Russian Navy’s Baltic Fleet to induct Karakurt-class corvettes armed with nuclear-capable Kalibr missiles, Pantsir-M systems

Armed with the deadly Kalibr cruise missiles, Russian Navy’s Baltic Fleet will soon induct six Project 22800 Karakurt-class missile corvettes. Four of the warships will also have the naval version of Pantsir-M close-in weapon systems. Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Nikolay Yevmenov made the announcement during the Baltic Fleet Day celebrations on May 18.

According to a Russian Navy press release on Monday (May 18, 2020), Project 22800 missile corvette Odintsovo will soon start testing of the Pantsir-M. In a congratulatory message sent to the Baltic Fleet Command, Admiral Nikolay Yevmenov also congratulated the Baltic Fleet for having “won many brilliant victories over the enemy, who tried to push the Russian state off the Baltic coast”. 

“The naval composition of the Baltic Fleet is at the stage of equipping ships with new generations. In particular, in the near term, the surface component of the Baltic Fleet will be replenished with a series of 6 small missile ships of project 22800. Four of them will carry onboard the marine version of the Pantsir complex. The first such ship will be the Odintsovo small missile ship, on which tests of the Pantsir complex will take place in the near future,” he stated in his message.

Russia’s Kalibr land-attack cruise missile is capable of hitting targets 1,500 to 2,500 kilometres away. The Kalibr is one of the primary land-attack missiles of the Russian Navy and is armed with 450 kilogrammes of high explosives of thermonuclear warheads. The missile has several versions capable of targeting ships and submarines. A longer-range Kalibr which can target the enemy 4,500 km away and carry a larger warhead is also under development.

Pantsir-M close-in weapon system (CIWS) is resistant to jamming. It consists of the Pantsir’s 57E6 missiles and Hermes-K missiles in its arsenal along with two six-barreled 30×165mm GSh-6-30K/AO-18KD rotary cannons. Capable of taking on four targets simultaneously, the Pantsir-M is fully automatic and has a range of up to 20 km. The cannons can fire 10000 rounds per minute.