One of the most interesting shipbuilding programs in recent years is the production of high-speed patrol boats pr. 03160 "Raptor". The new project appeared at the beginning of the last decade and soon reached the series. Two contracts for the supply of boats have already been completed and work is underway on the third. To date, the navy has received 14 production boats, two more will enter service in the near future.
First episode
Project 03160 "Raptor" was developed by the Leningrad shipyard "Pella" in the early tenths. When creating it, foreign and domestic experience in the field of high-speed boats was taken into account, which led to the desired results. In 2012-13. the lead boat of the P-274 project (serial number 701) was built at Pella. In August 2013, he passed the necessary tests.
At the end of June 2014, the Ministry of Defense announced the conclusion of an agreement for the supply of new boats, project 03160. It provided for the construction of eight pieces of equipment with delivery in 2014 and 2015. - 4 boats per year. By this time, the boat with the serial number "702" had already been launched and was preparing for testing. Construction of several more units was soon completed.
According to press reports, by the end of 2014, the first four boats were launched and prepared for testing. The necessary measures continued until March 2015. First, we signed an acceptance certificate for three boats, and a few weeks later the customer accepted the fourth.
Construction continued in 2015. In the fall, four new boats were launched and tested. Two Raptors completed tests and were handed over to the customer at the end of November. Two more were handed over in a month - "under the tree". This completes the execution of the first order.
Boats with serial numbers from "701" to "708" were divided among several connections. P-280 "Yunarmeets Baltic", P-281 and P-344 serve in the Baltic Fleet. Boats P-274, P-275, P-276, P-838, P-845 became part of the Black Sea. It should be noted that the boat P-344 (z / n 706) was built in the version of a communication boat. Since joining the service, he is based in Moscow and stands at the landing stage of the National Center for Defense Management.
Second order
In May 2016, a new order appeared. This time, the Ministry of Defense wanted to receive six Raptor boats by the end of 2018. The Pella plant again successfully coped with the task, and the Navy received the required equipment on time.
The first in the new series were boats P-415 "Georgy Potekhin" and P-425, launched in December 2016. After the necessary tests, they were accepted by the customer in May 2017. Also, at the end of 2016, the launch of the P-413 boat took place. Together with the P-345 (completed in May 2017), it was commissioned the following fall. In August 2017, the P-437 boat was launched. In April 2018, the P-434 entered trials. At the beginning of September 2018, they were accepted by the customer.
The boats of the project 03160 of the second contract were distributed among three operational-strategic formations. P-413, P-345 and P-434 were handed over to the Baltic sailors. P-415 and P-425 were included in the Black Sea Fleet. The P-437 boat became the first combat unit of its type in the Caspian Flotilla.
Next batch
Pella is currently completing its third order for the construction of Raptors for the Navy. It is the largest at the moment and provides for the delivery of ten boats over several years. The first boats of the new series have already been built and are being prepared for testing. Completion of assembly work is expected for the following.
According to the press service of the Ministry of Defense, on April 15, at the Pella plant, a solemn ceremony of launching two boats with serial numbers 715 and 716, the first in a new series, took place. Now they will be taken out for testing, according to the results of which an acceptance certificate will be signed. During the ceremony, the representative of the naval command clarified that the delivery of two boats is scheduled for June, they will serve in the Baltic Fleet. Crew training has already begun.
As follows from the available data, at present several more boats of project 03160 should be at different stages of construction. Over the next few months, they will be launched, after which they will be tested and handed over to the customer.
The exact dates for the completion of a series of 10 boats have not yet been announced. Taking into account the experience of shipbuilders and the volume of the order, it can be assumed that the last Raptors of the third contract will enter service no later than 2022. As a result of this construction, the total number of such boats in the Navy will reach 24 units.
Intermediate results
The construction of all the planned and contracted patrol boats of the project 03160 "Raptor" has not yet been completed, but the Navy has already received a sufficient amount of such equipment. With its help, several fleets solve problems of various kinds, incl. special.
At the moment, 14 boats have been handed over to the customer and put into operation. In just a couple of months, their number will grow to 16. Almost all delivered boats, 12 out of 14, perform anti-sabotage functions and are used by the relevant units of the fleet. Two more are built as communications boats and are intended for use by the command of the fleet or the armed forces.
The largest group of "Raptors" is currently formed in the Baltic Fleet. It has seven units of similar equipment in two versions. Five patrol boats and one communications boat P-413 are based in Kronstadt. Another communications boat, P-344, is included in the Baltic Fleet, but operates far from its bases, on the Moskva River. In the near future, the number of boats pr. 03160 in Kronstadt will grow again.
The Black Sea Fleet is slightly behind. From 2014 to 2018, he received six boats in their original patrol configuration. Probably, the delivery of new boats from the third series is planned. The Caspian flotilla has only one Raptor so far, but new supplies are not ruled out.
The commissioning of a new batch of 10 boats will begin in June this year. How exactly they will be distributed among the fleets is unknown. Perhaps with their help they will strengthen the Caspian Flotilla. It is also possible to transfer boats to the Northern and Pacific Fleets, in which there are no Raptors yet - but there are anti-sabotage units interested in obtaining such equipment.
Security and other tasks
During the recent ceremony of launching two boats, the words of the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy were heard. Admiral Nikolay Evmenov, in his congratulatory speech, read out at the event, noted that the naval command pays attention not only to the construction of ships in the sea and ocean zones, but also to the development of the basing infrastructure. The latter needs protection, and in this context the boats of the project 03160 "Raptor" are of great importance.
By now, the Raptors have come into the possession of two fleets and a single flotilla, which has increased the potential of the anti-sabotage forces. In the future, such units are expected to be reinforced with 10 new boats - or more if new orders appear. In addition, one should not forget about the boats in a special coherent design.
In all variants, the modern boat, project 03160, shows its best side. The construction of such equipment continues, and due to this, the fleet receives a convenient multipurpose tool, and at the agreed time and in the required quantity.
