[ fairway ] New projects of SRDC - Multipurpose corvette “Gayduk-M”
New projects of SRDC - Fast attack craft “Caracal”
in enclosed waters such as the Caspian Sea or the Black Sea. Carrying a load of 2x4 anti-ship cruise missiles, short-range air defense missiles, a 57 mm or 76 mm cannon, and a 30 mm or 35 mm gun, it is well equipped for attacks on surface and shore-based targets and for self-defense against aerial threats. The shipboard electronic warfare suite is comprised of a combined AAW and surface warfare radar, a long-range OTH radar, radar-optical and electro-optical gun control systems, a radar-electronic warfare system, navigation radars, an counter-sabotage sonar system and an integrated bridge system. CODAG propulsion enables travel speeds of up to 28 knots, a cruising range of 200 nm at 14 knots and endurance of 25 days at sea. The crew is set at 35. Also on display were products from subcontractor companies of naval equipment manufacturers – Zorya-Mashproekt (gas turbine engines), Kyiv Petrovsky Automation Equipment Factory (naval gun control equipment), Chernihiv Radio Factory (Delta-M naval
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radar, Katran naval weapon control system, KAU-30 naval gun system, Willow light turret weapons module) and more others. Particularly noteworthy are products developed by Kiev-based NII Kvant as part of the Indigenous Corvette program to equip “Volodymyr the Great” ship First-of-Class (currently under construction at the Black Sea Shipyard in the Ukrainian port city of Mykolayiv). Those are Phoenix-E MPAR system, Stilet naval optical-radar tracking system, Sarmat-2 and Sens-2 small-to-media-caliber naval gun control systems, Faset naval electronic warfare system, the helicopter landing optronic support system “Saga”, the IR threat detection system «Selena-X», an ECM system and a naval combat management system. Antonov aircraft producer showcased the An-148-300MP, a version of its An-148 transport aircraft modified for offshore patrol missions. The An-148-300MP will be armed with missiles for selfdefense and to enable attacks on small surface and aerial targets. Ukraine’s Navy headquarters already showed an interest in the aircraft as a possible replacement for
the aging fleet of amphibious Be12 airplanes used by the Ukrainian Navy’s air arm. Interest also came from Polish partners who proposed that the aircraft be co-produced or license produced in Poland. The 3rd International Conference on “The Outlook for the Development of Weapons” took place on the sidelines of the trade fair. Naval panel discussion was concentrated around the upgrade of Ukraine’s naval fleet with new warships, with time and cost risks minimized. Speakers for both the Ukrainian Navy and industries were unanimous in holding that funds need to be found to complete the construction of first-of-class “Volodymyr the Great” corvette, which has been idle from the fall of 2014. What’s more, alongside the construction of gunboats and assault craft at domestic shipyards, decisions should be made with respect to placing of orders for construction of new missilearmed boats capable of operating effectively in the Ukrainian Navy’s areas of responsibility in the Black and Azov Seas. The Navy chiefs are looking at the possibility of acquiring second hand two or three small torpedo submarines suitable for operations in an enclosed theater such as the Black Sea. They are also considering the purchase of several midget submarines and remotely operated underwater vehicles to enable a more effective conduct of military diving operations. Navy commanders see regeneration of Ukraine’s subsurface warfare capabilities as an important factor in marine warfare. But the psychological factor should not be overlooked. The presence within the Ukrainian Navy of at least a small submarine fleet capable to operate covertly throughout the Black Sea area will, to some extent, contain and constrain the enemy’s superior fleet. UDR