In the interests of the Russian navy, new warships of all main classes are being developed, and several similar projects were recently presented to the country's leadership. On January 9, an exhibition dedicated to the prospects for the development of the Navy was held in Sevastopol, during which all major shipbuilding enterprises showed their new products. So, the shipbuilding corporation "Ak Bars" for the first time showed materials on the project of the corvette "11664".
First show
The prospective pr. 11664 was developed by the Zelenodolsk Design Bureau, which is part of the Ak Bars IC. The model of the ship was presented to the country's leadership by the chief engineer of the Kerch plant "Zaliv". Probably, it is this enterprise that is considered as a site for the construction of new ships. Several other developments were demonstrated along with the corvette "11664".
Like a number of other promising ships, the corvette of project 11664 is a variant of deep modernization of the frigate of project 11661 "Gepard", previously created by Zelenodolsk Design Bureau. When creating a new project, the existing experience was used, combined with modern ideas. In particular, the design uses ideas that correspond to the current trends in world shipbuilding.
The new corvette, project 11664, differs from the ships of the previous project in increased size and displacement. The length has grown to about 110 m, the displacement - up to 2, 5 thousand tons. It is noted that in this regard, the new corvette turns out to be "a ship of a transitional class between a corvette and a frigate." A conditional definition of "small frigate" is also proposed.
The main differences from its predecessor are in a different layout of electronic weapons, increased ammunition for the main strike weapons and more powerful air defense. The permanent basing of a carrier-based helicopter, designed to carry out anti-submarine defense, is also provided.
The proposed "small frigate" has advantages over other ships of the existing types. So, he bypasses the "Cheetah" in the number and effectiveness of weapons. Also, Project 11664 is compared with the patrol boats of Project 11540. With comparable armament, the new corvette has almost half the displacement, which has a positive effect on the cost of construction. According to the SK "Ak Bars", in general, in terms of the ratio of the main characteristics, the corvette "11664" has no equal.
To date, the Zelenodolsk Design Bureau has completed the preparation of a technical design for a new corvette. If the Ministry of Defense orders such a ship, the Ak Bars corporation is ready to prepare the remaining documentation as soon as possible and begin construction. At the same time, there was a hint of readiness for mass production.
Key Features
The presented layout and tabular data show the main features of the new project and allow you to evaluate some of its qualities. In general, the ship is similar to other domestic developments, but has significant differences - in some cases, they provide advantages over other models.
NS. 11664 uses a body of smooth contours, as much as possible similar to that used in the project 11661. Probably, the approaches to the design of some of the systems are also preserved. Attention is drawn to the design of the superstructure. Like a number of other ships, it is divided into several parts of different heights, and the middle one is given for launchers of a strike missile system. On the stern of the superstructure, which accommodates the helicopter hangar, is an integrated mast with antenna devices - a characteristic feature of modern ships.
The type of power plant is not specified. A combined unit with diesel and gas turbine engines is used at the Cheetahs. Probably a similar architecture is preserved in the 11664 project.
The composition of the corvette's weapons is interesting. An artillery turret is located on the tank in front of the superstructure. Behind it, on the superstructure, is the Palma air defense missile and artillery complex. Two six-barreled anti-aircraft guns are located next to the hangar. The central part of the superstructure accommodates a universal vertical launcher with 16 cells for various types of missiles. Such a launcher can use missiles "Onyx", "Caliber" and, probably in the future, "Zircon".
The composition of the electronic systems has not been specified. Probably, the project uses modern samples of all major classes, providing search and detection of targets, communications and electronic warfare.
The aft deck is designed as a helicopter landing pad; there is a hangar in the superstructure next to it. A helicopter of the Ka-27 type or similar dimensions can be based on a ship on a permanent basis and perform various tasks.
Prospects of the project
The corporation-developer has already prepared the technical design of the corvette "11664" and is ready to start construction as soon as possible - if there is interest from the customer. The Ministry of Defense has not yet announced its opinion on the new corvette. Accordingly, the real prospects of the project remain unknown.
As presented, project 11664 looks quite interesting and promising. Zelenodolsk PKB, based on the existing experience and ready-made solutions, made the ship with characteristic advantages over existing combat units. The new corvette will be able to surpass some "competitors" due to greater combat potential, and others due to economic advantages.
The new project 11664 can become a modern replacement for older designs that have similar characteristics, but lose in combat qualities. According to the development organization, a promising corvette is capable of replacing both ships of its class and larger combat units.
However, you can find reasons to criticize the new project. The main problem of the new development is related to the general state of affairs in military shipbuilding. For the fleet, ships of various types with unified weapons are being built, and shipbuilding bureaus are proposing new projects. The construction of ships for all new projects simply does not make sense, since it leads to the unification of the fleet. For this reason, the 11664 project will have to compete with other developments of its own and similar classes.
Choice issues
In the near future, the Ministry of Defense will have to get acquainted with the project 11664 and make its decision. If the project suits the command of the fleet, an order will appear for the development of the necessary documentation and subsequent construction. However, another development of events is possible, in which the project will not be implemented in metal.
It should be noted that several other similar models were demonstrated at the exhibition in Sevastopol. IC "Ak Bars" presented several options for the further development of pr. 11661 - incl. project 11664. They will also have to be offered by the Ministry of Defense for assessment, which may result in another order.
Thus, several projects of promising warships are again proposed to our armed forces. Thanks to this, the Navy is able to choose the most successful samples that more fully meet the requirements. Time will tell which of the recently presented projects will be of interest to the Ministry of Defense. Project 11664 has a definite chance of reaching construction, but one should not be overly optimistic and overestimate its prospects.
