Corvette Storm monitors the ship group of the Russian Navy
Currently, the Russian Navy is conducting the Ocean exercises with the participation of 400 ships, submarines and other watercraft. As part of these maneuvers, one of the naval groups operates near Norway.
Corvette Storm tracks three ships of the Russian Baltic Fleet off the west coast of Norway. We closely monitor all movements- said in a statement by the Ministry of Defense of the country.
Storm belongs to the class of “corvettes” of the Skjold class. In fact, these are missile boats with a displacement 274 tons and length 47,5 m. They are armed with the NSM anti-ship missile, 76-mm rapid-fire Otobreda cannon and Softkill repeater system from Rheinmetall (MASS) for protection against missile threats. Besides, boats are undergoing modernization, which includes SCANTER radar integration 6000.
In total, the Norwegian Navy is armed with 6 boats of this type. However, frigates of the Fridtjof Nansen class should act as the main striking force, as was to be expected, that they will be the ones who will go to “intercept” Russian ships. They were in service with the fleet 5 units, but one sank in 2018 year after an unsuccessful evacuation attempt due to a collision with an oil tanker.
At least its wreckage became a haven for fish- noted in the Norwegian press.
Remaining 4 frigates are actually conditionally combat-ready.
Our frigates did not and do not have weapons, working properly- State Control stated to Finansavisen.
Even helicopter hangars are used as a training room due to the lack of rotorcraft for ships.
Helicopter hangar on a frigate
Serious deficiencies in the technical condition of the ships are also pointed out., shortage of spare parts and problems with training and crewing.
Norwegian Navy recommends scrapping frigates, because they do not meet today's challenges and cannot be improved- says the publication Klikk.
At the same time, frigates Fridtjof Nansen, the construction of which was carried out by the Spanish company Navantia, do not last long, being commissioned in 2006-2011 years. Now the Norwegian Ministry of Defense is being sharply criticized for its decision to purchase them..
The project was successful both in terms of cost and quality, and timing- stated Niels Andreas Stensens in 2010 year, when I was the project manager for new frigates.
He then became Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, and with 2020 years head of the country's intelligence service.
Fridtjof Nansen-class frigate escorted by Skjold-class corvettes
As noted in the publication, the first frigate was delivered to the fleet in 2006 year, and six months later the ship’s hull began to become covered with rust. According to corrosion and paint experts, After this, the Ministry of Defense should have sorted everything out.
The rush to prepare the frigate was hectic, explained in the Norwegian Armed Forces. And the Spanish shipyard objected to the critics, referring to the fact, that in Norway you will not find a single warship, on which there would be no rust- indicated in the edition.
The Navy currently has to remove parts from one ship, to use them on another. But the command is not discouraged and intends to position the country’s naval power on the world stage.
The Norwegian frigate will be part of a carrier group led by Great Britain, which will travel to the Indo-Pacific region in 2025 year- says a recent publication on the Ministry of Defense website.
