Russia Sends its Most Advanced Warship to America’s Doorstep; Frigate Admiral Gorshkov in the Caribbean

The most advanced warship in Russia’s surface combat fleet, and the first of the Project 22350 Admiral Gorshkov Class frigates, the 5,400 ton warship Admiral Gorshkov has entered the Carribean and is speculated to be headed to Cuba for a port visit. While Russian shipyards have yet to gain the ability to build heavier warship classes such as destroyers, cruisers and carriers, large numbers of heavy frigates are currently being planned for construction as the Severnaya Verf shipyard near St Petersburg - with four Gorshkov Class ships currently under construction. A further two are currently undergoing sea trials, while the warship Admiral Gorshkov itself was commissioned in July 2018. The warship represents the most advanced surface vessel in the Russian fleet, and is heavily armed with 48 vertical launch cells deploying a wide array of state of the art missile systems. This makes the warships more heavily armed than many destroyer classes, with an equivalent arsenal to the British Type 45 Class but much heavier and longer ranged missiles, or the French and Italian Horizon and Orizzonte Class destroyers respectively with the same number. The platform’s sensors, electronic warfare systems and propulsion systems are all state of the art, and include a Furke-4 5P-27 radar and Poliment 5P-20K active phased array radars, a Monolit 34K1 surface search radar, a Puma 5P-10 main artillery radar and fire control system, three Pal-N radars and a Zarya M sonar and Vinyetka towed array sonar system. The hull of the Gorshkov Class integrates advanced stealth capabilities, which alongside a Prosvet-M electronic warfare suite serves to considerably enhance its survivability. The warship carries a crew of 210 and has a 30 day endurance. 

While a port visit to Cuba is expected, it remains uncertain whether the Russian frigate will also make a visit to Venezuela where Russia’s armed forces have previously made symbolic stopovers. Repeated efforts by the United States and its allies to overthrow the embattled Latin American government have forces Caracas to rely increasingly heavily on foreign protection - which Russia among other parties has stepped up to provide. Considering the potency of the Gorshkov Class, and the possibility of regular visits to and perhaps even a permeant presence in Venezuela once the fleet expands, such a visit would send a strong signal to the U.S. regarding Russia’s ongoing commitment to the defence of its ally. Among the Gorshkov’s formidable armaments are the Redut surface-to-air missile system - a navalized derivative of the S-350, and up to sixteen supersonic cruise missiles. These include the Kalibr and Oniks - both travelling at around Mach 3 and capable of evading any known air defence system and striking with considerable precision. The warships are expected to be outfitted with Zircon hypersonic anti ship cruise missiles in the 2020s - with the new munitions reportedly currently in the late testing stages.