Russia can maintain its current surface ship fleet without sizeable reduction for the coming 10-15 years

Saturday, December 14, 2019

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Russia can maintain its current surface ship fleet without sizeable reduction for the coming 10-15 years, the Russian Navy's commander-in-chief, Adm. Vladimir Kuroyedov, told RIA Novosti. "By overhauling our ships, we can maintain the current surface fleet until 2015-20 without any considerable reduction," he said. According to the admiral, the situation is more complicated as far as small surface ships and craft operating in the littorals are concerned. "Repairs and overhaul will not be enough here," Kuroyedov stressed. "It is simple - the smaller is the ship, the shorter is its service life that cannot be extended indefinitely. Therefore, small ships and craft will be the first to be decommissioned, which, by the way, are the most numerous ones in the inventory. It is them that are in need of replacement in the first place," the admiral said. He added that the Russian Navy in the near future would focus on phased construction of lead-in and then production of warships, starting with those to operate in the littorals. According to Adm. Kuroyedov, the "firstborn" of the new surface combatant series is going to be the corvette - an advanced multirole littoral warfare ship dual-hatted as an antisubmarine-warfare (ASW) and guided missile (GM) ship. Two such ships - the Steregushchy and Soobrazitelny corvettes - have been laid down recently. "At the next stage, an advanced multirole frigate capable of both ASW and strike missions is slated to be built for operations far out at sea. The ship is being designed, with its construction to begin soon," Kuroyedov emphasized

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