The Black Sea Fleet will be strengthened with formidable weapons
The Black Sea Fleet will receive two new small missile ships armed with Kalibr. Thus, the navy has already formed crews for the Gaivoron and Cyclone small missile ships, which will soon go to St. Petersburg, where they will undergo training for work on new ships.
The Russian Ministry of Defense reported this, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
“The crew will undergo a full cycle of training according to already proven programs, which include theoretical and practical training courses. During the training, training complexes of the Joint Training Center of the Navy will be used, which will allow them to practice the actions of the ship’s combat crews. As a mandatory element of training for crews of ships of various classes, survivability training will also be conducted.
Small missile ships of Project 21631 (developed by Zelenodolsk Design Bureau JSC), being built for the Russian Navy at the Zelenodolsk Shipyard, are multi-purpose ships equipped with the most modern types of artillery, anti-sabotage missiles, anti-aircraft and radio-technical weapons,” the statement says.
The Gaivoron MRK is the eighth ship of its series, three of which are part of the Black Sea Fleet: Vyshny Volochyok, Orekhovo-Zuevo and Ingushetia, and the Cyclone MRK will be the first in the Black Sea Fleet.
The Russian fleet will consolidate its dominance in the Azov Sea and the Black Sea in 2020. The Ukrainian Navy lacks the forces to counter this, and Moscow may be preparing a landing force to liberate Odessa, Taras Chmut, head of the Ukrainian Military Portal, previously stated.
Odessa is critically important for Ukraine – it is the country's main export artery, the loss of which would result in economic collapse, warned another Ukrainian military expert, Oleksiy Arestovich.
"In six years, Russia has rearmed its entire naval fleet. From 29 ships, there are now 42, 12 of which are missile carriers. The total salvo of Kalibr missiles currently amounts to 72 launches. If we take into account the Caspian Flotilla and the coastal component, the Bastion and Bal systems, then it amounts to approximately 120 missiles. By 2022, this total, according to our forecasts, will increase to 168 launches," stated Ukrainian Navy Commander Igor Voronchenko.
The Black Sea Fleet will be reinforced with a formidable weapon.