Ocean going capabilities for Russian frigates

Northern Fleet frigate RFS Admiral Gorshov recently conducted a Replenishment at Sea (RAS) on the Atlantic Ocean. The RFS Gorshkov and her escorting group were transiting from Cuba towards her home base when the RAS took place. RAS is not considered to be a special maneuver and is a common practice for warships who operate for extended periods at sea. RAS allows warships to extend their duration at sea by taking on supplies from logistic vessels. During this operation, the RFS Gorshkov and her escorting ships took on fuel from the sea tanker RFS Kama.
Northern Fleet light tanker RFS Kama

Russian shipbuilding programs are currently focused on the construction of smaller warships such as frigates and corvettes. The smaller displacement of these warships also restricts the space available to store supplies such as food and fuel, lowering the time these ships can spend at sea. The only way these ships can extend their operational endurance at sea without returning back to port is through RAS.
The circumnavigation of the world conducted by the RFS Admiral Gorshkov showed us that at least the warships of the Project 22350 class have ocean –going capabilities and can operate at long distances from home provided if they can be supplied during their transit. Gorshkov-class frigates could thus form a part of  future Russian blue water navy capability, provided of they can be supplied at sea when it operates at long distances from its home bases. Should Russia seek to use its frigates in a blue water navy role and maintain a global maritime reach, then it will have to depend on the necessary logistical capabilities.
Future Russian deployments in oceanic regions could mirror those of the US Navy where a logistical fleet train carrying supplies follows a naval task force. Most of the Russian fleet tankers were however build during the 1960s-1970s and are thus over 50 years old. These ships are in need of replacement in the coming years. If these ships are not replaced then Russia will use the capability of sending frigates on extended missions across the oceans.

Popular posts from this blog

Russian Naval deployments during the Ukraine War

Image
March 17, 2022 At least six Russian warships were observed near Odessa. The warships maintained their distance and operated on the horizon. March 16, 2022 Several vessels entered the port of Sevastopol including the patrol vessel Vasily Bykov. The Bykov was rumored to be struck and sunk by a Ukrainian grad MLRS barrage near Odessa on March 07 dough this was never officially confirmed.  The visual confirmation of the vessel entering the port of Sevastopol undamaged indicates that if an MLRS attack took place, it did not struck the Bykov. Ropucha class landing vessel Kondopoga of the northern fleet allegedly also entered the port of Sevastopol. March 15, 2022 Several Russian warships and landing ships were spotted on commercial satellite imagery during the morning hours. The vessels were heading in the direction of Odessa.  The vessel leading the formation of landing ships appears to be minesweeper with her sweeping array deployed. During the evening, around 90 missiles were reported fir
Read more

Russian forces in the Mediterranean - Wk20/2024

Image
Task Force Composition As reported by OSINT at the morning of May-18 Weekly Brief A significant reduction in combat strength took place with the departure of Northern and Baltic Fleet warships as well as the Buyan-M class corvette Orekhovo-Zuyevo. This leaves the task force reduced to a detachment of the Pacific Fleet and the frigate Admiral Grigorovich.  The departure also included the two amphibious landing vessels, thus resulting in an end to maritime weapon shipments for Russian mercenary forces stationed in Libya. Daily Events May 11 Civilian oil tanker Okeansky Prospect entered the Mediterranean during the afternoon via the Strait of Gibraltar [ 1 ]. Weapons runner Sparta IV was anchored near Malta and would stay there until May 13th. Frigate Admiral Grigorovich was observed sailing near Sparta IV [ 2 ]. May 12 Logistic support vessel Vice-Admiral Paromov was observed entering the Mediterranean via the Strait of Gibraltar at 10.45 local time [ 3 ]. Russian oil tanker Vladimir Mon
Read more

Russian forces in the Mediterranean - Wk36/2024

Image
Task Force Composition As reported by OSINT at the morning of Sep-07 Weekly Brief Fleet oiler Akademik Pashin, most likely escorted by the frigate Neustrashimy, unexpectedly departed the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal. Their destination was not reported though several Russian interests are present in the region such as Sudan, Yemen and Iran. A long term Indian Ocean deployment appears to be unlikely since these deployments are almost always handled by vessels of Russia's Pacific Fleet. Improved Kilo class submarine Novorossiysk has been closing in on the Strait of Gibraltar. The submarine and her escorts could be entering the Mediterranean in Week 37. Daily Events September 02 Fleet oiler Akademik Pashin is reported 120 to 140 nautical miles from the entrance of the Suez Canal. The vessel is escorted by an unidentified frigate [ 1 ]. September 03 Satellite imagery of the port of Tartus confirmed the presence of Improved Kilo class submarine Ufa, frigate Admiral Grigorovich, Stere
Read more