The Russian Navy has commissioned a new missile boat.
On December 29, Izvestia reported that the Black Sea Fleet has commissioned the Ingushetia, a Project 21631 Buyan-M missile boat. Vessels of the class are used to provide coastal defense, but are also capable of carrying out land-attack missions thanks to their Kalibr cruise missiles.
Ingushetia finished its state trials on December 23, the Black Sea Fleet’s press office said. The press office noted in a statement, “During the state tests in the Black Sea, the sailors conducted fire from the artillery system against sea, air and coastal targets and test-launched a mock-up of a Kalibr cruise missile from the missile system’s silo.”
Testing involved checking the propulsion and steering systems, as well as auxiliary mechanisms, communications and navigation equipment, and armaments, TASS reported.
The vessel was declared ready to enter service, given that “[t]he results of the tests did not reveal any problems in the operation of the ship’s armament.”
Besides Ingushetia, the Black Sea Fleet received five new ships and boats in 2019. The fleet’s press office noted that for the upcoming year, “the delivery of 16 more combat ships and support vessels is planned for 2020, which will increase the share of modern ships and vessels to 70%.”
Military markets analyst, covering Eurasia, Middle East, and Africa.
