Ivan Gren-class

Summary

Description

The Ivan Gren class, also known as Project 11711, is a new series of landing ships constructed for the Russian Navy. Initially, the class included two vessels, the Ivan Gren and the Pyotr Morgunov. However, future acquisitions of modified designs have been announced by the Russian Navy, suggesting an expansion of this class.

The design process for the Ivan Gren class focused on creating vessels capable of carrying significant payloads, including 13 main battle tanks or 36 armoured personnel carriers, along with 300 marines. The well deck design facilitates efficient loading and unloading of equipment and troops. The first ship, Ivan Gren, was laid down on 23 December 2004, and by November 2010, the hull was completed. The ship was launched in May 2012 with the original plan for delivery to the Russian Navy by 2014, however, commissioning was postponed multiple times due to multiple design faults, including issues with hull stability and engine problems.

Operational history for the Ivan Gren began with sea trials in the Baltic Sea in June 2016. Despite a delay, the lead ship, Ivan Gren, was eventually accepted into service on 20 June 2018 following successful sea trials. Conversely, the second ship in the class, Pyotr Morgunov, experienced greater expediency, being laid down in October 2014 and commissioned on 23 December 2020. Subsequently, the Pyotr Morgunov was transferred to its permanent base in Severomorsk and saw deployment in the Black Sea as part of the Russian invasion of Ukraine starting from February 2022.

In terms of expansion, despite initial statements suggesting no further construction of Ivan Gren-class vessels, the Russian Navy revised its plans. The acquisition of two or three modified Ivan Gren-class landing ships was reported in December 2018, leading to the laying down of two modified ships, Vladimir Andreev and Vasily Trushin, on 23 April 2019. These new iterations came with several enhancements, such as increased displacement—up to 40% heavier than the baseline version with some sources mentioning figures as high as 9240 tons—a modified superstructure, advanced engines, and enlarged dimensions to accommodate carrier-based attack helicopters like the Kamov Ka-52K. Armament changes and other operational capabilities reflect the overall growth in performance and the doubling of the amphibious lift capacity to 26 tanks.

Technical specifications