Balzam-class intelligence ship
 A starboard view of the Soviet Balzam-class general intelligence collector ship underway in international waters as United States Navy ships sail out from Norfolk, Virginia, at the beginning of NATO Exercise Ocean Safari '85.
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders | Yantar Yard Kaliningrad |
| Operators | |
| Preceded by | Primor'ye-class surveillance ship |
| Succeeded by | Vishnya-class intelligence ship |
| Built | 1980–1986 |
| In commission | 1980–1987 |
| Planned | 4 |
| Completed | 4 |
| Active | 1[1] |
| Laid up | 2[2] |
| Retired | 1 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | intelligence ship |
| Displacement | 4,900 tons full load |
| Length | 105 m (344 ft) |
| Beam | 15.5 m (51 ft) |
| Draught | 5 m (16 ft) |
| Propulsion | 2 shaft diesel 9,000 hp (6,700 kW) |
| Speed | 20 knots (37 km/h) |
| Complement | 220 |
| Sensors and processing systems | Sonar: MG-349 hull mounted array,[3] MG-13 underwater communications, MG-7 |
| Electronic warfare & decoys | Cage Pot I, Twin Wheel, Log Maze[4] |
| Armament | 2 × 4 9K32 Strela-2 positions, 1 × 30 mm AK-630 anti-aircraft gun, 1×7 55 mm MRG-1 grenade launcher |
The Balzam class, Soviet designation Project 1826 is a class of intelligence collection ships built in the Soviet Union for the Soviet Navy during the 1980s.[5][6] They are also known as Lira class, after the first vessel of the class.
Design and role
Built by the Yantar shipyard in Kaliningrad, they the first Soviet vessels specifically designed to gather SIGINT and COMINT electronic intelligence via an extensive array of sensors.[1] The data could be transmitted to shore via satellite link antennas housed in two large radomes. They were the first Soviet AGIs to be armed, carrying one AK-630 CIWS gun system and Strela anti-aircraft missiles.
The last remaining Balzam class ship in active service is 344 ft in length, mounting a Medium Frequency sonar, High Frequency dipping sonar, Electronic warfare gear to include jammers, interception devices and code-breaking software. These ships were revolutionary when built in that they carried not only intercept and direction-finding electronics but also the necessary computing power to feed raw signal data into on-board information processing computers.
The ships has underway replenishment system same as two four-round Strela-2M (SA-N-5 Grail) IR-Guided SAM's and a single six-barrelled 30 mm gun installed. The weapons rely on a single remote Kolonka pedestal director instead of fire control radars, presumably to avoid interfering with the electronic support suite.[1]
Ships
| Name | Hull No. | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Fleet | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lira | 516 | Yantar Shipyard, Kaliningrad | 9 February 1980 | Northern Fleet | Decommissioned in 1997 | ||
| Azia | 493 | Yantar Shipyard, Kaliningrad | 13 February 1981 | Pacific Fleet | In reserve | ||
| Pribaltica | 80 | Yantar Shipyard, Kaliningrad | 28 July 1984 | Pacific Fleet | Active | ||
| Belomore | 463 | Yantar Shipyard, Kaliningrad | 7 February 1987 | Northern Fleet | In reserve |
Operations
In July 2016, SSV-80 was deployed to monitor the RIMPAC 2016 naval exercises off Hawaii.[7][8] The United States Coast Guard spotted the same ship south of Oahu in March 2020.[9]
She was also deployed in May of 2022, presumably to observe the USS Ronald Reagan and her battle group as they deployed from their Japanese homeport.
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Balzam Class Intelligence Collection Ship". Military-Today.com.
- ^ Toppan, Andrew (18 October 2001). "World Navies Today: Russian General Support Auxiliaries". Hazegray.org.
- ^ "Large intelligence ship - Project 1826". Russianships.info.
- ^ "SSV Balzam [Pr.1826 Rubidiy]". Command: Modern Air Naval Operations.
- ^ "1826 Belomor'ye/Lira/Balzam class". Warfare.be. Archived from the original on 2 January 2014.
- ^ "Bal'zam Class / Project 1826 Intelligence Gathering Ship in Pictures". Sword of the Motherland Historical Foundation.
- ^ Johnson, Natalie (8 July 2016). "A Russian spy ship was spotted off the Hawaiian coast during military drills". Business Insider.
- ^ LaGrone, Sam (6 July 2016). "Russian Spy Ship Now Off Hawaii, U.S. Navy Protecting 'Critical Information'". USNI News.
- ^ "Российский разведывательный корабль замечен вблизи главной базы ВМС США на Тихом океане" [Russian reconnaissance ship spotted near the main US Navy base in the Pacific]. Militarynews.ru (in Russian). 9 March 2020.
External links
- "Balzam class large intelligence ships (Project 1826)". Russian-ships.info. Archived from the original on 30 November 2010.
- Richey, Kris (2016). "Russia's Balzam ELINT ship shadows the U.S. RIMPAC fleet". Cyberevoblog. Archived from the original on 14 October 2016.