Balzam-class intelligence ship
Soviet and Russian ship class
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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.
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 & 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 |
Design and role
Built by the Yantar shipyard in Kaliningrad, they the first Soviet vessels specifically designed to gather SIGINT 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 | Decommissioned | ||
| 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.
