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.
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