Gepard-class frigate

A Gepard-class frigate
Class overview
Name:	Gepard class (Project 1166.1)
Builders:	Zelenodolsk Shipyard/Zelenodolsky Plant Gorky (Зеленодольский завод имени A.M. Горького)
Operators:	Russian Navy  Vietnam People's Navy
Preceded by:	Koni class
Built:	1991–
Building:	2
Planned:	8
Completed:	4
Active:	4
General characteristics
Type:	Frigate
Displacement:	1,500 tons (standard) 1,930 tons (full load)
Length:	102.14 m (335.1 ft) (93.5 m waterline)
Beam:	13.09 m (42.9 ft)
Draught:	5.3 m (17 ft)
Propulsion:	2 shaft CODOG, 2 × gas turbines (29,300 shp (21,800 kW) each), 1 × Type 61D Diesel (8,000 bhp (6,000 kW)), 3 × 600 kW (800 hp) diesel alternator sets
Speed:	28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph)
Range:	4,000 nmi (7,000 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h)
Endurance:	15 days
Complement:	98
Sensors and processing systems:	Radar: Cross Dome surface & air search radar Cruise missile targeting: Bass Stand Navigational radar: (unknown type) Fire control radar: Pop Group SA-N-4, Bass Tilt for AK-630 Sonar: Medium-frequency hull mounted, medium-frequency towed variable depth sonar
Electronic warfare & decoys:	EW Suite: 2 × Bell Shroud passive intercept, 2 × Bell Squat jammers, Countermeasures: 4 × 16-barreled Pk-16 decoy launchers
Armament:	8 × Kh-35 Anti-Ship missiles (two quadruple launchers) or 8 × Kalibr-NK ASM (Dagestan) 1 × Osa-M surface-to-air missile system (one twin launcher, 20 SA-N-4 Gecko missiles) 1 × 76.2 mm 59-caliber AK–176 automatic dual-purpose gun (500-round magazine) 2 × 6-barreled 30 mm AK-630 point-defense guns (2,000-round magazine for each) 4 × 533 mm torpedo tubes (two twin launchers) 1 × RBU-6000 12-barreled Anti-Submarine rocket launcher 12–20 mines

The Russian Gepard-class frigates (Project 1166.1) is a class of frigates that were intended as successors to the earlier Koni, 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, Albatros (renamed Dagestan), and Burevestnik (Storm Petrel), which was still under construction as of 2012.

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. They are equipped with fin stabilizers and twin rudders, and can use either gas turbines or diesel for propulsion in a CODOG configuration.

Export models

The Gepard class was designed from the outset as a lightweight, inexpensive export vessel. The Russians have offered five variants for foreign sale.

• Gepard 1: Helicopter platform (no hangar), VDS deleted.
• Gepard 2: Helicopter platform and hangar, VDS and SA-N-4 deleted.
• Gepard 3: Increased beam of 13.8 metres (45 ft 3 in), displacement increased to 2,100 tons full load, single forward-placed Kortik CIWS in place of AK-630s, helicopter hangar above VDS housing.
• Gepard 4: Unarmed version for search-and-rescue, though weapon mountings still in place.
• Gepard 5: helicopter platform (no hangar), increased range to 6,000 nmi (11,000 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h) knots, reduced speed of 23 knots (43 km/h), gas turbines replaced with 2 8,000 bhp (6,000 kW) diesels.

The Vietnam People's Navy received in March and August 2011 two Gepard 3.9-class frigates ordered in 2006, built in Russia at Tatarstan's Gorky Shipbuilding Plant. As of 2012 Vietnam was examining a purchase of two more, possibly built in Vietnam under license.^[1][2] In late 2011 Vietnam signed a contract for an additional batch of two ships in an anti-submarine version.^[3] A further two ships were ordered in 2014 to bring the total order up to six vessels.^[4]

Ships

Operator	No.	Name	Project	Builder	Laid Down	Launched	Commissioned	Fleet	Status
Russian Navy	691	Tatarstan (ex-Yastreb)	11661	Zelenodolsky Shipyard (now Zelenodolsky Plant Gorky)	1993	2 July 2001	31 August 2003	Caspian	active
	693	Dagestan (ex-Albatros)	11661K		1994	1 April 2011[5]	28 November 2012[6]	Caspian	active
Vietnam People's Navy	011	HQ-011 Dinh Tien Hoang	11661E (Gepard 3.9)		10 July 2007	12 December 2010 [7]	23 March 2011 [8]		active
	012	HQ-012 Ly Thai To	11661E (Gepard 3.9)		27 November 2007	16 March 2011[9]	22 August 2011 [10]		active
	?	?	11661E (Gepard 3.9)		24 September 2013[11]	?	?		Under construction
	?	?	11661E (Gepard 3.9)		24 September 2013[11]	?	?		Under construction

Service

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).^[12][13] Peshmerga forces (Kurdish armed forces located in northern Iraq) published a video allegedly depicting two cruise missiles mid-flight en route to Syria.^[14]

See also

• List of ships of the Soviet Navy
• List of ships of Russia by project number

References

External links

• Gepard Class Frigates (Naval Technology)
• Article in English from FAS
• article in Russian
• (English) All Gepard Class Frigates - Complete Ship List

Gepard-class frigates  Russian Navy Yastreb / Tatarstan Albatros / Dagestan  Vietnam People's Navy Đinh Tiên Hoàng Lý Thái Tổ Preceded by: Krivak class Followed by: Neustrashimyy class List of frigates of the Russian Navy