Steregushchiy represents the lead ship of the ten-strong Steregushchiy-class of corvettes serving the modern Russian Navy. The vessel saw its keel laid down on December 21st, 2001 by Severnaya Verf at St. Petersburg, Russia, and she was launched on May 16th, 2006. Formal commissioning took place on November 14th, 2007 and Steregushchiy (530) is currently assigned to the Baltic Fleet.
Corvettes maintain their place in the warship hierarchy as the smallest (by dimension and displacement) types of any national navy. Due to the size and displacement of Steregushchiy, the West categorizes the ship class as frigates - the next largest warship up the hierarchy. The class was designed to succeed the Cold War-era "Grisha-class" ships. Steregushchiy was born from "Project 20380" while all subsequent ships in the class are being completed to the modified "Project 20381" standard.
As built, Steregushchiy showcases a length of 343 feet, a beam of 38 feet and a draught of 12 feet. Displacement is 1,800 tons under standard load and 2,200 tons under full load. Power is from 4 x Kolomna 16D49 series diesel units outputting 23,664 horsepower to 2 x shafts in a CODAD (COmbined Diesel And Diesel) arrangement for maximum fuel/speed efficiency. Maximum speed can reach 27 knots with a range out to 3,800 nautical miles under ideal conditions. The vessel can stay at sea for up to fifteen days before requiring replenishment. Her crew complement numbers 90 personnel.
Onboard is the Furke 2 series air search radar coupled with the Garpun-B/3Ts-25E/PLANK SHAVE surface search radar. Fire control for the deck gun is handled by the Ratep 5P-10E "Puma" series system and sonar is covered by the Zarya-M bow-mounted and Vinyetka towed array systems. The GORIZONT-25 series unit makes up the navigation suite. Electronic Warfare is through the TK-25E-5 ECM fit and countermeasures are 4 x PK-10 decoy launchers.
Armament is led by the 100mm A-190 Arsenal turreted deck gun. Close-in defense is provided through 1 x Kashtan and 2 x AK-630M systems. There are eight total Uran Kh-35 anti-ship missile launchers installed to deal with surface threats at range. 2 x 4 330mm torpedo launchers complete the primary offensive arm of the ship. Extreme close-in defense is through 2 x 14.5 pintle-mounted MTPU weapons and any personal weapons carried by the security section of the crew.
The warship is completed with a steel hull covered by a largely composite-based superstructure. The superstructure is one continuous section running aft of the forecastle to just ahead of the stern-based helicopter pad / hangar area. The warship is set up to support (launch/retrieval/maintenance) a Kamov Ka-27 navy helicopter (detailed elsewhere on this site) or similar rotary-wing offering - these aircraft provide considerable offense/defense against enemy submarines and surface ships alike. The deck gun is set in a turret on the forecastle to which an elevated platform is seen aft containing additional armament. The bridge is integrated to the superstructure at the front of the warship in the usual way with a tall, partially-enclosed main mast fitted over and behind the bridge section. A second, lower-profile mast sits aft of midships. The masts bookend the smoke funnel structures which are of a low profile design and integrated well into the superstructure. Slab sides complete the advanced look of the vessel and helps to reduce the signature of the warship to prying radar and weapon systems. In this way, Steregushchiy has inherent stealth features.
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1 x 100mm A-190 Arsenal OR 130mm A-192 turreted deck gun.
2 x 4 Uran Kh-35 (SS-N-25) anti-ship missile launchers,
2 x 30mm AK-630M Close-In Weapon Systems (CIWS),
1 x 30mm Kashtan CIWS,
2 x 4 330mm torpedo tubes,
2 x 14.5mm pintle-mounted Heavy Machine Guns (HMGs)
1 x Kamov Ka-27 (or similar) military navy helicopter.
Images
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Image from the Russian Ministry of Defense; Public Release.
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Image from the Russian Ministry of Defense; Stoikiy 545 pictured.
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