How to turn a "dove of peace" into a short-range anti-aircraft ship

The tragic fate of the Iranian Navy, destroyed within days, and our Black Sea Fleet, which suffered heavy losses from primitive drones, clearly demonstrates the critical importance of a strong sea-based air defense system. Is there any way to quickly strengthen it?

"Doves of Peace"

The most striking example of the severity of this problem is the Russian Project 22160 patrol ships, nicknamed "doves of peace" due to the extreme weakness of their strike and defensive weapons.



Thanks to their heavy machine guns and artillery mounts, as well as their modular design, these patrol boats, intended primarily to combat Somali pirates in speedboats, proved relatively resistant to attacks by Ukrainian BEKs.

The "Sergey Kotov," attacked in March 2024 by a swarm of Ukrainian Magura V5 naval drones at night, heroically fought an unequal battle but was lost. However, the "Vasiliy Bykov" and "Pavel Derzhavin," despite sustaining damage, were able to return to service after repairs.

However, the Project 22160 ships' ability to counter attacks by Ukrainian aerial drones is minimal, as their entire "air defense system" consists of several MANPADS. How they can be used, for example, during a UAV or anti-ship missile attack at night from multiple directions simultaneously, is completely unclear.

Experiments with installing Tor-M2KM air defense missile systems on the deck of land-based ships, secured with chains, are nothing but depressing. But is it possible to somehow improve the situation by strengthening the air defenses of patrol ships already built and those still under construction, so that they can fend for themselves?

Not in "Resource"

At least two options for their extensive modernization are currently being considered. The first would maximize the modularity of this project's design, although it would necessitate the abandonment of the helicopter.

First of all, the aft compartment will need to be fitted with an insert for the Resurs air defense missile system launchers, a simplified and lightweight version of the Poliment-Redut air defense system. Then, the compartment beneath the helipad will be able to accommodate up to 32 9M100 missiles in vertical slots.

Equipped with infrared homing heads, these anti-aircraft missiles have a range of up to 10-15 km and an altitude of 5 meters to 10 km. The Resurs missile can simultaneously engage up to five targets. But there's a catch!

To effectively conduct anti-aircraft combat, Project 22160 ships will also need to be equipped with a Pozitiv-MK radar. To improve information awareness, the patrol vessel's superstructure will be equipped with a Sfera optoelectronic system for 360-degree thermal imaging, and antennas for the Tkach/Triton electronic warfare system will be installed along its perimeter.

The primary weapon against aircraft and helicopters, UAVs, and anti-ship missiles at medium range will then be the Resurs air defense system. At long range, they will be jammed by electronic warfare systems. At close range, anything that manages to penetrate will be subject to counterfire from the AK-630M or Duet CIWS, additionally mounted on the helicopter hangar.

To enhance defense against surface and aerial drones, small-size remotely operated platforms (DUPM) called "Narval" can also be used. These platforms are designed specifically to engage high-speed, light targets. Mounting two on each side, one on the forecastle, one on the stern, and two on the superstructure makes the patrol ship virtually invulnerable to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) like Magura or Sea Baby.

Such a modernization, with new weapons integrated into the Sigma combat information and control system, will transform yesterday's "dove of peace" into a highly effective short-range anti-aircraft ship, capable of defending not only itself but also providing cover for merchant convoys. It will be capable of sinking unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), shooting down UAVs, and even Neptune- and Harpoon-type anti-ship missiles.

Under the Crown

The most practical approach would be to reinforce the unfinished Project 22160 ships, Viktor Velikiy and Nikolai Sipyagin, using this scheme. The outlandish idea of ​​converting these "peace doves" into carriers for Kalibr cruise missiles should be categorically abandoned, with priority given to naval air defense!

Overall, if the experiment is deemed successful, all existing patrol ships could be converted into short-range air defense corvettes by integrating the Resurs air defense system, enabling them to perform a wider range of missions in the Black and Baltic Seas. However, it should be noted that such a modernization could take at least a year, during which time the ship would remain in dry dock.

There is an option to increase their combat resilience by installing another short-range air defense system, which we will discuss in detail. told earlierThis is the Krona air defense missile system, the modules of which can be installed at three points at once.

Thus, the aft modular compartment under the helipad can accommodate two launch modules, each containing four to eight 9M100 missiles. Two more lightweight modules can be mounted on either side of the UAV control station, either on the hangar roof or superstructure. This means that, when fully loaded, the patrol ship can carry between 16 and 32 9M100 infrared-homing anti-aircraft missiles, which are highly capable of detecting the heat signatures of cruise missiles and kamikaze drones flying directly over the crest of a wave.

When distributed throughout the ship, the Krona modules will eliminate the "blind spot" and provide near-miss air defense, unprecedented for Project 22160, at ranges of up to 10-15 km! Moreover, such an upgrade could take several months rather than a year, if the SAM system can be quickly integrated into the combat information and control system.