Ivan Papanin, Russia's combat icebreaker with 100mm cannon and Kalibr missiles with a range of 2,500 km

Ivan Papanin, Russia’s combat icebreaker with 100mm cannon and Kalibr missiles with a range of 2,500 km

He Project 23550 is the program under which Russia is building a series of icebreaker vessels of which the Ivan Papaninnamed after the Arctic explorer of the same name twice decorated as a hero of the Soviet Unionis the first and has begun its sea trialsaccording to the Russian state agency TASS. These icebreakers have a feature that distinguishes them from any other in the Russian fleet and that is that They are armedwhich makes them warships and is an example of Russia’s interest in expand its military capabilities in the ArcticThe Ivan Papanin is also configurable and has the option to increase its firepower in the future, including cruise missile launchers.

The icebreaker has been manufactured in the Admiralty Dockyards in St. Petersburg and it was possible to see how it was removed from the ship and towed for these tests at sea. ‘During this test phase, the operation of the propulsion system and onboard equipment systems will be checked.. The Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, Admiral Alexander Moiseyevreceived a report on the ship’s readiness for testing from the heads of the relevant military command bodies,’ the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

TASS has also reported that the ship’s crew has already completed ‘comprehensive training’ with the Russian Navy. This involved ‘Special programs for training in the operation of equipment and weapons of ships of this project in Arctic conditions’.

The Ivan Papanin is planned to join the Russian Navy’s Northern Fleet in the future, although the timing is unknown. Initially, The ship was due to enter service in 2023, something that has not happened.probably due to the conditions of the war in Ukraine.

The most striking aspect of this icebreaker is its ability to carry out combat missions and that the number of weapons installed can be adjusted according to requirements. Valery Polyakovadvisor to the head of the Krylov State Research Centerhas pointed out regarding the Project 23550 vessels that ‘there will be icebreakers and icebreaking ships, that is, ships capable of moving at a sufficient speed through ice sheets of a certain thickness. In fact, they will be armed icebreakers. Where the ice is thin, there will be more weapons and vice versa‘.

In its initial configuration, the Ivan Papanin has one 76mm AK-176MA main gun in a turret on the bow, but can also incorporate a AK-190 turret armed with a 100mm cannon. It has the option of installing containerized launchers for anti-ship and land-attack cruise missiles. Club and Kalibr in a space at the back of the boat that has been designed to accommodate them.

In the case of the longer-range Kalibr, the Ivan Papanin achieves an attack range of between 1,500 and 2,500 kilometers. TASS has also noted that the ship can carry 8 Kalibr cruise missiles and/or Uran anti-ship missiles in two launchers. The Uran is a smaller, shorter-range subsonic anti-ship missile than the Kalibr, which is close to the Harpoon from the USA. It also has a helipad at the rear sufficient for a helicopter from the Helix series.

With a displacement of 9,000 tonsProject 23550 ships are expected to break through ice up to 1.67 metres thick. Although this is significantly less than the approximately 3 meters thickness that a heavy icebreaker can handle, the Ivan Papanin achieves this with a relatively light hull and providing the ability to carry out combat missions.