What Is To Be Done?

They're trying to decide what to do with the unfinished cruiser "Ukraina".

26 May 2008 - The missile cruiser "Ukraina" has been laid up at one of the wharves at the shipyard in Nikolayev for more than 20 years. Burning through a million taxpayer dollars a year, the ship continues to rot at the shipyard, gradually becoming obsolete.

Yevgeniy Borisov, the Ukraine's General Constructor for Military Ship Building indicated that the 96 percent completed figure is "virtual" since there hasn't been any preventive maintenance done.

The warantee has run out on the machinery mountings and completion for use as a cruiser is "unrealistic".

Aside from selling her to another country, disposal or conversion into a museum, Mikhail Samus', an expert at the Center for Army, Conversion and Disarmament Research has advanced the idea of using the missile cruiser as a sea-based anti-missile platform.

The "Ukraina" was the fourth and final cruiser of its class. The construcion of the "Ukraina" should have finished in 1994. The cost of construction was 135.3 million Soviet rubles at the end of the 80s, converted into dollars at the Soviet State Bank rate - $225.5 million dollars. Up to 1992, $171 million was put into its construction. From 1992 to 2003 - around $24 million, aside from the $5 million spent on upkeep of the ship.

(Photo: Navy.ru)

The Specs Remain the Same: MiG It Is for Gorshkov

A rep for FGUP "Sevmash" told Interfax that they "...haven't received any changes in the technical specificaions for the Gorshkov" and that the ship "remains designated to fly the MiG-29K. As far as we know, the Indians, in addition to our aircraft, plan on flying the British Sea Harrier vertical take off and landing aircraft also."

There were rumors that the Indians would purchase American F-18 Super Hornets.

"Even if there is a similar initiative ongoing in the Indian Navy, its doubtful that its connected with the "Gorshkov". American aircraft use a catapult assisted takeoff which our ships don't have: we use a ski-ramp and planes with a short take off and landing capability - the MiG-29K."

The spokesman suggested that the Indians are possibly considering the possiblity of buying American planes for their first indigenously built carrier which is being constructed at their own shipyard in Cochin.

Earlier the Chief of Staff of the Indian Navy Admiral Surish Mehta announced that delivery of the carrier based MiG-29K interceptors intended for the Indian-purchased "Admiral Gorshkov" will begin in May 2008.

He emphasized that the contract has been executed with a slight delay. The contract, which was signed in January, 2004 for $700 million, calls for delivery of 16 carrier-borne MiG-29K/KUB interceptors (12 combat versions and four combat trainers) as well as the unique equipment and training for the aircrews and service personnel, including simulators and ground- and sea-based interactive training systems. There is also an option for further delivery of 30 aircraft in the period up to the year 2015.

First Look

Indians Come to Severodvinsk to Inspect Work on Gorshkov

According to a "Sevmash" press release, a delegation headed by the chief of the purchasing and production directorate of the unified headquarters of the Indian Navy, Vice-Admiral Dilip Deshpande is leading a delegation on a planned ten-day trip to meet with the group of Indian observers and the leadership of FGUP "Sevmash" in Severodvinsk on the progress on the aircraft carrier formerly known as "Gorshkov", now the "Vikramadit'ya". According to the Russians, "It is planned at the negotiations to agree with the Indian side about additional and unacccounted for repair work, equipment conversion and ship testing."

I'm sure the Indians are thrilled about that "additional and unaccounted for work"...


Active Phase of Bold Monarch-2008 Starts Monday

The goals of Bold Monarch-2008, which runs from 23 May to 07 June off of Norway, are to test the joint rescue equipment of the Russian and NATO navies and also exercise cooperative action during rescue operations.

"In the course of the active phase from 26 May to 05 June, with a one day pause, the participants will practice elements of crew rescue from stricken submarines. It is planned to carry out a series of medical support exercises using hyperbaric chambers and television guided underwater equipment on the pause day..."

The Northern Fleet Rescue Ship "Georgiy Titov" and other NATO and NATO partner ships and observers are participating.

An AS-34 Russian underwater rescue device will mate with a NATO submarine for the first time ever during these exercises in the presence of NATO observers on board the submarine.

