Gepard-class frigate

The Gepard-class frigates, also designated Project 11661, is a Russian class of frigates that were intended as successors to the earlier Koni-class frigates and Grisha, and Parchim-class corvettes. The first unit of the class, Yastreb (Hawk), was laid down at the Zelenodol'sk Zavod shipyard at Tatarstan in 1991. She was launched in July 1993, after which she began fitting out; fitting was nearly completed by late 1995, when it was suspended due to lack of funds. Renamed Tatarstan, the ship was finally completed in July 2002, and became the flagship of the Caspian Flotilla. She has two sister ships, Albatross (renamed Dagestan), and Burevestnik (Storm Petrel), which was still under construction as of 2012.

Quang Trung - one of the two ships in the second batch of Gepard 3.9 built for the Vietnam People's Navy
Class overview
NameGepard class (Project 1166.1)
BuildersZelenodolsk Plant Gorky
Operators
Preceded by
Subclasses
  • Project 11661 Tatarstan
  • Project 11661K Dagestan
  • Project 11661E Gepard:
    • Gepard 3.9: Batch I; Batch II
    • Gepard 5.1
    • Gepard 5.3
Cost
  • 11661E (Gepard 3.9 batch I): US$175 million per ship
  • 11661E (Gepard 3.9 batch II): US$350 million per ship (price included ammunition, maintenance packages signed between Vietnam and Russia)
Built1991–2016
Planned10
Completed6
Active6
General characteristics
TypeFrigate
Displacement
  • 1,500 tons (standard)
  • 1,930 tons (full load)
  • Up to 2,500 tons (Gepard 3.9)
LengthApprox 102.4 m (336 ft) (Gepard 3.9 batch II)
Beam
  • 13.09 m (42.9 ft)
  • Approx 15 m (49 ft) (Gepard 3.9)
Draught5.7 m (19 ft)
PropulsionTwin-shaft CODOG, FPP, 2 x 14,300 + 1 x 6,000 (kW)
Speed29 knots (54 km/h; 33 mph)
Range4,000 nmi (7,000 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h)
Endurance20 days
Complement94
Sensors and
processing systems
  • MR-231-1 Pal navigation radar
  • Mineral-ME shipborne multifunctional radar system (including guidance and target designation functions for cruise missiles)
  • 5P-26/MR-352 Pozitiv-ME1/-ME1.2 3D active shipborne radars
  • 5P-10E-03E Laska fire control radar for naval gun and CIWS
  • Sonar: MGK-335EM-03 with under-keel antenna
Electronic warfare
& decoys
  • EW Suite: 2 × Bell Shroud passive intercept, 2 × Bell Squat jammers,
  • Countermeasures: 4 × 16-barreled Pk-16 decoy launchers
Armament
Notes

The foreign customer Vietnam is the main operator of the class when its navy has commissioned at least 4 frigates - twice the size of Russia's Project 11661 frigates - while having plans to order at least 2 more.

Design

These vessels are capable of employing their weapons systems in conditions up to Sea State 5. The hull and superstructure are constructed primarily of steel, with some aluminium-magnesium being used in the upper superstructure(stealth technology). They are equipped with fin stabilizers and twin rudders, and can use either gas turbines or diesel for propulsion in a CODOG configuration.

Gepard is Russian for cheetah.

Service history

In October 2015, Dagestan, in company with three other Russian Navy ships serving with the Caspian Flotilla, launched cruise missiles at targets in Syria. The missiles flew nearly 1,500 kilometres (930 mi) over Iran and Iraq and struck targets in Raqqa and Aleppo provinces (controlled by the Islamic State) as well as Idlib province (controlled by the al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front).[1] Peshmerga forces (Kurdish armed forces located in northern Iraq) published a video allegedly depicting two cruise missiles mid-flight en route to Syria.[2]

Export

The Gepard-class was designed from the outset as a lightweight, inexpensive export vessel. Russia offers three variants of the class to the market:[3]

  • Gepard 3.9: designed to search, track and fight against surface, underwater and air enemy independently and within task force, plant mine fields, provide protection and patrol of maritime state border and exclusive economic zone, perform combat missions, patrol service. Powered by gas-turbine engines with CODOG configuration. Fitted with two inclined quadruple launchers for eight Kh-35 anti-ship missiles with alternative options to be featured with VLS systems such as UKSK (for cruise missiles such as Club-N and Yakhont) and Shtil-1 air-defense system.[4] Being the only exported variant with Vietnam being its first and only operator.
  • Gepard 5.1: configured as an ocean-going patrol ship. Intended for patrolling territorial waters, helping in distress on the sea, environment protection, support to marine missions and flag demonstration in areas being of state interest. Can be featured with "heavier" weapons if necessary. Powered entirely by diesel engines with a two-shaft CODAD propulsion plant.[5]
  • Gepard 5.3: designed to search, track and fight against surface, underwater and air enemy independently and within task force, carry out convoy missions and patrol duty, guard maritime state border and economic zone. Featured with four quadruple launchers for sixteen Kh-35 anti-ship missiles. Powered by a two-shaft CODAD propulsion plant.[6]

