With the launch of the Provornyy, the Russian Navy marks a significant advance in the incorporation of the new Gremyashchy-class corvettes (also known as Project 20385). However, the launch of the second unit has not been without challenges and setbacks for these new ships. Western sanctions imposed since the annexation of Crimea in 2014, and, in the particular case of this unit, a fire during its construction, have caused significant delays in the incorporation of this class, which is intended to complement the Steregushchiy-class corvettes on which its design is based.
According to Russian media reports, on June 18, the Severnaya shipyard, located in the city of St. Petersburg, held the launching ceremony for the Provornyy for the Russian Navy. The construction of this Gremyashchy-class corvette began in 2013. However, the construction and delivery schedule has been plagued by delays due to Western sanctions resulting from the annexation of Crimea in 2014, as well as a major fire in December 2019 that affected the corvette’s superstructure, requiring it to be rebuilt.
Emerging as an improved version of the Steregushchiy corvettes, the Gremyashchy-class corvettes feature expanded capabilities and superior autonomy in high seas. This was originally due to the incorporation of new German components provided by companies such as MTU and Renk. More specifically, with the new Rolls-Royce MTU 16V1163 TB93 engines and a Renk gearbox. Additionally, controllable-pitch propellers were introduced for the first time on Russian ships, also supplied by Western companies.
Western sanctions caused German companies to withdraw from the project, necessitating the redesign of the engine compartments to accommodate similar or equivalent components of Russian origin. In addition to these issues with Western suppliers, in December 2021, a major fire destroyed large sections of the Provornyy’s superstructure and upperworks, which had to be rebuilt and replaced, causing further delays.
The launch of this corvette, which will be assigned to the Russian Navy’s Pacific Fleet, allows a new stage of port and sea trials to begin in order to evaluate the changes in design resulting from the inclusion of new components that replaced the Western-origin ones. A point of comparison will be to contrast the capabilities between the Gremyashchy, which has these parts, and the Provornyy, in order to identify and implement improvements to the rest of the class, which consists of four additional units: Buiniy, Razumnyy, Bystriy, and Retiviy, built by the AMUR shipyard.
Finally, among the characteristics of these 2,500-ton displacement ships, we can highlight the presence of new Zaslon radars equipped with eight AESA antennas operating in the S and X bands. In terms of armament, the Redut defense system has been replaced by a UKSK 3S14UK2 vertical missile launch system, allowing it to launch 3M54 anti-ship missiles, 3M14 cruise missiles, and 91R2 anti-submarine missiles.
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