Meanwhile, in the Black Sea ...

15/05/14

There is a lot of activity, in these hours, in the Black Sea. The last ship to be added to the already many in the area was sent from Paris. The Dupuy de Lome, a ship of the French secret services, reappeared again this night in the Black Sea.

The SIGINT ship had already patrolled the area from 11 to 30 April.

Dupuy de Lome is able to intercept all types of communication, including satellite ones: calls made from mobile phones as well as e-mail traffic.

Russia, meanwhile, has announced that the Black Sea fleet will receive 30 warships, including submarines and auxiliary ships, within the next six years.

This is not a provocative military action - explained the admiral Viktor Chirkov, commander in chief of the Russian Navy - but we need to provide new boats for a fleet that has not received ships for decades.

According to the Russian defense ministry the Black Sea fleet will receive six "Admiral Grigorovich" class frigates and six "Varshavyanka" class submarines.

The six new "Admiral Grigorovich" class missile frigates, project 11356, are currently under construction. The "Admiral Grigorovich" are based on the technology used for Indian frigates built in Russia, class "Talwar". From the latter inherit for example the stealth characteristics of the hull to reduce the rcs. They will also be equipped with the new modular 'Shtil' air defense systems. The new defense systems are considered capable of intercepting all the piloted and non-existing and future aircraft. One of the main features of the system is its high speed of standardized fire at two seconds per launch.

The "Varshavyanka" diesel-electric class submarines will equip the Black Sea war fleet within the next two years. These submarines represent a key element of the Russian naval strategy in the Mediterranean, where Moscow has formed a permanent task force. The construction of the submarine " Novorossiisk ”started in August of the 2010, followed by the" Rostov-on-Don "in November 2011 and by the" Stary Oskol "last August. The construction of the fourth boat, the "Krasnodar" started last February 20. Just the "Novorossiisk" has already begun the sea trials.

The Black Sea Fleet does not receive new submarines from 23 years and currently operates only with "L'Alrosa", a "Kilo" class boat entered into service in the 1990.

Analyzing the American presence in the Mediterranean, however, it seems clear that Russia would need at least ten "Varshavyanka" class boats to counter US missile defenses and Aegis systems. The Russian submarines nicknamed by the US Navy as "Black Holes in the ocean / Black Holes in the ocean", once immersed are no longer identifiable.

The "Varshavyanka" classes (Project 636m) are propelled by diesel-electric engines with very low noise emissions and can hit targets at long distances without being detected by enemy antisubmarine radars. The "Varshavyanka" class is an improved version of the "Kilo" (the latter below five knots is invisible to passive sonar), with advanced stealth technology. It has a displacement of 3.100 tons, reaches a speed of 20 knots, can dive up to 300 meters and carry crews of 52 people. The submarines, armed with 18 torpedoes, mines and eight cruise missiles "Kalibr 3M54" (NATO SS-N -27 Sizzler), will perform anti-submarine missions (Hunter Killer) in relatively shallow waters. All six submarines will be deployed at the Novorossiisk naval base by the 2016.

The Black Sea Fleet was founded in the 1783 with a decree from Empress Catherine the Great.

Meanwhile, Moscow continues to invest in submarines. The Russian defense ministry has signed a contract to modernize two "Sierra" class Soviet nuclear submarines. Since last Monday, the nuclear fuel from the reactor of the first of the two submarines, the "Karp", is being removed. The entry into service of the latter is fixed at 2017. The Russian navy expects to receive ten modernized nuclear submarines within the 2020.

The "Sierra" class submarines Project 945 Barrakuda and Project 945A Kondor were built in the 80 years. Sierra I class Submarines: Propulsed from a pressurized water nuclear reactor with a maximum immersion speed of thirty five knots at an operating depth of 480 meters (550 test). Double hull made entirely of titanium. They are armed with six torpedo tubes: two of 650 mm and four of 533 mm. Two Sierra I built but withdrawn from service due to lack of funds. The Russian defense ministry has allocated a special budget to bring the B-2017 Karp back into service by 239 and the B-2020 Kostroma by the 276.

Sierra II Class Submarines: Propulsed from a pressurized water nuclear reactor with a maximum immersion speed of thirty five knots at an operating depth of 480 meters (550 test). They are armed with six 533 mm torpedo tubes. Two Sierra II, B-336 Pskov and B-534 Nizhny Novgorod, currently in service.

Franco Iacch