Vietnam

In March and August of 2011, the Vietnam People's Navy received two Gepard 3.9-class frigates ordered in 2006, built in Russia at Tatarstan's Gorky Shipbuilding Plant. In late 2011, Vietnam signed a contract for an additional batch of two ships in an anti-submarine configuration.[7] A further two ships are being considered to bring the total order up to six vessels, and that potential acquisition is likely being stalled due to sanctions towards Russia as a result of the Ukrainian conflicts.[8][9][10]

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka began talks for the credit purchase of a Gepard 5.1 frigate in 2017 and the Sri Lankan cabinet approved the proposal by President Maithripala Sirisena for the purchase of the ship in September 2017.[11]

Ships
  • Russian frigate 691 Tatarstan
    Russian frigate 691 Tatarstan
  • Russian frigate 693 Dagestan
    Russian frigate 693 Dagestan
  • Vietnam People Navy Ship 011 Đinh Tiên Hoàng
    Vietnam People Navy Ship 011 Đinh Tiên Hoàng
  • Vietnam People's Navy Ship 016 Quang Trung
    Vietnam People's Navy Ship 016 Quang Trung
No. Name Namesake Project designation Builder Laid Down Launched Commissioned Fleet Status
Russian Navy (2)
691 Tatarstan
(ex-Yastreb)		 Republic of Tatarstan 11661 Zelenodolsk Shipyard 1993 2 July 2001 31 August 2003 Caspian Active
693 Dagestan
(ex-Albatros)		 Republic of Dagestan 11661K 1994 1 April 2011[12] 28 November 2012[13] Active
Vietnam People's Navy (4+2)
011 Dinh Tien Hoang Đinh Tiên Hoàng 11661E (Gepard 3.9 batch I) Zelenodolsk Shipyard 10 July 2007 12 December 2010[14] 23 March 2011[15] Naval Region 4 Active
012 Ly Thai To Lý Thái Tổ 27 November 2007 16 March 2011 22 August 2011[16] Active
015 Tran Hung Dao Trần Hưng Đạo 11661E (Gepard 3.9 batch II) 24 September 2013[17] 27 April 2016[18] 6 February 2018 Active[19]
016 Quang Trung Quang Trung 24 September 2013[17] 26 May 2016 6 February 2018 Active[20]
- - - 11661_ (Gepard 3.9 batch III) - - - - Planned[10]
- - - - - -

See also

References
  1. Aji, Albert; Vasilyeva, Nataliya (7 October 2015). "Russia fires cruise missiles from warships into Syria". Yahoo! News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 14 October 2015. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  2. "Kurdish Video Lends Credibility to Russian Navy Caspian Sea Strike Mission Claims". USNI News. 7 October 2015.
  3. "Naval systems | Catalog Rosoboronexport". roe.ru. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  4. "Frigate (on the base of the project 11661 escort ship) Gepard 3.9 | Catalog Rosoboronexport". roe.ru. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  5. "Frigate (on the base of the project 11661) Gepard 5.3 | Catalog Rosoboronexport". roe.ru. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  6. "Frigate (on the base of the project 11661) Gepard 5.3 | Catalog Rosoboronexport". roe.ru. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  7. "Vietnam Bought Second Batch of Russian Gepard-Class Frigates". rusnavy.com. 7 December 2011. Archived from the original on 2 September 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  8. Pike, John (21 August 2014). "Project 1166.1 Gepard class". Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  9. "Vietnam Receives Second Russian-Made Frigate". Defense News. Agence France-Presse. 22 August 2011. Archived from the original on 31 July 2012. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  10. "Vietnam raises interest in procuring improved Gepard 3.9-class frigates from Russia". Asia Pacific Defense Journal. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  11. "Deal for Rs. 20 billion++ Russian patrol vessel this week, company chief comes in private jet". The Sunday Times. 3 December 2017. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  12. "Missile ship Dagestan was launched in Zelenodolsk". rusnavy.com. 5 April 2011. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  13. "Caspian Flotilla Commissions New Corvette". rusnavy.com. 28 November 2012. Archived from the original on 24 December 2018. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  14. "Russian shipyard built frigate for Vietnam". rusnavy.com. 14 December 2009. Archived from the original on 27 September 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  15. Работы над фрегатами "Гепард" для Вьетнама близки к завершению [Work on Gepard frigates for Vietnam close to completion]. flot.com (in Russian). 26 October 2010. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  16. "Vietnam gets most modern patrol ship in region". Tuổi Trẻ. 22 August 2011. Archived from the original on 23 September 2012. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
  17. "Chi tiết thời điểm Việt Nam nhận 2 chiến hạm Gepard-3.9 mới". datviet.trithuccuocsong.vn. 2 April 2014. Archived from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  18. "Фрегат "Гепард 3.9" тожественно спущен на воду" [The frigate "Gepard 3.9" was launched]. Zelenodolsk Plant (in Russian). 27 April 2016. Archived from the original on 6 February 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  19. "Third Gepard frigate arrives to Vietnam from Russia". Naval Today. 30 October 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  20. "Vietnam's fourth Gepard frigate arrives in Cam Ranh Bay". Jane's Information Group. Archived from the original on 7 February 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
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