The Commander of the Pacific Fleet Vice Admiral Konstantin Sidenko made this announcement during the traditional yearly meeting with young officers. "The Russian Government and the President have approved a conceptual program for a new class of aircraft carrier for the Pacific Fleet. In the next ten years it is possible that we will receive (an aircraft carrier)", Sidenko announced. According to Sidenko, the Pacific Fleet will also receive two Type 955 Borey SSBNs armed with the new Bulava missile. Besides that, the new Sovershennyy class corvette was laid down in the Komsomol'sk na Amur shipyard for the Pacific Fleet in July 2006.
Meanwhile, Sidenko noted, the fleet has shrunk considerably during reforms carried out in the Russian Armed Forces. "The Russian Fleet has shrunk by 50 percent since 1995. For the most part this reduction has happened as ships have ended their service lives." As of today, there are five SSBNs, 18 multirole submarines (10 nuclear), 13 ocean-going surface combatants and 43 littoral combatants in the Pacific Fleet order of battle.
I'll believe it when I see it.
1 comment:
Baghapsh has already signed a deal giving the Russian ownership to railroads and airfields for ten years ahead, given permission to drill for oil off the shores of Abkhazia, and finally given space for the mighty Russian Black Sea Fleet.
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