According to an article by the TASS agency, the future "heavy" frigates of the 22350M "Super Gorshkov" project will be equipped 48 "long" missiles, namely a mix of Kalibr cruise missiles, Onyx anti-ship missiles, and Zirkon hypersonic missiles, as well as a Poliment-Redut system, a naval version of the S350 which enters service this year with the Russian forces, equipped with him 100 missiles.
If these values are confirmed, these frigates will therefore be equipped with almost 150 missiles in silos, for a building measuring "only" 7000 tonnes, that is to say the equivalent of the Horizon frigates of the French Navy, which carry 48 Aster anti-aircraft missiles in silo and 8 MM40 Exocet anti-ship missiles in launchers. But such a number of silos can only be done at the expense of space in the ship, and therefore of its ability to stay at sea. That said, it is true that the Russian Navy, even with regard to its High Seas fleet, does not have the ambition to be able to deploy an imposing naval force in the long term far from its bases.
The article specifies that 12 of these buildings will be built, including 11 during the 2019-2027 GPV, the equivalent of the LPM[efn_note]Military Programming Law[/efn_note] in Russia. They are intended, with the 8 22350 “Admiral Gorshkov” frigates currently under construction, to replace the Destroyer Udaloys and Sovremenie, inherited from the Soviet period, which still constitute the backbone of the Russian high seas fleet. The Russian Navy also plans to receive 6 to 7 heavy destroyers of the Lider class, equivalent to the Chinese Type 055, weighing more than 10.000 tons, and intended to replace the Slava cruisers as well as, in a second phase, the Kirov cruisers, which are suffering currently undergoing extensive modernization. This therefore represents a 1 for 1 replacement of current buildings, which would represent an impressive effort for the Navy as well as for Russian shipyards, the latter still struggling to supply high tonnage buildings.
However, these statements, which the TASS agency often echoes, must be taken with reservations, but which tend to evolve over time. The characteristics of the “Super Gorshkov” and the “Lider”, like their supposed numbers, have evolved greatly in recent years, although they are still presented as firm by Moscow communications. That said, we must not fall into denial either, Russian shipyards having undergone a vast modernization campaign in recent years, to be able to once again produce major ships, destroyers, cruisers, LHD[efn_note]Landing Helicopter Dock or Helicopter Carrier Assault Ship[/efn_note] and aircraft carrier, on time and with a satisfactory level of finish.
In this area, as in many others concerning Russian Defense, the final decision will above all be taken in the Kremlin, and conditioned by the economic performance of the country, therefore thecrude oil prices.