The universal ice-class patrol ship "Ivan Papanin" (Project 23550), which joined the Northern Fleet, was very hastily dubbed the "Guardian of the North." In many ways, it is inferior to small missile ships, which are smaller in displacement. This opinion was expressed by military expert Roman Skomorokhov.
Let's just say: the armament for a ship with a full displacement of 8,500 tons is not very good.
"Ivan Papanin" is equipped with a 76-mm AK-176MA artillery mount. From the SAM system - 8 Igla or Verba MANPADS. There is a Ka-27 or Ka-226 helicopter in the hangar.
There is no air defense on the ship. Eight MANPADS are not air defense. That is, for any aircraft such as an airplane or a strike UAV, the Ivan Papanin is a vulnerable target.
The rest of the ship's armament is optional. It can be equipped with 3M-54 Kalibr or Kh-35 Uran missiles. However, the expert believes that this weapon is"yesterday's weapon". Skomorokhov would suggest replacing it with Onyx and Zircon.
Even the MRK "Zeleny Dol" (Project 21631 "Buyan-M"), whose displacement is 10 times less than that of "Ivan Papanin", has a better chance of survival, he stressed.
Its speed is 25 knots, which is significantly more than that of the Papanin. And it has an AK-630M-2 "Duet", 3M-47 "Gibka".
Skomorokhov drew attention to the fact that the Ivan Papanin has no anti-submarine weapons. Of course, the Ka-27 on board has some capabilities. The helicopter can install a sonar system (GAS) to search for enemy submarines and attack it with a torpedo.
True, the UGMT-1 Orlan, APR-2 Yastreb-M torpedoes are from the 70s and 80s of the last century and cannot cause anything but laughter among NATO submariners.
"Ivan Papanin" is a useful multifunctional vessel for the North. But it should not be regarded as an advanced warship, the expert concluded.
Read more on the topic:
Now on home
The service contains data on 45,000 fraudulent sites
The state has accelerated the introduction of unmanned solutions, integrating them into the real sector of the economy
Modernized engines may equip the Lada Azimut crossover
The price is 132 billion 265.8 million rubles
The manufacturer plans to strengthen its lineup of light commercial vehicles
The production of carbon fiber was organized in the shortest possible time
Electric vans will speed up the repair of urban transport infrastructure
Countries are working to synchronize regulations in the field of AI
The service's average daily audience is 55 million people
Stable Isomaterial Based on Metakaolin Has a Density Below 300 kg/m³
Re-identification quality improved twofold with new DynaMix method
Russians will be able to find out about debts online
Articles
-
National Project UAS: How Russia Created Its Own Drone Market
14 Jan 2026
-
No Spare Airfield: Sanctions and Aging Aircraft Fleet May Lead to Crisis
13 Jan 2026
-
ODK Engines Powered 13 Successful Soyuz Launches in 2025
13 Jan 2026
-
Why Russian Authorities Changed Their Mind About Introducing GOST for Video Games: Reasons Given
12 Jan 2026