Desperate Russia Fits Warship With Ground-Based Missile System To Avoid Another Moskva

Amid reports that the Russian fleet is regrouping in the Black Sea, images have emerged showing a Kremlin warship fitted with a ground-based Tor Surface-To-Air Missile (SAM) system on its deck. Patrol ship Vasily Bykov (Project 22160 class) was pictured cruising through the Black Sea with the defense system last Saturday.

This defensive method is in response to the recent sinking of Moskva, considered a huge blow to the Kremlin, reported The Drive, quoting Ukrainian defense analysts.

"Russia understood that Ukraine can use anti-ship missiles, and they're afraid to lose more," retired Ukraine Navy Capt. Andrii Ryzhenko, a former member of that nation’s general staff, told the news outlet Tuesday.

Though the Vasily Bykov class corvettes are typically only equipped with man-portable air defense systems, installing the Tor system would greatly improve its air defense capabilities, Ryzhenko said. "It can carry eight to 16 sophisticated missiles with a maximum range of 15 km. This system is quite good to fight UAVs and anti-ship missiles and also helicopters and aircraft," he added.

That said, fitting a ground-based system like the Tor on a ship comes with a set of challenges. "The radar system, for instance, would be partially blocked by the superstructure, creating a major potential blind spot toward the bow. And, there could be a loss of effectiveness in very rough seas," Ryzkenko added.

Continuous exposure to saltwater exposure is also a concern despite the systems being built to operate in a wide range of conditions.

Meanwhile, another analyst, who tweets under the handle @TheShipYard2, assumes that it is possible Russia is testing this system on board for an offboard SAM system. There was also a chance that the vessel may have been shipping the missile system to Snake Island.

The U.K. Ministry of Defense on Monday reported that Russia was moving multiple air defense systems to Snake Island, including the SA-15 and SA-22. The intelligence update from Britain said it was likely these weapons are intended to provide air defense for Russian naval vessels operating around Snake Island.

"Installation of these systems will help block Ukraine’s maritime trade, but Moscow will also hope Ukrainian strikes, like the one that sunk the cruiser Moskva in April, will be reduced," the ministry added.

This isn't the first time Russia was strapping a ground-based Tor surface-to-air missile system on a ship. According to The Drive, Kremlin had conducted an at-sea test of a Tor-M2KM SAM, fired from frigate Admiral Grigorovich. Like with Bykov, that system was also mounted on the flight deck.