With the launching of the Stavropol, the Zelenodolsk Shipyard celebrated the launch of the latest of the new Buyan-M class corvettes destined to equip the Russian Navy. One of the particularities of this class of low-displacement vessel, following the Russian design and doctrine, is its capability of launching Kalibr-NK cruise missiles, endowing them with significant capabilities for anti-surface warfare missions.
Based on the Project 21630/Buyan class, which consists of three ships, the Project 21631/Buyan-M class constitutes a family of missile corvettes that can be employed in littoral and coastal environments, possessing great combat capability. This was due to the increase in displacement, which rose from the original 560 to 950 tons, and its dimensions, which increased from 61.8 meters to 74.1 meters in length.
Regarding their combat capabilities, they rely on their universal vertical missile launch system, which can employ both Kalibr-NK cruise missiles and the 3M55 Oniks anti-ship missiles. While it’s speculative, it’s worth mentioning that the Russian Navy may have plans to equip them in the future with hypersonic 3M22 Tsirkon missiles.
However, this naval construction program was not without challenges and delays, as sanctions from Western countries affected the provision of certain components. Specifically, propulsion plants were affected, as the original plan was to incorporate MTU 16V4000 M90 diesel engines provided by Rolls-Royce Solutions. Sanctions and restrictions led to the selection of a Chinese-origin replacement based on engines from Henan Diesel Engine Industry Company, which proved to be unreliable. The official decision was to adopt a local replacement for these components, with the last three corvettes of the class receiving Kolomenskiy Zavod 16D49 engines, along with gearboxes manufactured by Zvezda and control systems from NPO Avrora.
As for the Stavropol, it is the last of a total of twelve units of the Buyan-M class. Its construction began in July 2018, and it was launched by the Zelenodolsk Shipyard on June 12th of last year. Finally, it was confirmed by Admiral Alexander Moiseyev, Commander of the Russian Navy, that this corvette will be destined to strengthen the combat capabilities of the Baltic Fleet. In the coming months, it is presumed that work on the ship’s superstructure will continue in order to install and integrate the rest of the systems and sensors, in order to initiate port and navigation trials as essential steps for its delivery.
Currently, this force, destined for an area of vital strategic importance to Russia, already has several units in service or about to be delivered belonging to the Buyan-M class. Among these can be mentioned the following units: Zelenyy Dol, Serpukhov, Tarusa, and Naro-Fominsk.
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