Built to fulfill the requirement for modern long-range patrol vessels for the Russian Navy’s Black Sea Fleet, the Project 22160 patrol ship answers the call with an innovative modular design. The ship displaces about 1,700 tons and measures roughly 300 feet long with a 47-foot beam and a draft of approximately 15 feet. To date, six of the class have been ordered, four of which are expected to be operational by early 2022.
The Vasily Bykov (pictured below), first of the class, and the second unit, the Dmitry Rogachev, began construction in 2014 at Zelenodolsk shipyard in Tatarstan. The Vasily Bykov joined the Russian fleet in late 2018, and the Dmitry Rogachev was commissioned the following year. The third ship, the Pavel Derzhavin, was laid down in 2016 and entered service in November 2020. The fourth patrol ship, the Sergey Kotov, began construction in 2016 and conducted sea trials in the fall of 2021. The Viktor Veliky and Nikolay Sipyagin, fifth and sixth ships of the class, are expected to commission by 2023.
The hull incorporates signature-reduction measures to enhance stealth. The patrol ships have a telescoping hangar and helicopter landing deck for one Ka-27 or similarly sized aircraft. Two rigid-hull inflatable boats are carried port and starboard amidships, and space also has been reserved for unmanned systems and drones. One of the key features of this design is a modular mission bay underneath the landing deck. The mission bay is adaptable to carry extra troops and personnel, assault craft such as high-speed Project 02800 boats launched via stern ramp, unmanned systems, or a wide variety of sensors and equipment. A 76-mm dual purpose naval gun is fitted forward of the bridge.
These ships have been offered for export along with options such as an air-defense system that could be installed between the 76-mm gun and the bridge, or a containerized four-tube vertical launch systems for the Kalibr family of missiles, which could be raised from the bay through hatches on the flight deck. The class’s primary stated missions include defense of Russia’s exclusive economic zone, protection of naval bases, counterpiracy operations, escort of transiting vessels, and search-and-rescue operations.
Crew size is reportedly 32 sailors and 8 officers, although up to 80 personnel can be carried on board. The Project 22160 is powered by combined diesel and gas propulsion (CODAG), enabling an operational range of 6,000 nautical miles and a top speed of 30 knots.
