Russia to Convert Anti-Submarine Warships into Cruise-missile Frigates

Russian shipbuilders are upgrading Project 1155 large anti-submarine warships into guided missile frigates.

The conversion of one of the ships, Admiral Vinogradov, will be complete by 2025. It is set to be armed with Kalibr NK cruise missiles. Five other battleships of this class will be covered under the project.

"The repairs and upgrade of the large anti-submarine warfare ship Admiral Vinogradov are expected to begin in 2021 and the warship will rejoin the Fleet in 2024-2025," a source in the defense industry was quoted as saying by government-owned TASS on Tuesday.

Marshal Shaposhnikov, a same-type warship, is already fitted with Kalibr NK and Uran missiles. Its firepower increased several-fold compared to its original designation. The warship currently carries two versatile shipborne launchers for 16 Kalibr-NK and Oniks cruise missiles and eventually for Tsirkon hypersonic weapons.

The warship is expected to rejoin the Russian Pacific Fleet by the end of 2021 after passing trials. The ship test-fired an Uran anti-ship cruise missile for the first time during trials in late December 2020. There have been no reports yet on the launches of other missiles the frigate has received as a result of its upgrade.