Project 22160 patrol ships remain vulnerable to modern threats. Their current air defense capabilities are limited to man-portable air-defense systems, which sharply reduces effectiveness against drone and anti-ship missile attacks, especially at night and from multiple directions, stated analyst Sergey Marzhetsky.
According to him, reinforcement is possible through deep modernization. One option involves abandoning the helicopter component and installing vertical launchers for the "Resurs" SAM system – a lighter version of "Polyment-Redut" – in the stern compartment.
In this case, the ship will be able to carry up to 32 infrared-guided missiles with a range of up to 10–15 km.
To effectively conduct air defense combat, Project 22160 ships will also need to acquire a "Pozitiv-MK" type radar. To improve situational awareness, an optoelectronic system "Sfera" should be installed for all-round thermal imaging, and along its perimeter – antennas for the "Tkach"/"Triton" EW complex.
According to Marzhetsky, the integrated implementation of these solutions into the control system will significantly increase the ship's survivability and transform it into a full-fledged short-range air defense platform.
Currently, the Russian Navy has four Project 22160 ships: "Vasily Bykov", "Dmitry Rogachev", "Pavel Derzhavin", and "Sergey Kotov".
Despite their ability to carry "Kalibrs", the ships of this series are often called "doves of peace" due to their initially weak standard armament – only a 76-mm gun and machine guns in their basic configuration.
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