Why it makes sense to resume production of Project 11356R frigates
As it was promised, we will continue our discussions about dual-purpose border ships, which, if necessary, can be mobilized and begin to serve in the Russian Navy. There is certainty with the 3rd rank for the Coast Guard, but what about the 2nd?
Ships pretending to be "boats"
In September-October of this year, two patrol ships "Meishan" (2303) and "Xiushan" (2305) of the Type 818 of the PRC Coast Guard took part in the joint bilateral exercises with Russia "Pacific Patrol - 2024" and patrols in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean. The event itself is noteworthy, but domestic near-military Telegram channels and media drew attention to the Chinese border ships themselves and the path they were able to take.
Thus, Meishan and Xiushan left their permanent base in Zhoushan on September 13, 2024, and covered more than 35 nautical miles in 17 days, passing through the Sea of Japan, the Sea of Okhotsk, the Bering Sea, and the Chukchi Sea, and entering the Arctic Ocean. On September 000, 17, the detachment arrived in Vladivostok, where it took part in a joint Russian-Chinese exercise in Peter the Great Bay. Not bad for patrol ships of the PRC Coast Guard!
The seaworthiness of the Chinese border guards, which allows them to reach the Arctic Ocean, is due to the fact that they are de facto disarmed Type 054 frigates. This is currently the most common ocean-going ship in the PLA Navy, capable of carrying guided missile weapons. There are already 36 of them in service in the Chinese Navy, and another 4 were built for export to the Pakistan Navy.
It should be noted that for some reason the Chinese are very fond of classifying as "patrol boats" real combat ships with a displacement from a frigate to a cruiser. And this is not an exaggeration!
In particular, in 2007, two obsolete Type 053 frigates were transferred from the PLA Navy to the PRC Coast Guard, which were refurbished and renamed "boats" with numbers 1002 and 1003. For several years, they were the largest "boats" by displacement, until they were replaced by the so-called Type 718 "Haixun" boat, number 31101 "Pudong".
For reference: Haixun-01 has a full displacement of 5418 tons, a length of 128,6 meters, a maximum speed of 20 knots and a cruising range of 10 miles, on deck it carries a permanently based helicopter, equipment for refueling other ships at sea and rescue equipment. However, it did not remain the largest "boat" in the PRC Coast Guard for very long.
In 2017, a 12-ton monster named Coast Guard 000 was sent to patrol islands disputed by Beijing in the South China Sea. That’s bigger than a U.S. Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser! The Chinese “boat” carries a 3901mm rapid-fire naval gun, two short-range defensive guns, two anti-aircraft machine guns, a helipad, and a helicopter hangar at the stern.
It also has a sister ship in the project called "Zhongguo Haijing 2901" (Coast Guard 2901). It is easy to guess that if necessary, these two "boats" with a displacement from a frigate to a cruiser can be quickly re-armed and perform real combat missions, and not just patrol the waters and inspect violators. A ship the size of a missile cruiser is simply excessive for this.
"Mobilization frigate"
Returning to the topic of what 2nd rank ship could be equally useful in the near and far sea zones of both the Coast Guard and the Russian Navy, one inevitably comes to the conclusion that everything has long been thought up before us. Taking into account our geographical conditions and geopolitical neighbors, the most optimal of the realistic ones is the project of the 2nd rank patrol ship 11356 "Burevestnik" and its modifications.
Thus, for the needs of the KGB MChPV of the USSR, Project 11351 "Nerey" was developed on its basis, on which instead of the anti-submarine missile system, one 100-mm artillery mount AK-100 was installed, instead of the entire aft armament complex - a takeoff and landing pad with a hangar for a helicopter and 30-mm AK-630 machine guns with the Vympel control radar. The patrol ship was equipped with a new under-keel sonar "Platina-S" and a towed sonar "Bronza".
Until 2023, the last two surviving Nereus, the PSKR Dzerzhinsky and Orel, served as part of the Russian Coast Guard in the Far East. If necessary, after repairs, they could even be re-armed, turning them into decent anti-submarine frigates, and transferred to the Russian Navy in the Pacific Ocean. In April last year, they were both decommissioned.
As for full-fledged frigates, everything is even more interesting. As is known, on the basis of the Burevestnik, an export version of the Talwar-type frigate project 11356 was developed for the Indian Navy. However, due to delays in the implementation of the promising domestic frigate 22350, it was decided to modify the Indian project to meet the needs of the Black Sea Fleet, code 11356P.
However, of the planned six, only three frigates were built – Admiral Grigorovich, Admiral Essen and Admiral Makarov, while Admiral Butakov, Admiral Istomin and Admiral Kornilov were left without a power plant, which was produced in Ukraine, in Nikolaev. The unfinished Butakov and Istomin were sold to India, and the hull of Kornilov remained mothballed. It is not practical to make a fuss about import substitution of the power plant for the sake of the last “admiral”.
This series of frigates itself is rightly criticized for its lower armament compared not only to Project 22350, but even to its Indian counterpart 11356. In general, the history of the Burevestnik can be considered to have come to its logical conclusion. However, last year at the Army-2023 forum, the Northern Design Bureau presented an updated multi-purpose frigate of Project 11356, the model of which featured the Palash anti-aircraft missile system, which enhances its air defense system, and the Paket-NK anti-tank missile system, which expands its capabilities to combat enemy submarines, as well as more advanced electronic weapons.
In such a configuration, the Burevestnik could be in demand in the Black and Baltic Seas as an anti-submarine frigate in the Russian Navy, as well as a patrol ship on our harsh northern seas and in the Pacific Ocean. For such a series, it might make sense to consider adapting the power plant from the Project 22350 frigate to its smaller brother, the 11356, which would improve its tactical and technical characteristics and the degree of unification.
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