Russia to Upgrade Corvettes with Enhanced Protection Against Naval Drones

1 July, 2024 Russian "Udomlya" Project 22800 corvette.

2023. Russia. Photo: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

Russia has come up with new protection against naval drones that will be installed on new corvettes. The CEO of the Ak Bars shipbuilding corporation stated that the ships will receive additional protection from marine drones in the engine room. Corvettes, now deployed by all four fleets of the Russian Navy, will be built based on lessons learned from combat experience.

Currently, the shipbuilding corporation is building corvettes of Project 22800 Karakurt, Project 21631, and other projects with a displacement of about 1,500-2,000 tons for the Russian Navy. The corporation's CEO explained that Ukrainian drones initially immobilize Russian ships and then proceed to destroy them. "It hits the ship's engine room. We have to protect the engine room, which is the bottleneck on all ships.

This is the heart of the ship... And we will provide additional protection," stated the Ak Bars representative. According to him, the study of the fight against marine drones led to the conclusion that it is necessary to change the internal structure of the ship: passages, corridors, and crew accommodation, the Russian media notes.

Small missile ships designed to combat maritime drones will also continue to be equipped with Pantsir systems and AK-630 artillery systems. "It is important for us now to put weapons on the ships that could destroy a moving object at a remote distance, and if it approaches, to use the same 630 guns (AK-630M-2 Duet - ed.) on it," said the Ak Bars representative.