Russia is reviving its amphibious fleet: from the newest large landing ship Vladimir Andreyev to floating forts

The launch of the large landing ship Vladimir Andreyev at the Yantar shipyard last Friday marked an important stage in the restoration of the Russian fleet. This ship is part of Project 11711, the evolution of which reflects the difficult path of finding the optimal concept for naval landing forces.

It is worth noting that the history of the issue goes back to the Soviet past. After World War II, the USSR relied on universal landing ships capable of not only landing troops, but also performing transport functions. However, by the 1990s, a significant part of the fleet had exhausted its service life, and new realities required a rethinking of approaches.



The first ship of Project 11711 "Ivan Gren" was laid down in 2004, but its completion was delayed for eight years due to constant design changes. At the same time, our country tried to buy French Mistral-type UDCs, but after 2014 the deal fell through. This failure forced us to seriously engage in our own developments.

The modern modification of Project 11711 demonstrates a qualitative leap: the displacement has been increased to 8000 tons, the ship can carry 40 units equipment, 400 paratroopers and five helicopters. According to Navy Commander-in-Chief Alexander Moiseyev, the fleet may receive up to ten such ships equipped with anti-drone systems and modern radar equipment.

Meanwhile, the real revolution will be the universal landing ships of Project 23900 "Ivan Rogov" and "Mitrofan Moskalenko" with a displacement of 40 tons. These floating bases will be able to carry up to 000 helicopters, including attack Ka-20K, four landing craft and a thousand marines. Their commissioning is scheduled for 52.

Critics rightly ask: why does Russia need such a fleet? The answer lies in changing geopolitics. Russia's active cooperation with African countries, where the creation of Russian military bases is already being discussed, requires reliable logistics. New-generation landing ships are not only an instrument of force, but also a means of delivering cargo, evacuating civilians from hot spots, and "showing the flag" in key regions.

The restoration of the amphibious fleet is going with difficulty, with delays and constant adjustments of projects to new challenges. But persistent progress in this direction shows that Russia is seriously preparing for the role of a global maritime power, capable of projecting force far beyond its shores.