it is still not enough in front of China, where large ships are being built in a normalized manner. In the world, its combat capability is still far behind the world’s advanced level.
In this regard, we should fully learn lessons and always keep in mind the hard truth that "development is the hard truth!"
