Russian naval visit to Cuba reveals weaknesses and exposed secrets
In early June, a squadron of Russian ships visited Cuba, allowing Americans to register one of them's acoustic signature. In July, more ships set off towards Cuba, but the voyage – instead of being a show of strength – highlighted the pitiful state of the Russian navy.
In early June, the first Russian squadron to visit Cuba in many years was the Kazan submarine of project 885M (type Yasen-M). In its lineup, the squadron also included the frigate Admiral Gorshkov, a tugboat, and a tanker.
This vessel is characterised by exceptional soundproofing. The Russians' visit to Cuba allowed Americans to create a detailed acoustic profile of the Russian submarine, which will facilitate tracking it in the future.
According to Cuban sources, another Russian squadron will arrive in Cuba on 27 July at 4 AM Greenwich Time. However, its composition is much less impressive than before—the group consists of the old frigate Neustrashimy project 11540, a training ship, and a tanker. Contrary to propaganda messages, these units do not challenge or threaten the USA.
Neustrashimy frigate without armament
Neustrashimy is a ship built in the 1980s. The vessel is 136 metres long and displaces 4,600 tonnes. In 2014, it was sent to the repair yard, and the repair, planned for three years, lasted eight years and would have taken longer but for the fact that in 2022 the frigate was hastily returned to service.
The repair did not involve any significant modernisation (although there were such plans) – for years, the Russians had tried to restore the vessel to the capabilities it had in 1990 when it entered service. Consequently, the range of the frigate's anti-aircraft armament – the 9K95 Kinzhal system – is barely 11 kilometres, and beyond this distance, the ship can be attacked with impunity by aircraft.
The ship does not have the 3M24 Uran anti-ship missiles, which—although intended for this vessel—never made it onto it. The armament, apart from the 9K95 anti-aircraft system, consists of one AK-100 100-millimetre bow gun, two Kortik anti-aircraft defence systems (a marine variant of the Tunguska system), RBU-6000 depth charge launchers, and Vodopad-NK torpedo launchers.
So armed, the Neustrashimy, combined with its outdated sensors, poses no challenge to modern warships. However, it is suitable for combating pirates in the Horn of Africa, for which it was used before its repair.
