– Naval News – The navigation and oceanography department of the Russian Defense Ministry will receive a dozen new hydrographic boats and vessels by 2021. Each Russian Navy fleet will be reinforced with them.

– War Zone – Russia’s Severnoye Design Bureau has stopped development entirely of its Project 23560 destroyers, also known as the Lider class, and the Project 22350M frigate, an expanded derivative of the Project 22350 Admiral Gorshkov class. The company has said these ships are among its most promising future offerings and the halting of the two programs has raised questions about its long-term financial stability.

– Barents Observer – The 96 meter long special-purpose ship “Akademik Aleksandrov” has been formally incorporated in Russia’s Northern Fleet.

– National Interest – An annual Russian naval estimate reveals Moscow’s continuing shipbuilding dilemmas, as well as a contrast to China’s naval development prowess.

– Barents Observer – A civilian who went onboard the Russian cruise-missile carrier “Orel” had met with a man who tested positive to the coronavirus.

– War Zone – The Russian Navy has reportedly looked into reviving this tactic, but for cruise-missile armed submarines.

– Barents Observer – The K-157 “Vepr” is first of five upgraded Akula-class subs that are about to return to active duty in the Barents Sea.

– Naval News – Borei-A-class SSBN of project 955A will operate in the Far East. Five out of eight submarines will serve in the Pacific fleet. The Russian Navy is restoring the Far Eastern nuclear arsenal which was nearly lost thirty years ago.

– Naval News – The main missions of big-displacement warships armed with a major number of missiles is to provide air defense to warship formations and deliver missile strikes at sea and coastal targets.

– Naval News – Open sources reported in July 2018 that it had been decided to take a break in the creation of a prospective destroyer (heavy nuclear missile cruiser) of project 23560. A publication in February 2020 in FlotProm online media outlet did not add anything new.

– The Diplomat – The launch will reportedly take place as part of the Tsirkon missile’s state trials.

(Thanks to Alain)

– Naval News – The Russian Navy will be protected against adversary antisubmarine aircraft and drones. Burak-M buoys will make a sea area impenetrable. Communications by all channels will be jammed or complicated to the maximum by the new system. It is intended for Borey-class SSBN of project 955 and Dolphin-class of project 667BDRM, as well as diesel-electric submarines.

– Barents Observer – A pair of Northern Fleet Tu-142s has for the fourth time in just over two weeks been on mission outside Norway. The flight on Wednesday went all south to the Bay of Biscay.

– War Zone – The Borei-A class boats are said to be among the quietest in Russia’s fleet and they feature some amenities that are distinctly Russian.-

– Barents Observer – Norwegian and British fighter jets were scrambled two times this week to meet a pair of the Northern Fleet’s ASW aircraft on training mission over the Norwegian Sea.

– Barents Observer – Russia has conducted the first ship-launched firing of its new hypersonic missile called Tsirkon and plans further tests from nuclear submarines.

– Naval News – The Project 545 ‘Laika’ was first revealed in the background of a media report on a Russian defense exhibition in December. Although it has not been officially confirmed the new design is likely to be the next generation Russian attack submarine project known as Husky. The name Laika refers to a breed of Siberian hunting dog very similar to the husky.

– From the Office of Naval Intelligence

– Naval News – All Nanuchka III-class small missile ships (corvettes) of project 1234 of the 114th brigade of the Pacific fleet will be upgraded. They will get new arms and radars, communications, and economical and powerful diesel engines.

– El Snorkel – The priority is the refloating of the Komsomolets K-27 and K-278 nuclear submarines.(in Spanish)

(Thanks to Alain)

– The Sun – The US Navy Second Fleet command trawled the North Atlantic for Russia’s most powerful submarine, the Severodvinsk, but said it remained undetected despite a mission to find it lasting several weeks.

(Thanks to Alain)

– Naval News – The overhaul of the Tiger (K-154 Tigr) nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN) of project 971 (Akula-class) is to be completed by the end of 2023. The SSN has not made any sorties since 2010s. Three years ago, it was towed to the shipyard in Snezhnogorsk. The overhaul will increase its might due to Kalibr missiles.

(Thanks to Alain)

– Barents Observer – The Russian Border Guard Service, a department under the FSB, is strengthening its presence in the ice-covered waters of the Arctic. Construction of a first icebreaking patrol vessel of Project 23550 was launched in April 2017 and a second in November 2019.

– Newsweek – William Arkin writes that during the height of tensions with Iran last year, the United States conducted an unprecedented series of war games. Over five months, from May until the end of September, 93 separate military exercises were held, with forces operating continuously in, above and around 29 countries. The games, which practiced everything from ground platoon tactics to cyber warfare, weren’t held in the Mideast and weren’t directed at Tehran. They were directed against Moscow—and constituted the most intense uninterrupted set of drills since the end of the Cold War.

– War Zone – The missile, details about which are scant, has at least some development hurdles to overcome and is still years away from entering service.