Seeking to ensure the proper readiness and preparation of its crews, the Russian Navy conducted new missile launch exercises in the Pacific. The highlight of these exercises was the launch of a Kalibr cruise missile from the corvette Gremyashchiy, part of the Pacific Fleet.
Based on the Steregushchiy-class design (Project 20380), the new Gremyashchiy-class (Project 20385) corvettes are larger in size than their predecessors. This is partly due to an expanded role, making them multipurpose platforms capable of operating in coastal and open-sea environments. Additionally, they feature enhanced combat capabilities, including new vertical launch systems that allow for the deployment of Kalibr cruise missiles.
Currently, Gremyashchiy is the lead corvette of this class and the only one in service with the Pacific Fleet. In June, the second unit of this class, named Provornyy, was launched. However, progress on the construction of this class has been delayed by international sanctions imposed on Russia since the annexation of Crimea in 2014, further exacerbated by the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
According to the Russian Federation’s Ministry of Defense, on Thursday, October 24, the Gremyashchiy corvette (hull number 337), the lead ship of its class, carried out a series of exercises and maneuvers in the Pacific. Notably, while operating in open waters, it launched a Kalibr cruise missile, successfully striking a coastal target located 1,300 kilometers from the ship’s position.
“The crew of the Gremyashchiy corvette from the Pacific Fleet fired a precision Kalibr missile against a coastal target from Avacha Bay. The Kalibr missile successfully hit the target in the Kura test range in the Kamchatka region within the designated timeframe,” the Russian Navy’s Pacific Fleet Press Office stated in an official communiqué.
Regarding the cruise missile employed, it was one of the latest Kalibr models developed by the Yekaterinburg-based Novator Design Bureau (part of the Almaz-Antey Group). Currently, the Russian Navy has two main Kalibr versions, deployed from surface vessels like the mentioned corvette, as well as versions designed to be launched from cruise missile submarines.
Cover photographs used for illustrative purposes.
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Ukraine should be provided conventional ICBMs so they can target Russian ships anywhere in the world.