Also, it is planned that Russian pararescuers will work with their counterparts from Great Britain, Italy and Ukraine for the first time.

Command and control over the NATO submarine will be exercised for the first time by a Russian officer on board the "Titov" using underwater communications channels.


Pacific Fleet Flagship "Varyag" Returns to Action After Long Break

A spokesman for the Pacific Fleet announced that the Slava-class Project 1164 Pacific Ocean Fleet Flagshp and so-called "carrier killer" (roll eyes here) "Varyag" Is carrying out a series of artillery firings on land, surface and air targets. The surface to air missile system will fire on an airborne target as well.

This is the first time at open sea for the "Varyag" as well as the first weapons firing since overhaul. The Pacific Fleet flagship underwent a successful two phase sea trial and is now again in active service. Now in the new year the crew under the command of Captain First Rank Edward Moskalenko awaits deployment and participation in various exercises.

For Sale - Gators! And an old Coot...

The Russian Ministry of Defense DRMO site has a couple of interesting new entries:

The Large Landing Ship BDK "Mitrofan Moskalenko" and her sister ship, the BDK "Aleksandr Nikolayev" are being put up for sale and re-use.




(Photo: Warfare.ru)

Caveat Emptor: The Moskalenko is in Severomorsk and the Nikolayev is in the Vladivostok area and it is probably cash and carry. Ships may not be in the condition depicted in the above photo.

Plus - for the ultra-paranoid personality, who cant get to their underground lair when the nuclear war hits and needs to coordinate their forces during the Battle of Armageddon, you can buy your very own Il-22 Coot B airborne command post.

(Photo: Aeronautics.ru)

Hired goons to fly the plane, operate the gear and give the orders to fire the "lasers" not included.

Will the "Neustrashimyy" be at BALTOPS-2008?

Globalsecurity.org describes BALTOPS as:

...a U.S. invitational multinational maritime exercise conducted in the Baltic region each year. BALTOPS provides a basis for promoting mutual understanding and maritime platform interoperability between U.S. Navy, NATO, and non-NATO participants through a series of multilateral training exercises in air warfare, shallow water undersea warfare, electronic warfare, air control, air defense, surface warfare, communications, fast patrol boat operations, seamanship, and mine warfare.

The author participated in BALTOPS-97 on the USS Cape St. George and had a blast in port in Aarhus, Denmark and Gdynia/Gdansk, Poland as well as at Fleet Week in Wilhelmshaven, Germany, where I went out in my Dress Blues in the pouring rain. The smell of wet wool combined with the disgusting taste of three Lapin Kulta beers caused me to vomit into a planter with a couple of other sailors. And to the scumbag who stole my 1968 Canon T-1 SLR camera when my back was turned for five seconds on the Cape St. George quarterdeck, you need a friggen' photography degree to operate the damn thing, what is YOUR dumb ass going to do with it? Anyway...
Back in '97, the Russians participated. Sort of, kind of. But now, they are usually fully integrated into the exercise. But will they be this year? Accoring to one denizen of a Russian forum, maybe not:

The "Neustrashimyy" is now preparing for BALTOPS-2008. This is despite a serious accident in April. The ship came back into port under tow with a gash. I don't know the details, guess something happened internally. The ship was docked quickly and now the deal is that there isn't anyone to send to BALTOPS. Bad for the Baltic Fleet in the near term...

Stay tuned...

SS-N-22 Sunburn

Given the concerns that people have that Iran possesses the SS-N-22 Sunburn/Moskit missile, I think now is a good time to link to this clip of the SS-N-22 in action:

Cool Pic of the Day

SA-N-6 launch from the TAKR "Kirov"

Kirov TAKR "Admiral Nakhimov" repair schedule revised

According to the FGUP "Sevmash" press service on 12 May, work on the Admiral Nakhimov, which has been pierside at "Sevmash" since 1999, will continue on a corrected schedule. According to the unofficial Northern Fleet website, this modification of the schedule is due to a lack of funding. The project manager, Boris Gulin, stated that they plan on "unloading the active zone of the reactor" in 2008.

Photo: FGUP Sevmash