The Russian press agency TASS reported on July 13, 2020, the Russian Navy Pacific Fleet’s upgraded Project 1155M frigate Marshal Shaposhnikov has gone to the Sea of Japan (also known as East Sea) for its running sea trials. The Dalzavod Shipyard in Vladivostok in Russia’s Far East has upgraded the ship’s outboard fittings and hull structures and mounted new equipment. The destroyer Marshal Shaposhnikov’s main cables were partially replaced. The ship was armed with the Kalibr and Uran missile systems and advanced artillery weapons. During the upgrade, the shipbuilders dismantled and reconstructed more than 20 percent of the frigate’s superstructure.
Marshal Shaposhnikov is a Udaloy-class destroyer of the Russian Navy laid down in 1985. The vessel serves in the Russian Pacific Fleet. Her namesake is marshal Boris Shaposhnikov. The Udaloy class, Russian designations Project 1155 Fregat and Project 11551 Fregat-M are series of anti-submarine guided missile destroyers built for the Soviet Navy, seven of which are currently in service with the Russian Navy. Twelve ships were built between 1980 and 1991, while the thirteenth ship built to a modified design, known as Udaloy II class, followed in 1999. They complement the Sovremennyy-class destroyers in anti-aircraft and anti-surface warfare operations.
The Project 1155 dates to the 1970s when it was concluded that it was too costly to build large-displacement, multi-role combatants. The concept of a specialized surface ship was developed by Soviet designers. Two different types of warships were laid down which were designed by the Severnoye Design Bureau: Project 956 destroyer and Project 1155 large anti-submarine ship. The Udaloy class are generally considered the Soviet equivalent of the American Spruance-class destroyers. There are variations in SAM and air search radar among units of the class. Based on the Krivak class, the emphasis on anti-submarine warfare (ASW) left these ships with limited anti-surface and anti-air capabilities.
In 2015, the Russian Navy announced that five out of the eight Project 1155 ships will be refurbished and upgraded as part of the Russian Navy modernization program by 2022. The ships are to have their service life extended by 30 years until sufficient numbers of Admiral Gorshkov-class frigates are commissioned. Upgrades will include replacing the Rastrub-B Silex missiles with 3S-24 angling launchers fitted with four 3S-34 containers using the 3M-24/SS-N-25 Switchblade anti-ship missile, and two 3S-14-1155 universal VLS with 16 cells for Kalibr land attack, anti-ship, and anti-submarine cruise missiles in place of one of the AK-100 guns.
